How much did Mbappé sign for? – This is another question that many people have asked, but here is the thing.
Kylian Mbappe signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, transferring from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday. He described the move as a “dream come true,” even though it comes with a significantly lower salary than he previously earned.
This announcement marks the successful conclusion of Real Madrid’s prolonged pursuit of one of the world’s most prolific forwards.
“Real Madrid have reached an agreement for the player to be at Real Madrid for the next five seasons,” the club stated in their official announcement.
“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,” the 25-year-old Mbappe shared on social media.
According to reports in Spain, he will earn 35 million euros ($38 million) per season.
Mbappe’s last contract with PSG, signed in 2022, was a two-year deal worth around 72 million euros before tax, including loyalty bonuses of a similar amount and a signing-on fee of 150 million euros.
Mbappe had verbally agreed to join Real Madrid in February and publicly announced in May that he would leave PSG at the end of the season.
Real Madrid, fresh from their 15th Champions League victory on Saturday with a 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund, confirmed the deal on Monday before Mbappe participates in pre-Euro 2024 friendlies for France.
As a teenager, Mbappe won the World Cup in 2018 and scored a club-record 256 goals for PSG since joining the Qatar-owned club from Monaco on an initial loan in 2017. He later made a permanent move to PSG in a 180-million-euro deal, all at the age of 18.
During his time at PSG, Mbappe helped the team win six Ligue 1 titles and guided them to the 2020 Champions League final, where they were narrowly defeated by Bayern Munich.
Kylian Mbappe’s illustrious career continued to soar when he scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina in Qatar in 2022. Despite his extraordinary performance, France lost to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a penalty shootout.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) invested heavily to assemble a star-studded lineup featuring Mbappe, Brazil’s Neymar, and Messi, with hopes of securing the elusive Champions League title. However, the club fell short of this goal.
As Mbappe’s fame and influence have grown, so has his significance to the French national team and to France itself. In June 2022, President Emmanuel Macron personally intervened to persuade Mbappe to stay at PSG when a move to Real Madrid seemed almost certain.
Stellar Trio at Real Madrid
At Real Madrid, who recently reclaimed the La Liga title from arch-rivals Barcelona, Mbappe will join forces with Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior and England international Jude Bellingham, forming a formidable attacking trio.
This new trio evokes memories of Real Madrid’s golden era with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema.
Mbappe takes huge pay cut to join Real Madrid
Mbappe, who idolized Ronaldo as a child, now has the opportunity to emulate his hero, who is Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer. At PSG, Mbappe was briefly the junior member of a stellar trio with Messi and Neymar. At Real Madrid, he will be the senior striker.
In the recent Champions League final, Real Madrid started 23-year-old Rodrygo Goes, 20-year-old Jude Bellingham, and 23-year-old Vinicius Junior. When asked in February about how he would integrate Mbappe, coach Carlo Ancelotti remarked, “Good players need to know how to play together.
The important thing is to maintain a balance. For me, the most important things in a team are: quality and balance. If you can combine these two things, you’ll be successful.”
As part of their formidable rebuild, Real Madrid has already signed young midfielders Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Aurelien Tchouameni, all 25 or under, to succeed the retiring Toni Kroos and 39-year-old Luka Modric. They have also added teenage Brazilian star Endrick to their roster.
Flash Back
Kylian Mbappé’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was a two-step process in 2017. It wasn’t a straightforward transfer but a loan deal with a built-in purchase option. Here’s the breakdown:
Initial Loan: PSG secured Mbappé, then a rising star at Monaco, on a season-long loan deal. This allowed them to integrate him into their squad without a massive upfront cost.
Permanent Transfer: The loan agreement included a clause granting PSG the option to buy Mbappé permanently after the season. This option was reportedly exercised for a hefty sum – €180 million ($195.4 million at the time) – making him one of the most expensive teenagers in football history.
So, while Mbappé technically “signed” for PSG in 2017, it was through a loan deal with a subsequent permanent transfer clause.