France captain Mbappe joins Real Madrid on free transfer
France forward Kylian Mbappe has signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid as a free agent, the LaLiga club announced on Monday, bringing an end to a transfer saga that lasted years before the European champions signed their newest "Galactico".
"Real Madrid C. F. and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement whereby he will be a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons," the Spanish champions said in a statement, fresh off their 15th European Cup triumph.
Mbappe posted images of himself as a youngster in a Real Madrid kit, as well as a meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo, on his social media profiles shortly after the club's statement.
"A dream come true," he wrote. "So happy and proud to join the club of my dream @realmadrid."
"Nobody can understand how excited I am right now. Can't wait to see you, Madridistas, and thanks for your unbelievable support. Hala Madrid!"
The 25-year-old French national team captain announced his departure from Paris St Germain in a video posted on the social media platform X on May 10.
Mbappe will move to Real Madrid in July after his contract with PSG expires on June 30, but the forward will be unveiled before joining the France squad for the European Championship in Germany.
Mbappe joins a star-studded squad in Madrid that includes Ballon d'Or favourites Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, led by Italian Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful coach in Champions League history with five titles.
Mbappe won several trophies at PSG, frequently completing domestic doubles and trebles, but the Champions League remains the only major honour missing from his sparkling resume.
Mbappe leaves PSG after seven years, during which he won six Ligue 1 titles and four French Cups, and finished his career as the club's all-time leading scorer with 256 goals.
Last year, the 2018 World Cup winner surprised PSG by sending a letter stating that he would decline the option of a one-year contract extension when it expired in June.
The letter sparked a standoff with the club, and Mbappe was omitted from the first-team squad before being reinstated.
Allowing Mbappe to enter the final year of his contract meant PSG was unable to recoup any of the 180 million euro transfer fee they paid in 2017 to sign him from AS Monaco.
When the transfer was completed, Mbappe became the second-most expensive player in history, trailing only his former PSG teammate Neymar, who signed for 222 million euros from Barcelona in 2017.
Real Madrid had previously courted Mbappe, but the player signed a contract extension with PSG in May 2022 after the Spanish club's bid was rejected.
With Mbappe finally joining the club, they can look to consolidate their dominance in LaLiga, where they lost only once last season to win the title by 10 points, and in the Champions League, where they went unbeaten.
SportsLigue