On Saturday morning, huge news hit the soccer world in Europe. Although no official decision has been announced by himself, it is expected that French phenom Kylian Mbappe will sign for Real Madrid once his current contract with Paris St. Germain (PSG) expires early this summer. According to ESPN, Mbappe is expected to release a formal statement to PSG press and to other media outlets by the end of this week.
Although this news is huge for both PSG and Real Madrid, it isn’t completely unexpected. He stated at the beginning of this current season that he wouldn’t be renewing his contract in Paris, and he has flirted with the idea of joining the La Liga giant for many years now. This is a smart decision on his part, as waiting for his contract expiration allows him to leave PSG for free, whereas a transfer would cost a lot of money for each club and he would most likely have to take some sort of pay cut.
It’s clear how much Mbappe has meant to PSG. With talk of his transfer this summer, Mbappe said:
“I never imagined I’m gonna talk with the president about my future in my career, so it’s something crazy, really something crazy.”
In a previous interview with The New York Times, the young Frenchman also recalled an interview with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who said:
“I want you to stay. I don’t want you to leave now. You are so important for the country.’”
Al-Khelaifi has since increased the pressure on Mbappe to remain in Paris for the foreseeable future, but it’s pretty clear that his time at Princes Park is over.
With his signing, Mbappe joins a club with a rich and successful history, and he joins a line of incredibly talented superstars that have passed through the club. Fellow Frenchman Zinedane Zidane played center forward on the 2005-06 squad alongside English midfielder David Beckham, Spanish center back Sergio Ramos, and Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario. This “Galacticos” squad was wildly successful, winning La Liga multiple times and seeing success in the Champions League. Real Madrid has also seen players such as Kaka, Luka Modric, and Cristiano Ronaldo come through their club, who also helped the club lift La Liga and Champions League trophies on several occasions. Say what you want, but this is the most successful club in the history of soccer, winning 14 Champions League tournaments and 35 Li Liga titles. It’s safe to say that Mbappe will fit in with such greatness.
He also shared that Real Madrid has been reaching out to him and his family since he was 13 years old. In an interview with The Players’ Tribune, he remembered a phone called between a Madrid staffer and his father. He said:
“My father received a call from someone at Real Madrid, inviting me to come to Spain for a training session over the holiday break. It was a shock because they actually told my father, ‘Zidane would like to see your son.’”
The last thing he shared is that it would be a dream come true to one day play at the Santiago Bernebau, so this signing is a big milestone in his career.
