Playing for Real Madrid a childhood dream come true, says Mbappe

France forward Kylian Mbappe said on Tuesday he was convinced he would one day play for Real Madrid that he began taking Spanish classes at school.

“Since I was a child, I knew my destiny was to play for Real Madrid,” The 2018 World Cup winner said at a Bernabeu Stadium packed with fans, many of them wearing replica shirts with his name.

Mbappe arrived at a press conference later clutching a model of the Bernabeu Stadium he said he had been given as an eight-year-old.

He surprised journalists by speaking in near flawless Spanish, which he said he had begun learning at school and then continued to practise with Spanish-speaking managers such as Luis Enrique and Mauricio Pochettino at Paris St Germain (PSG) because he knew he would need to speak it one day at his dream club.

“I wasn’t the best at school, but I had this dream of playing for Real Madrid, and I knew that speaking the language would help me adapt,” he said.

Real Madrid announced in June that Mbappe was joining the La Liga side as a free agent on a five-year contract, ending a transfer saga that had rumbled on for several years. The club had courted Mbappe in the past but failed to land the player, who signed a contract extension with PSG in May 2022 when the Spanish club had a bid rejected.

Mbappe was met on stage at the unveiling ceremony by compatriot and former Real Madrid player and manager Zinedine Zidane, who in 2012 had invited 13-year-old Mbappe to visit the club — a visit he described as an important moment in his life.

The forward won six Ligue 1 titles, four French cups and became PSG’s record goal scorer with 256 goals during seven years in Paris but failed to win the Champions League or the Ballon d’Or.

Mbappe reached the semifinals of the European Championship with France after breaking his nose in the first game against Austria.

He said he would speak to Real Madrid’s medical team and manager Carlos Ancelotti before deciding whether to undergo surgery.

Mbappe, 25, joins a Madrid side already boasting stars such as Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham and led by Ancelotti — the most successful coach in Champions League history with five titles.

Mbappe has often played as a left-sided attacker for club and country, the same position preferred by Vinicius Jr but did not envision fighting over positions. “I can play in all three positions upfront. Where I’m going to play doesn’t matter to me. I’m arriving (at the club) and have to adapt to the team,” he said.

— Reuters