Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled in front of 80,000 Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid's broadcast showed Mbappe beaming as he fitted his white shirt in the changing rooms, preparing for the enthusiastic crowd of supporters. Club president Florentino Perez, along with legends Zinedine Zidane and Pirri, greeted the fans before a performance by Andrea Bocelli set the stage for Mbappe's grand entrance.
The French superstar's move from PSG was finalized this summer after seven seasons in the French capital, concluding one of football's longest-running transfer sagas. Mbappe agreed to a significant pay cut, signing a five-year contract worth £12.8 million net per season at Madrid, down from the £21.4 million net he earned in Paris. Real Madrid announced that he would take the number nine shirt, previously worn by Karim Benzema.
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Mbappe wore the number seven for most of his PSG career, a jersey currently belonging to Vinicius Junior at Madrid. At Euro 2024, he wore France's number ten, a number held by Luka Modric at Real Madrid since 2017. France's elimination by Spain at the semi-final stage of Euro 2024 delayed Madrid's plans to unveil Mbappe until after the tournament.
Mbappe's decision to leave PSG came after he turned down a one-year extension, citing dissatisfaction with the club's direction. Despite PSG's efforts to keep him with incentives and plans to recruit more French internationals, Mbappe was briefly banished from first-team training. He eventually returned to the starting XI, but speculation about his departure continued. On May 10, Mbappe announced he would leave PSG, sharing a heartfelt message with the fans and expressing gratitude for his time at the club.
