On Monday evening, June 3rd, everyone got used to the fact: the transfer of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid was a fact. This brings the curtain down on yet another chapter in an ongoing story that has run for a few years, sparked controversy, and interested football lovers globally. The transfer of Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Real Madrid, the top club in the continent, has come to fruition as it has completed the aspiration many Madrid fanatics and the striker himself.
In this case, the story is how Mbappé joined Real Madrid The movie opens with a portrayal of Mbappé as a young player showing potential in soccer, and the viewers follow as he grows to become a star footballer and how he joined the Real Madrid Club.
Mbappé’s move to Real Madrid was not a result of this season, nor was it a direct transfer, but rather it formulated a long time ago. It’s not surprising because football has become one of the permanent stages of the modern world: a young boy Mbappé dreamed of becoming a football player back in his childhood and admired Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. There are famous photos of Mbappé as a teenager walking around his room surprised, looking at the images of Ronaldo pasted on his bedroom walls. His brilliance was evident right from his youthful years, and Real Madrid even expressed their desire to sign him at the age of 14. Zinedine Zidane went to the extent of using his car to pick him from the airport on one occasion when visiting the Real Madrid training grounds.
Consequently, even though he maintains a very close relationship with them, Mbappé chose to start out in France first and signed for PSG from AS Monaco in the year 2017. This was because he found himself competing with other stars such as Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Ronaldo indicating that he felt sidelined in Madrid after signing for the club. At PSG, Mbappé grew into one of the world’s best players, although his ultimate goal remained unfulfilled: achieving a good standing like winning the Champions League.
The Long-Awaited Transfer
Over the years, people in the football world only wondered whether Mbappé could possibly switch to Real Madrid someday. Negotiations took place and Madrid proved their seriousness by raising bids to €200 million in 2021. However, PSG declined these offers and this resulted to increased public disclosures and bargaining. This is why the decision of Mbappé to continue his stay with PSG in 2022 contract left many people, including Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez stunned. Mbappé later issued an apology for the confusion, but the eagerness to join Madrid never wavered.
In June 2023, Mbappé stated that he would not extend the deal with PSG which paved way for his transfer in the future. Despite this PSG’s attempts to lock him down, Mbappé was eager to let everyone know that his time at PSG was up. The last year in PSG was filled with controversies and speculations regarding his transfer, however, Mbappé was firm on his choice of Madrid.
The Signing and Its Consequences
Mbappé’s switch to Real Madrid involved a lot of money as part of the deal. He signs on for a basic wage of between €15 million and €20 million per year which is reviewed annually with an added signing bonus of €125 million payable in equal instalments of five. Furthermore, he is allowed to keep 80% of his image rights, an element of today’s footballers’ contracts. This transfer is considered to be a massive victory for Real Madrid in terms of both reputation and the quality of players.
The great challenge for the Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, is how to fit Mbappé into a team that boasts major talents. It already has talents such as Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, who gave splendid performances. After winning the Champions League title with Madrid, Bellingham seemed to be very enthusiastic about Mbappé joining the group as he was sure it will take the team to the next level.
