MADRID: French superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, telling 80,000 fans “my dream has come true”.

“I’ve slept for many years with the dream of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,” Mbappe told fans gathered in record numbers to greet him at the club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The striker, who had completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was handed a No. 9 shirt by club president Florentino Perez.

He surprised journalists by speaking in near flawless Spanish, which he said he had begun learning at school and then continued to practise with Spanish-speaking managers such as Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino at Paris St Germain because he knew he would need to speak it one day at his dream club.

“I wasn’t the best at school but I had this dream of playing for Real and I knew that speaking the language would help me adapt,” he said.

Accompanied by his parents watching from the crowd and with a former French hero of the club, Zinedine Zidane, in attendance, Mbappe was emotional as the crowd chanted his name, and at one point kissed the jersey of the reigning Spanish and European champions.

“My family is happy and my mum is crying,” said the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain player.

“My dream is to measure up to this club, the greatest club in history,” he told the fans.

“I will give my life for this club and this crest. I’d like to send a message to the children,” he continued. “I was like you, I had a dream and today I have fulfilled it. I want to give some advice and that is that with passion you can do anything you want. Today I’m here and next time it could be one of you.”

The unveiling of Real’s latest Galactico allowed its fans to continue celebrating following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph on Sunday.

“We would like to welcome an exceptional player who has come to help us continue our winning ways,” said Perez. “Welcome to your home.” Real had courted Mbappe since his early teens.

“I know you will never forget that day in December 2012, when Zinedine Zidane invited you to visit Real Madrid City and meet the players you admired so much,” said Perez.

Tens of thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of the new signing, matching the record numbers 15 years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled.

The free tickets were snapped up rapidly with some fans reportedly trying to resell them to take advantage of the hype surrounding the arrival of arguably the world’s best striker.

Mbappe concluded his speech as he emulated Ronaldo with the iconic “one, two, three, Hala Madrid!” chant, echoed by fans who filled the stadium.

At Real, Mbappe will form part of an offensive trio alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior under the watch of veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

That prospect is already exciting fans of the club who won their 15th Champions League title in June.

Mbappe has often played as a left-sided attacker for club and country, the same position preferred by Vinicius but did not envision fighting over positions.

“I can play in all three positions upfront. Where I’m going to play doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “I’m arriving (at the club) and have to adapt to the team.”

Although his new team-mates began training on Monday, the forward, who captained France during their unsuccessful Euros campaign, will have a few more days off before kicking off his season in the Spanish capital.

Los Blancos begin the defence of their La Liga crown with a match against Real Mallorca on the weekend of Aug 17-18.

Mbappe’s debut might have to wait until the following week when Real Madrid face Real Valladolid who were recently promoted from the second division.

Number 9 Mbappe shirts went on sale last Thursday in Real’s club shops which are covered with his image.

Mbappe arrives after a personally disappointing Euros campaign, where he was overshadowed by Spain’s new teenage sensation Lamine Yamal of Real’s rivals Barcelona and France lost to the Spanish in the semi-finals.

That followed a difficult season with PSG following his decision not to renew his contract.

The club is hoping to offset the costs — a salary of at least 15 million euros ($16.3 million) per season and a signing bonus of more than 100 million euros — through sponsorship deals and ticket and merchandise sales.

Mbappe is hoping the move will finally see him win a Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, two of his lifelong objectives.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024