A visibly emotional Kylian Mbappe had to fight back tears as he reflected on his “dream” move to Real Madrid during his presentation.
Mbappe completed a long-awaited free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Madrid earlier this summer and, following his return from Euro 2024, was presented to a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
“I want to thank president Florentino [Perez] and all the people who have allowed me to be here,” Mbappe told the crowd in perfect Spanish. “My family, who are very happy – I see my mother crying… It’s an incredible, incredible day.
“Since I was a child I had the dream of playing here and it means a lot. I want to thank all the Real Madrid fans. For many years they have given me a lot of affection. Thank you.
“I am very excited, it means a lot to me to be here. I am very happy to be part of the club of my dreams and the greatest club in the history of football.
“I don’t want to go on any longer, I don’t want to cry!”
Mbappe then went inside for his first press conference and revealed the strength of his bond with Madrid.
“I feel privileged,” he continued. “It was my childhood dream and I had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now it is a reality. A dream is priceless. My dream was to be a Real Madrid player and now I am one. It is a great satisfaction for me and my family. They know the efforts I have had to make to get here. I am very happy.
“I want people to realise what it means to me to be here. The stadium is incredible, with all the Real Madrid fans here. I don’t have enough words. I wanted to share this with my family, with the children of my foundation. It’s my personal dream, but I wanted to share it with as many people as possible.”
Asked when he first decided he wanted to play for Madrid, Mbappe explained: “Since I was a child. It’s easy. First it was a dream and then a goal. I knew that my destiny was to play for Madrid, that I would get there one day. Now I’m lucky that day has come.
“I started [studying Spanish] at school. I wasn’t the best at school, but I was 100% proficient in Spanish. My dream was to play for Madrid and I knew that the language was important. I know that speaking Spanish would help me adapt. I’ve also had coaches like Luis Enrique and [Mauricio] Pochettino to speak Spanish with. I’m not afraid of making mistakes and I hope that when I make them people tell me, so I can improve.
“I was sure that the time would come. I had many offers from other clubs, but I always said the same thing: When I left Paris it would be to go to Madrid. In my head it was clear. It was my dream. Many things can happen in football, but this was clear to me.”
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