OFFICIAL: Real Madrid announce Kylian Mbappe - end of historic transfer saga

It is said that everything has an end, even life itself comes to a conclusion with death, but many football fans around the globe thought that the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga would be endless. 

After numerous attempts by Real Madrid to land the French superstar, 'Los Blancos' have finally announced the arrival of the former Paris Saint-Germain player, who will join Vinicius Jr in the Spanish club's front line forming a fearsome duo.

"Real Madrid C.F. and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement whereby he will be a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons," reads the statement. 

 

June 3, 2024

The Neverending Story

The relationship between Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe could well be one of the strangest in football history despite the fact that he has yet to play a season for the Spanish giants, with the French winger's love affair with the 14-time Champions League winners dating back to 2012, when he was just 13 years old. 

The French winger's father received a call at the time from Zinedine Zidane, who was then sporting director of the 'Merengues' and who had received good reports about the promising talent. Since then, as Mbappe told in his comic book "Je m'appelle Kylian", the Bondy native has been in love with the Spanish club and his dream has been to sign for them one day. 

The years went by and Mbappe made his breakthrough at Monaco in the 2016/17 season at just 18 years of age, scoring 26 goals and providing 8 assists in just 29 starts for the first team. After that season the France international's name was put on the radar of Europe's biggest clubs, although Madrid had him on their shortlist long before that. 

What 'Los Blancos' didn't know was that Paris Saint-Germain would emerge as a strong candidate for the signing of the young talent everyone was talking about. In fact, although Mbappe's dream was to play at the Santiago Bernabeu, the choice didn't have to be too difficult for him. 

On the one hand, a star-studded Real Madrid that had just won their 12th Champions League and second in a row and in which he would have no place to start in a front line that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema. On the other hand, the club of the city where he grew up where they were promising him that he would be the leader of a project that aimed to continue their domination of Ligue 1 and aspire to lift the first Champions League in the club's history. 

Reprogram your dreams 

Over the years Kylian Mbappe became the great leader of a Paris Saint-Germain side that dominated the French league but struggled to make a good run in the Champions League. In fact, the young French star was knocked out in the last 16 of the European competition by his childhood dream team, when Real Madrid beat them 5-2 on aggregate.

Cristiano Ronaldo left the Spanish club at the end of that season after lifting Los Blancos' 13th Champions League and third in a row and many tipped the Bondy native to become the true heir to No 7 at the Spanish giants. 

However, with a long-term contract and the Parisian club's firm refusal to let their star player leave, Real Madrid signed Eden Hazard from Chelsea for the Belgian to lead the Santiago Bernabeu outfit's attack alongside Karim Benzema. 

Hazard's failure in Spain is well known around the world and during that time Kylian Mbappe was already considered by much of the world to be the best player on the globe, although this had not been backed up by the Ballon d'Or, which was still owned by Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. 

Finally came the first big chance for Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, as the French superstar's contract expired in the summer of 2022 and if the Ligue 1 champions did not let him leave that summer they could be facing the situation of losing the best player in the world without any financial gain. 

Rumours about the arrival of PSG's No 7 grew throughout the summer but the reality is that despite Real Madrid's reported €200m bid for the player, the club presided over by Nasser Al-Khelaifi were never willing to let him leave that summer.

However, Mbappe himself allegedly asked the French club to let him leave to fulfil his dream of playing for 'Los Blancos', even going so far as to repost an Instagram story from a friend of his after the transfer window ended with the caption "Respect for my brother for your professionalism. Reprogram your dreams for some time soon. Life is wonderful, you're the best".

Happy ending divorce

The summer of 2022 looked promising for Real Madrid with the possible arrival of the PSG winger, who saw an already established Vinicius Junior and an in-form Karim Benzema knock him out of the Champions League once again in the last 16 with a historic comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu despite his incredible performance in the tie, scoring his side's only two goals. 

However, just when it looked like Mbappe would finally announce his decision to try his luck in Spain, mounting pressure from French president Emmanuel Macron and a mammoth offer from the Parisian club saw the French striker leave Real Madrid with their wedding ring in his hand. 

The Bondy native signed a two-season contract with PSG, with one more optional season, and it seemed that the relationship between the 'Merengues' and the former Monaco player was completely broken. However, the sadness was short-lived in Madrid after Vinicius and Co lifted their 14th Champions League title in their history by beating Liverpool in the final a few days later. 

During the 2022/2023 season the rumours about Mbappe and Real Madrid ceased due to the recent renewal, but it didn't take long for talk of the France international's possible arrival to return when at the end of the season in the summer he informed the club that he would not activate the clause in his renewal to extend it for another year and that he would therefore leave the club as a free agent at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. 

The player was left out of the pre-season tour as a punishment by the board but finally after a tug-of-war between the player and the Parc des Princes bosses an agreement was reached so that both parties were not harmed. 

Although neither the club nor Mbappe made an official statement on the decision, the season continued as just another one at the Parisian club until a month before the end of the campaign the Bondy native released a video bidding farewell to what had been his fans for seven seasons, confirming his departure from the club and opening up the possibility of finally fulfilling his dream and joining Real Madrid.

Star-studded Real Madrid

Real Madrid have certainly made a statement on the European football scene with the arrival of Mbappe, with many believing that the 'Merengues' will have the three most in-form players in the world in the same starting eleven: Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and the French attacker. 

The Brazilian winger has been improving his goalscoring figures with every season he has spent with the Spanish side to the point where he has become the most decisive player in the world, which has led him to become one of the favourites to win the next Ballon d'Or. Meanwhile, the English playmaker arrived as a star signing last summer and has landed on his feet in Madrid, breaking records of club legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to the new role Carlo Ancelotti has given him. 

Rodrygo Goes is likely to be one of the players who loses out most with the arrival of Mbappe, but it is not ruled out that Ancelotti could use a 4-3-3 formation in which he uses Bellingham in midfield and Vinicius, the former Santos man and Mbappe form the attacking trio. 

However, this will be a difficult decision for the Italian coach, as fielding just two midfielders alongside Bellingham when you can count on young French stars Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni or Uruguay's Fede Valverde is not an easy task to consider.

In addition, Real Madrid's defence remains one of the most solid in the world with two of the most in-form centre-backs in the world in Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, two full-backs who always deliver in Ferland Mendy and Daniel Carvajal and the world's best goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who has a lot to prove after spending a season out of action with two knee injuries. 

To this incredible squad we must add players who could be key players coming off the bench such as the Turkish prodigy Arda Guler, the winger Brahim Diaz or Joselu Mato, the hero of the comeback in the semi-final against Bayern Munich. Nor should we rule out the arrival of a star signing during the summer who could further strengthen the squad, such as Alphonso Davies.

What is certain is that Florentino Perez and Carlo Ancelotti have created a team that is practically unbeatable at first sight and favourites to dominate La Liga for many years to come and continue their hegemony in Europe.