Zinedine Zidane
\nFrench superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, telling 80,000 fans \u201cmy dream has come true\u201d.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve slept for many years with the dream of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,\u201d Mbappe told fans gathered in record numbers to greet him at the club\u2019s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
\nThe striker, who had completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was handed a number 9 shirt by club president Florentino Perez.
\nAccompanied 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.
\n\u201cMy family is happy and my mum is crying,\u201d said the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player.
\n\u201cMy dream is to measure up to this club, the greatest club in history,\u201d he told the fans. \u201cI will give my life for this club and this crest.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019d like to send a message to the children,\u201d he continued.
\n\u201cI 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\u2019m here and next time it could be one of you.\u201d
\nThe unveiling of Real\u2019s latest Galactico allowed its fans to continue celebrating following Spain\u2019s Euro 2024 triumph on Sunday.
\n\u201cWe would like to welcome an exceptional player who has come to help us continue our winning ways,\u201d said Perez. \u201cWelcome to your home.\u201d
\nReal had courted Mbappe since his early teens.
\n\u201cI 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,\u201d said Perez.
\nExciting offensive trio
\nTens of thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of the new signing, matching the record numbers 15 years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled.
\nThe 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\u2019s best striker.
\nAt 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.
\nThat prospect is already exciting fans of the club who won their 15th Champions League title in June.
\nAlthough his new teammates 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.
\nLos Blancos begin the defence of their La Liga crown with a match against Real Mallorca on the weekend of August 17-18.
\nMbappe\u2019s debut might have to wait until the following week when Real Madrid face Real Valladolid who were recently promoted from the second division.
\nNumber 9 Mbappe shirts went on sale last Thursday in Real\u2019s club shops which are covered with his image.
\nMbappe arrives after a personally disappointing Euros campaign, where he was overshadowed by Spain\u2019s new teenage sensation Lamine Yamal of Madrid\u2019s rivals Barcelona and France lost to the Spanish in the semi-finals.
\nThat followed a difficult season with PSG following his decision not to renew his contract.
\nThe club is hoping to offset the costs \u2014 a salary of at least 15 million euros ($16.3m) per season and a signing bonus of more than 100m euros \u2014 through sponsorship deals and ticket and merchandise sales.
\nMbappe is hoping the move will finally see him win a Champions League and the Ballon d\u2019Or, two of his lifelong objectives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Zinedine Zidane French superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, telling 80,000 fans \u201cmy dream has come true\u201d. \u201cI\u2019ve slept for many years with the dream of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,\u201d Mbappe told fans gathered in record numbers to greet him at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n