• Spain

Madrid, Jul 16 (EFE).-

Kylian Mbappé was unveiled as Real Madrid’s newest star with a ‘Super Bowl’ style presentation at a packed Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on Tuesday.

With the number 9 on his back, the Paris-born captain of the French national team said the move to the Bernabeu was a dream come true.

“It’s incredible to be here, today my dreams are fulfilled. I am a very happy boy”, he said in Spanish.

“I want to fulfill another dream, which is to be at the level of Real Madrid, the best club in the world, and I will give my life for this club and this shirt”, added Mbappé, the top scorer in the last six French league seasons and World Cup champion in 2018.

“We strive to make your dreams come true,” said club president Florentino Pérez, who was accompanied by Real legend and former French international Zinedine Zidane.

“Kylian, welcome home. Welcome to Real Madrid,” Pérez said.

For the presentation, the club built a walkway leading to the main stage with giant screens and had the club’s record haul of 15 Champions League trophies lined up on the pitch, where Mbappé was welcomed by some 80,000 of his new fans who packed the Bernabéu stadium.

Mbappé has signed a five-year contract, ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas in football history.

Real have long wanted to bring him to the Spanish capital. He was invited in 2012 at the age of 14 to join the club, but ended up staying in Paris.

Later, Mbappé rose through the ranks at Monaco, before signing for PSG in 2017 in a €180m deal.

Now, aged 25 and coming off his highest scoring season in France with 44 goals, the French superstar will be aiming to make his mark at Real and cement his status as one of the world’s elite players. EFE

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