Sport
Jake Brigstock
Jun 04, 2024
Real Madrid fans react to the announcement of the Mbappe signing
SNTV / VideoElephant
Kylian Mbappe's long awaited move to Real Madrid has finally been confirmed - but he's already played for the Spanish giants once before.
The 25-year-old will join Real Madrid when his current contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 30 on what's reported to be a five-year deal worth €15m per season after tax, taking a pay cut.
The World Cup winner will also be paid a €150m signing on bonus spread over those five years - it's reported he had verbally agreed the deal in February but it was kept under wraps until May.
But Mbappe has actually already played for Real Madrid.
A screenshot posted on X / Twitter showed a team sheet of him playing with one of Real Madrid's youth teams when he was just 13-years-old. He took part in an intra-squad friendly when he visited the Madrid academy in December 2012.
It also includes names understood to be Achraf Hakimi, Marcos Llorente and Oscar Rodriguez.
The move has been in the works for a number of months since Real Madrid could contact the French star in January as he had less than six months remaining on his current contract with PSG.
After lengthy negotiations, Mbappe officially announced he would be leaving the club in a social media post on May 10 but did not specify where he would be going.
It was widely expected to be Real Madrid and this was confirmed on June 3.
Mbappe has been on Real Madrid's radar for a number of years - he came close to joining in 2022 before eventually agreeing a contract extension with the French champions.
It's reported Real Madrid were keen not to miss out on their long-term target again and pulled out all the stops to get their man.
Mbappe posted on Instagram "it's a dream come true" to play for the Spanish giants along with pictures of him when he was a youngster in Real Madrid kit and meeting Cristiano Ronaldo.
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