French superstar Kylian Mbappe was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Tuesday, telling 80,000 fans “my dream has come true”. The striker, who had completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was handed a No. 9 shirt by club president Florentino Perez. “Wow,” Mbappe said in Spanish to roars from a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.  “For years I’ve dreamed of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,” said the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain player.  “I’m a happy boy. I’m going to give my life for this club,” said Mbappe. Accompanied by his parents watching from the crowd and with a former French hero of the club, Zinedine Zidane, in attendance, Mbappe was emotional as the crowd chanted his name, and at one point kissed the jersey of the reigning Spanish and European champions.

Mbappe is “an exceptional player who comes to help us continue winning, a player who today fulfils the dream of his life,” said Perez. “Welcome to your home.”

¡Bienvenido a tu nueva casa, @KMbappe!#WelcomeMbappé pic.twitter.com/rFtyvX4qdo

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) July 16, 2024

Although his new teammates began training on Monday, the forward, who captained France during their unsuccessful Euros campaign, will have a few more days off before kicking off his season in the Spanish capital.

The unveiling of Real’s latest Galactico allowed its fans to continue celebrating following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph on Sunday.

The crowd was expected to be bigger than that 15 years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled.

The free tickets were snapped up rapidly with some fans reportedly trying to resell them to take advantage of the hype surrounding the arrival of arguably the world’s best striker.

At Real, Mbappe will form part of an offensive trio alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior under the watch of veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

That prospect is already exciting fans of the club who won their 15th Champions League title in June.

Los Blancos begin the defence of their La Liga crown with a match against Real Mallorca on the weekend of August 17-18.

Mbappe’s debut might have to wait until the following week when Real Madrid face Real Valladolid who were recently promoted from the second division.

Number 9 Mbappe shirts went on sale last Thursday in Real’s club shops which are covered with his image.

Mbappe arrives after a personally disappointing Euros campaign, where he was overshadowed by Spain’s new teenage sensation Lamine Yamal of Madrid’s rivals Barcelona and France lost to Spanish in the semi-finals.

That followed a difficult season with PSG following his decision not to renew his contract, with the striker — who was the Paris club’s all-time top scorer — admitting he felt “liberated, relieved” by his transfer to Real.

The club is hoping to offset the costs — a salary of at least 15 million euros ($16.3 million) per season and a signing bonus of more than 100 million euros — through sponsorship deals and ticket and merchandise sales.

Mbappe is hoping the move will finally see him win a Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, two of his lifelong objectives.

Still celebrating Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, Real Madrid fans will have even more to cheer Tuesday as French superstar Kylian Mbappe is officially presented to a packed-out Santiago Bernabeu stadium. With an expected attendance of 85,000, the stadium will be packed to the rafters for Mbappe’s first appearance before fans in what should beat the record set 15 years ago by Cristiano Ronaldo. Although the tickets are free, they were snapped up rapidly with some fans reportedly trying to resell them to take advantage of the hype surrounding the arrival of the world’s best striker.

During the morning, Mbappe will sign his new five-season contract with Real president Florentino Perez before entering the stadium at midday (1000 GMT) to greet fans after which he will hold a press conference.

Although his new teammates began training on Monday, the striker, who captained France during the Euros, will have a few more days off before kicking off his season in the Spanish capital.

Club medics will want to examine his nose which was broken during France’s 1-0 win over Austria on June 18 during the group stage, although France were later knocked out in the semi-finals by Spain.

For Mbappe and Real Madrid, it is the culmination of a long-awaited liaison. 

The 25-year-old — who says he has always been a fan of Los Blancos and of Ronaldo — will wear the number 9 shirt which went on sale last Thursday in Real’s shops which are covered with his image.

‘Excitement and humility’

Coming from Paris Saint-Germain, who he joined in 2017, Mbappe arrives after a disappointing Euros campaign for him personally where his star image was overshadowed by that of Spain’s new teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

And it comes after a difficult season with PSG following his decision not to renew his contract, with the striker — who was the Paris club’s all-time top scorer — admitting he felt “liberated, relieved” by his transfer to Real.

“It’s an immense pleasure and a dream come true. This is the club I’ve always dreamed of being at,” he said in June.

“I’m going there with a lot of excitement and a lot of humility.”

At Real, he will form part of a new offensive trio alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior under the watch of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

And the prospect is already exciting fans of the club who won their 15th Champions League title in June.

Also the current title-holders of Spain’s La Liga, Los Blancos begin their campaign with a match against Real Mallorca when the season kicks off on the weekend of August 17-18.

Even so, Mbappe’s debut might have to wait until the following week when Real Madrid face Real Valladolid who were recently promoted from the second division.

The club is hoping to offset the costs — a 15-million-euro salary per season and signing bonus of more than 100 million euros — through sponsorship deals and ticket and merchandise sales, among other things.

And Mbappe is hoping the move will finally see him win a Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, two of his lifelong objectives.

A superb Spain team led by Rodri and Lamine Yamal were fitting winners of Euro 2024 after lighting up an often disappointing tournament in which too many of the continent’s star players failed to produce their best form. Kylian Mbappe, the world’s best striker, had been hoping to prepare for joining Real Madrid by captaining France to glory but broke his nose and scored just once, from a penalty, as his team lost in the semi-finals. Jude Bellingham, who will play with Mbappe in Madrid next season, might have been the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or had he added the Euros with England to the Champions League with his club.

But Bellingham had a poor campaign aside from two vital goals, tiring early in games and proving incapable of swinging Sunday’s final in Berlin England’s way.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, had hoped to add to his tournament record 14 goals but failed to score for Portugal as age finally caught up with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Spain needed a late Mikel Oyarzabal goal to beat England 2-1 in the final and win their fourth Euros, but they were comfortably the best side from the beginning of the competition.

Luis de la Fuente’s team won all seven games. They beat the reigning champions, Italy, and in their last three matches saw off the host nation and the two pre-tournament favourites.

It is a remarkable feat to defeat all of the biggest four Western European nations — Germany, France, Italy and England — at the same competition.

“We have made history. We have beaten four (former) world champions all in one go,” savoured Rodri.

“We are all agreed that they are the team who have played the best football at the tournament,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said of Spain before his side lost to them in the semis.

Spain’s victory builds on the promise shown when they won the Nations League last year and raises hopes of another golden period of dominance.

They thrilled with a perfect blend of control in midfield and flair on the wings, while other teams failed to meet expectations.

Quantity over quality?

Euro 2024 ended with 117 goals scored in 51 matches, an average of 2.29 goals per game.

England reached the final, but their 0-0 group-stage draw with Slovenia was an eyesore, while a Portugal team full of outstanding talent went home after playing in two laborious goalless knockout ties that were decided on penalties.

The average number of goals scored contrasted with the 2.78 per match at Euro 2020, and 2.69 at the 2022 World Cup.

The latter tournament in Qatar was often thrilling, the quality of football apparently helped by the decision to stage the competition in the middle of the European season.

Euro 2024, meanwhile, has come at the end of another exhausting campaign for the continent’s best players, making it hard for Bellingham or Mbappe, Harry Kane or Antoine Griezmann, to find peak form.

That strikes to the heart of the matter at a time when UEFA and FIFA continue to expand their most lucrative competitions, increasing demands on players.

Global players’ union FIFPro announced just before the Euros began that it had filed a legal claim against FIFA, calling on the European Court of Justice to rule on the body’s right to impose new tournaments.

“Players and their unions have consistently highlighted the current football calendar as overloaded and unworkable,” FIFPro warned, accusing FIFA of “violating the rights of players”.

The season in Europe’s biggest leagues begins in a month, and the expanded Champions League starts in September, with participants now having eight guaranteed games instead of six previously.

The first version of FIFA’s new Club World Cup will go ahead in the United States next June and July, with 32 participating teams including 12 from Europe.

The likes of Manchester City, Madrid and Bayern Munich will be involved, and that will eat into a precious summer break ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which with 48 teams will feature an extra knockout round.

Again more games will generate more money but only increase the demands on players.

The concern is that a constant focus on quantity will have a lasting impact on quality, but there can be no doubting the brilliance of this Spain side.

Spanish giants Real Madrid on Wednesday confirmed that the French superstar Kylian Mbappe will wear jersey number 9 in his first season with the Los Blancos. Earlier in June, Real Madrid revealed the arrival of Mbappe in the club. The 25-year-old World Cup winner joined the Los Merengues after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The French superstar will follow his idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps who also wore the jersey number 9 after joining the Whites in 2009. Currently, Brazilian attacker Vinicius Junior is wearing the legendary number 7 jersey, which is why Mbappe has been given the number 9. Earlier, Karim Benzema wore the number 9 jersey and set many records for Los Blancos.

The 15-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winner also confirmed that French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga will wear jersey number 6 and Uruguayan Fede Valverde will shift to jersey number 8, taking over from Toni Kroos. Defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will move to 14, a jersey worn previously by Xabi Alonso and Casemiro. Turkish youngster Arda Guler will wear the jersey with the number 15 on his back. Meanwhile, Spanish defender Jesus Vallejo will wear the number 18.

Changes with shirt numbers in the squad.#RealMadrid

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) July 10, 2024

“Several Real Madrid players will change their jersey numbers at the start of the 2024/25 season. Camavinga, who until now wore the number 12, will change to 6. Valverde will change from 15 to 8 and Tchouameni will move from 18 to 14. Arda Guler, who wore the number 24 last season, will wear 15 and Vallejo will wear the number 18,” Real Madrid stated.

“Real Madrid CF and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement under which he will become a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons,” Real Madrid said in an official statement while announcing Mbappe’s arrival in the club.

Mbappe joined PSG from AS Monaco in 2017, following that he has played 308 matches for the Paris club and scored 256 goals. The French striker was 19 years old when he left his childhood club for PSG. In the recently concluded season of the Ligue 1, the Frenchman appeared in 29 matches and got the back of the net 27 times. He also made 7 assists in the French league.

However, Mbappe never hid from accepting that his dream was to play for the 14-time UEFA Champions League (UCL) winner Real Madrid. For the last several years, Los Blancos have been trying to bring him to Madrid, but Mbappe wasn’t keen on an exit before the expiration of his contract. In 2021, Real Madrid had gone all out to sign Mbappe, offering 220 million Euros. However, PSG turned it down.

Spain vs France Live Streaming Euro 2024 Semi-Final: When, Where To Watch© AFP

Spain vs France Semifinal, UEFA Euro 2024 LIVE Updates© AFP

France go into Tuesday’s Euro 2024 semi-final showdown against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.

The match in Munich is a mouthwatering prospect and a huge occasion in particular for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and just before he starts a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.

At 25, and having just completed his dream move to the Champions League winners, Mbappe should be in the prime of his footballing life.

But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship.

Mbappe joined up with the France squad after a difficult final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain which was marred by a slightly messy divorce from the club as his playing time was reduced.

Already floundering to some extent physically, lacking his usual explosive edge, a broken nose in Les Bleus’ opening game at the tournament against Austria has further diminished him.

He has scored just once, from a penalty, at the Euros and it may be no exaggeration to say his performance in Friday’s quarter-final against Portugal in Hamburg was the worst of his career in such a big game.

Mbappe ended up being substituted halfway through extra time — he later admitted he was simply exhausted — and so watched from the sidelines as his teammates won on penalties.

“He might not have been here at all, so we need to look at it in a positive light,” coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.

“Kylian is here, even if he is not at 100 percent, and I know that has an impact on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him.”

Whether Spain are too worried is yet to be found out, with Mbappe clearly inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.

There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision is reduced by the mask.

His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helps explain why France have scored just three goals in five games on their run to the semi-final — one being Mbappe’s penalty against Poland and the other two coming via own goals.

‘When he talks, we listen’

However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performances.

“I don’t think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine,” said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.

Mbappe is France’s third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.

In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.

On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his teammates just before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.

“Kylian is the player who went through one-on-one three times in a World Cup final,” said midfielder Youssouf Fofana in reference to his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.

“So when he talks about penalties before a shoot-out, we listen to him.”

Mbappe is also very much at ease in front of the media, and has notably used the platform given to him in pre-game press conferences to talk politics, making clear his opposition to the far-right National Rally in relation to the French parliamentary elections.

He is a natural leader, but it is goals that this shot-shy France team want more than anything from him.

Mbappe will not come directly up against one of his future club colleagues against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after his sending-off against Germany in the quarter-finals.

Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will hope to come out on top and lead France to a third final in the last four major tournaments.

Portugal vs France, UEFA Euro 2024 Quarterfinal LIVE Updates© AFP

Portugal vs France Live Streaming Euro 2024 Quarter Final Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

Hosts Germany take on Spain in the first of two blockbuster quarter-final ties at Euro 2024 on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe‘s France up against Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Portugal in the late match. Germany and Spain clash in Stuttgart at 1600 GMT with the host nation putting their hopes on the line against probably the best-performing side at the tournament thus far. Spain, with the thrilling duo of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the wings, have reached the quarter-finals with four wins in as many games, nine goals scored and just one conceded.

Germany, meanwhile, have also impressed on their run to the last eight, with Jamal Musiala outstanding in attack and Toni Kroos pulling the strings in midfield as he prepares to retire after the competition.

The match, a repeat of the Euro 2008 final won 1-0 by Spain in Vienna, therefore promises to be a thriller.

“My focus is less on Yamal, more on Jamal,” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said Thursday as he compared the two opposing stars and indicated that his team planned to take the game to the Spanish. 

“We can do something in attack ourselves. We want to attack and make life difficult for them.”

The match would have been a fitting final given both teams’ current form and their historical standing — the nations are the most successful in the history of the European Championship with three titles each.

They also met in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, playing out a 1-1 draw that contributed to Germany being eliminated in the first round.

“Three wins away from immortality” was the headline in Thursday’s edition of Kicker, the popular German football magazine, yet the host nation’s dream of winning the trophy in Berlin on July 14 could also end here.

Spain have perhaps the world’s best holding midfield player in Rodri, but their coach, Luis de la Fuente, admitted they are wary of the brilliance of Kroos.

“We thought about tying Kroos’s feet together, but I’m not sure if UEFA will let me,” he joked. 

“We know how Kroos behaves. We will try and make sure he doesn’t have the chance to receive the ball and will limit his passing options.”

The winners of that match will advance to a semi-final against either France or Portugal, who go head-to-head in Hamburg at 1900 GMT.

It is another heavyweight clash between two much-fancied sides, as well as a repeat of the Euro 2016 final, when Portugal beat France 1-0 in extra time in Paris.

France have reached a sixth quarter-final in the last seven major tournaments despite not one of their players scoring in open play.

Mbappe meets idol Ronaldo

Les Bleus have netted only three times in four games, with one a penalty by Mbappe and the other two coming from own goals, including Jan Vertonghen‘s which allowed them to beat Belgium in the last 16.

Mbappe has been hindered by a broken nose, which saw him miss one group game before returning to action while wearing a protective face mask. He also suggested on Thursday that he is not currently fully fit.

“I don’t think I’m fully fit. It’s not an excuse, but I think to be really at 100 percent, explosive and fast, I need a proper pre-season with my club,” he said.

Mbappe, who recently signed for Real Madrid, will come up against his boyhood idol in Ronaldo, the Portugal captain who is now 39.

“It is an honour. Everyone knows how much I have always admired Cristiano,” Mbappe, 25, said.

“Whatever has happened before or will happen after, he will remain a legend in the game, but of course, we hope to win tomorrow and get through to the semi-final.”

Ronaldo is enduring a difficult tournament, failing to find the net and ending up in tears after missing a penalty in the last-16 tie against Slovenia from which Portugal squeezed through on penalties.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, insisted the focus cannot solely be on the two opposing superstars.

“Football is a team sport. Tomorrow is not a match between two individuals. They are two incredible players who have a big influence on the game worldwide, and that influence will continue, but tomorrow we will need a real top-level team performance if we are to win,” Martinez said.