There were 80,000 fans packed into the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — a record, shared with Cristiano Ronaldo’s unveiling in 2009.
In front of the largest audience for a player’s arrival at Real Madrid since his idol joined 15 years ago, Kylian Mbappe stood on stage with a microphone and copied the words Ronaldo had spoken at his presentation: “I want to do one thing with you. As a big family, we are going to say: One, two, three… ‘Hala Madrid!’.”
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The crowd rose to their feet, applauding the conclusion of a seemingly endless saga that appeared, at points, to have fractured the relationship between Madrid and Mbappe’s camp. But this presentation made it clear that the reality is very different.
This is the story of Mbappe’s arrival at Madrid, all that was seen and all that was not seen in what is already regarded as a historic day for the club.
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By 10am on Tuesday, the area around the stadium was packed.
Mbappe scarves were being sold in the street shops. The official shop had no more Mbappe shirts to sell. Lottery sellers were announcing tickets with the number of the date (160724) as souvenirs.
It might only have been a player’s presentation, but the atmosphere in the surrounding area was like a match in La Liga. Madrid had no choice but to open the gates an hour and 20 minutes before the presentation started (a little earlier than expected) to avoid problems at the entrance.
Many youngsters — free from school for the summer holidays — were impatiently crowding in front of the entrance gates. Among them was a group of 316 children who had travelled from France thanks to Mbappe’s foundation. They wore T-shirts with a picture of the footballer as a child.
A few hours earlier, the French striker had undergone medical tests at the Clinica Hospital Sanitas de La Moraleja, accompanied by Alejandro Mori, Madrid’s ‘team manager’ who looks after the players’ welfare.
Shortly afterwards, Mbappe visited Valdebebas to greet head coach Carlo Ancelotti, discuss plans with fitness trainer Antonio Pintus and joke with some of the squad members who had started training, including Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez and Brahim Diaz.
Mbappe then put on his suit and proceeded to the offices of Ciudad Deportiva (Madrid’s HQ) at around 11am to sign his contract with president Florentino Perez.
At that time, illustrious figures from Madrid’s past and present began to arrive like a trickle at the Bernabeu. In attendance were legendary defender Jose Emilio Santamaria, director of football Santiago Solari, Real Madrid Castilla (B team) coach Raul Gonzalez, the Juvenil A (under-19) coach Alvaro Arbeloa, and other former players such as Jose Callejon and Esteban Granero, as well as managers, executives and special guests.
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All of them were seated at the foot of the stage and on the pitch — the turf had already been removed and stored underground.
The standing ovation of the evening went to Zinedine Zidane, the surprise guest, who came out accompanied by the honorary president Jose Martinez ‘Pirri’ and Perez himself.
The club then kicked off the party by playing videos on the imposing video scoreboards and a giant screen above a makeshift stage. The atmosphere hummed, a noise enhanced by the closed roof.
It was the first presentation at the Bernabeu since 2019, or in other words, since the pandemic and the stadium’s renovation. The wishes of president Perez were finally fulfilled with this presentation as the ground was back to full capacity. Work on the south stand and some facilities, including restaurants and parking, is ongoing, but the rebuild is nearly complete.
First, a video reviewing Madrid’s Champions League history was played, accompanied by the voice of tenor Placido Domingo. This was followed by a short but moving film showing the best moments of Mbappe’s career, with another song in the background: For This You Were Born by Unsecret and Fleurie.
One verse (“Destiny is on your side”) accompanied a never-before-reproduced shot of Zidane coaching Mbappe in December 2012, when he first visited their Valdebebas training ground for trials with the club.
“Zidane is my first memory of Real Madrid,” Mbappe told a press conference afterwards.
There was an entourage of around 40 people from Mbappe’s side, including his family — father Wilfried and mother Fayza Lamari attended — along with members of his foundation. They sat alongside Madrid directors and executives.
There was an affection between both sides. CEO Jose Angel Sanchez walked Mbappe’s mother around the pitch. This felt like proof that, despite her reputation as a complicated person among some in Madrid, the executives involved in the operation never stopped working with her to get the deal done.
Some senior voices within the club, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, spoke about how nice she was during the event.
“Today your parents are with you,” Perez said during his speech. “They know how much you have fought for this.” Perez would take a photo with Mbappe’s parents and the player himself, who he showered with hugs.
This group shot took place in front of Madrid’s 15 Champions League trophies. Nothing had been left to chance: Mbappe has always had an obsession with the trophy and this decoration was a way of marking his path.
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“Mbappe, Mbappe,” shouted the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu when they saw the star finally appear in his new white kit with the No 9.
He tried to contain his excitement, but on his way to the stage, he was clearly overwhelmed, as he later admitted to the media. More than 400 journalists from 300 accredited media from all over the world attended the event, which reached its climax during the speeches.
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“You have achieved your dream because you have never given up,” said Perez. “You are here because you wanted to be. Thank you for making efforts that nobody can imagine.”
Then Mbappe took the floor. He still couldn’t believe it was happening: “Wow, it’s incredible to be here. I have slept for many years with the dream of playing for Real Madrid and today it comes true. I am a very happy guy. First, I want to thank president Florentino Perez, who has trusted me from day one. A lot has happened, but I want to thank him. Also to all the people who have worked for me to be here. We have won, I am a Real Madrid player.”
At that very moment, the stadium began to chant, “Florentino, Florentino!” The cameras focused on a visibly excited Fayza Lamari.
At no point did Mbappe speak about his old side Paris Saint-Germain, but he did want to make clear what he thought of his new club: “There have been many stages to get here. I am very happy and proud to be at the club of my dreams and the biggest club in history.”
“Kiss the crest, kiss the crest!” the Madrid fans asked him on successive occasions. In case there was any doubt, Mbappe responded by kissing it each time they asked while he did a lap of honour around the pitch and gave away footballs. One boy could be seen throwing himself into an empty box so he could grab one of the balls.
At the end of the presentation, Mbappe passed through a corridor made by children from his foundation, who stretched out to touch their idol.
At around 2.30pm, the player’s press conference began and he brought a replica of the Santiago Bernabeu that his parents had given him as a child.
He was accompanied by his parents, his lawyer Delphine Verheyden, his advisor Ziad Hammoud, one of the agents involved in the operation Oscar Ribot, and a translator.
They were all very attentive to questions from each of the journalists. And although a dozen of them came from France, they spoke in Spanish for most of the press conference. Mbappe himself showed a high level.
“I had many offers, but if I left Paris, I was going to Real Madrid,” he made clear. “I was sure all this time that I was coming.”
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The room in front of him was packed. More reporters were in attendance for Mbappe than a Champions League game, which meant the press conference stretched beyond an hour.
“When exactly did I sign for Real Madrid? Since I was a kid I knew, it’s easy,” said Mbappe, who acknowledged that several team-mates had pushed him to join the club, “I had all the French players, who always told me and explained that Madrid is the best in the world. Also, Vinicius Junior told me that we would play together up top.”
Mbappe also spoke about using the same phraseology as Ronaldo on the microphone: “It’s a nod to Cristiano, my idol as a kid. Now I’m lucky that he’s my friend, he gives me a lot of advice, we’re always in contact, and it’s a privilege. He has marked the history of Real Madrid.”
The whole presentation was followed with interest by the directors, squad members and technical staff from Valdebebas, who were really impressed.
Aside from bringing up memories of Ronaldo, different voices at the club agree that Mbappe’s presentation was different, special. They would know — they have lived a few of them.
What’s next? He is not expected to travel to the United States for Madrid’s pre-season tour. He will instead rest until a week before the UEFA Super Cup, where he is slated to make his debut.
(Top photo: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)