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Kylian Mbappe finally wears a Real Madrid uniform. He made no secret of the joy of joining.
Mbappe joined Real at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on the 16th (Korea time). As many as 85,000 fans were reportedly present at the stadium to see Mbappe. Mbappe made no secret of his joy. With his appearance, he interacted with his fans, shouting "Hala Madrid".
Before Mbappe wore his Real uniform, there were many twists and turns, so he seemed to feel more special about the transfer. At the time of 2022, Real had been close to signing Mbappe. However, Mbappe chose to stay due to the strong dissuasion of then-President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
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Since then, Mbappe's transfer to Real has begun to progress again since last summer. Mbappe's plan at the time was to leave PSG on a free contract. After announcing that he had no intention of signing an extension with the club, he indicated that he would play for PSG until the 2023-2024 season and then leave the team after the contract expires. PSG was in the opposite position. PSG initially held Mbappe, who was shaken by Real's offer, to stay ahead of the 2022-2023 season, but when Mbappe said he had no intention of extending his contract in the transfer market, he immediately implemented the sale plan.
But Mbappe was adamant. He only maintained his intention to move to a free agency. According to Fabrizio Romano, an expert in the European soccer transfer market, Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal reportedly offered 300 million euros (about 425.5 billion won) for Mbappe's transfer fee and 700 million euros (about 993 billion won) for annual salary. However, Mbappe refused to even negotiate and did not choose to go to Saudi Arabia.
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Since then, Mbappe has suffered a humiliation of being demoted to the second division, and the club and the players almost fell apart, but it was dramatically sealed with the efforts of PSG and Luis Enrique. In the end, Mbappe played for PSG this season, focusing on what might be his last season in Paris.
There was also news that PSG offered more money to renew the contract. Forbes magazine reported that `PSG has offered Mbappe a 10-year, €1 billion contract' which would give him a total of €1 billion contract extension over 10 years, making him the highest paid player in sports history if Mbappe, who is considering a move to Real Madrid, accepts the offer. "Each year, I was offered a strong offer to top the Forbes world's highest salary rankings as well."
But in Mbappe's mind, Real was the only one. Eventually, news broke that Mbappe and Real signed a contract in the transfer market last winter, and it became a reality this summer.
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Real signed Mbappe to a five-year contract by giving him number nine. Unlike his former team, Mbappe will wear No. 9 and enjoy the Bernabeu. The number is the same as Cristiano Ronaldo, known as Mbappe's idol, used when he joined Real. At that time, Ronaldo also used No. 7 by team legend Raul, so he had to play with No. 9 first.
After announcing the news of joining the team, Mbappe said on his personal SNS, "My dream came true. I am so happy and proud to join my dream club, Real. No one will understand how happy and excited I am now. I can't wait to meet the fans, and I appreciate the incredible support. It was the same at this joining ceremony.
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England's Tribuna 'Mbappe surprised Real fans by speaking perfect Spanish in his first speech at Real. He kissed the Real Madrid emblem three times before walking out to the stands. This is exactly what Cristiano Ronaldo did.
Mbappe is "We won."I'm here, I'm a Real Madrid player. I am grateful to President Perez. There was a lot going on, but you believed me. I saw my mother shed tears. It's an amazing day for me. It's an honor to play for the best club ever. I'm a happy boy today."
Mbappe, who joined Real, is expected to reappear in front of fans at the Super Cup match on August 14 after a break after Euro 2024. Currently, it is known that surgery and rest on the nose that was injured during the Euro tournament are needed.
digh1229@sportschosun.com
