France forward Kylian Mbappe has signed with Real Madrid as a free agent on a five-year contract, the LaLiga club announced on Monday. This move concludes a prolonged transfer saga, with the European champions securing their latest 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 confirmed in a statement, fresh off their 15th European Cup triumph.
Shortly after the announcement, Mbappe shared childhood images of himself in a Real Madrid kit and meeting Cristiano Ronaldo on social media. “A dream come true,” he wrote. “So happy and proud to join the club of my dreams @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!”
Mbappe had announced his departure from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) via a video posted on social media platform X on May 10th. He will officially join Real Madrid in July when his PSG contract expires on June 30th but will be unveiled before joining the French national team for the European Championship in Germany.
The 25-year-old forward joins a star-studded Real Madrid squad featuring Ballon d’Or favourites Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham, under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful coach in Champions League history with five titles.
Although Mbappe achieved considerable success at PSG, winning multiple domestic doubles and trebles, the Champions League has remained elusive. This move to Real Madrid represents a significant opportunity to complete his already impressive trophy cabinet.
During his seven years at PSG, Mbappe won six Ligue 1 titles and four French Cups, finishing as the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals. The 2018 World Cup winner surprised PSG last year by sending a letter stating he would not extend his contract beyond June 2023. This led to a standoff, with Mbappe being temporarily omitted from the first-team squad before being reinstated.
Allowing Mbappe to run down his contract means PSG will not recoup any of the €180 million transfer fee they paid AS Monaco in 2017. This transfer made Mbappe the second-most expensive player of all time, following his former PSG teammate Neymar, who was signed for €222 million from Barcelona.
Real Madrid has long pursued Mbappe, previously failing to land the star when he extended his contract with PSG in May 2022 despite a rejected bid from the Spanish club. Now, with Mbappe finally in their ranks, Real Madrid aims to further solidify their dominance in LaLiga, where they lost only once last season to win the title by 10 points, and to continue their unbeaten run in the Champions League.
