Tuesday at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu stadium will mark Kylian Mbappe’s official Real Madrid player presentation. The stadium in Madrid is likely to be packed with almost 85,000 spectators, breaking the mark established by Cristiano Ronaldo fifteen years ago.
Even though the tickets are free, they were quickly taken up, and some fans are allegedly trying to resell them in order to profit from the excitement around the arrival of the finest striker in the world.
Mbappe is scheduled to sign a five-year contract with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in the morning. He will then meet fans at the stadium at noon (10:00 GMT; 15.30 IST) and have a news conference.
Despite starting training on Monday with his new colleagues, 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 was later knocked out in the semi-finals by Spain.
For Mbappe and Real Madrid, it culminates in a long-awaited liaison.
The 25-year-old – who says he has always been a fan of Los Blancos and Ronaldo – will wear the number 9 shirt on sale last Thursday, in Real’s shops, which are covered with his image.
‘Excitement and 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.
When and where is Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid unveiling ceremony?
Real Madrid will unveil Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, 16 July 2024, at 10:00 GMT (3.30 PM IST).
How to live stream Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe unveiling ceremony?
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe unveiling ceremony will be live streamed on the RM Play App.