Kylian Mbappe is said to consider Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol.
Kylian Mbappe offered tribute to Portugal and Al-Nassr attacker Cristiano Ronaldo with a special message during his unveiling ceremony in front of Real Madrid fans.
Following his free transfer to Los Blancos after departing Paris Saint-Germain past month, the Frenchman was unveiled at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday (July 16). He addressed the crowd, went on laps of the pitch and handed a number of footballs to fans.
Mbappe, 25, wrapped up his presentation by recreating one of Ronaldo’s moments at Real Madrid. He finished his speech with the Portuguese superstar’s ‘Uno, dos, tres… Hala Madrid!’ moment from 2009.
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Before paying tribute to Ronaldo, Mbappe opined (h/t The Standard):
“It’s such an incredible feeling to be here, just incredible. I spent endless nights dreaming about one day playing for this club, and today I’m one happy guy. I want to thank the president Florentino Perez, for always having great confidence in me. There have been a lot of things going on, but we’ve done it. Thank you very much.”
Opening up on his dream after joining Real Madrid, the attacker said:
“I’d also like to thank all those people who have put in a great effort for me to be able to be here today, who have done so much for me to enjoy this moment. My family are so happy here, I can see my mum crying. Now I have another dream. That’s a dream of living up to this club’s history. I can promise that I will give it my all for this club and for this badge.”
The AS Monaco academy graduate has a contract until June 2029 at Los Blancos. He will allegedly earn an annual salary of between €15 million and €20 million and a whopping signing-on bonus of €125 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo excited to witness Kylian Mbappe in first-team action for Real Madrid
Last month, Cristiano Ronaldo suggested that he is enthusiastic to witness Kylian Mbappe’s career unfold at Real Madrid. The 39-year-old commented on the latter’s Instagram post:
“My turn to [watch]. Excited to see you light up the Bernabeu.”
Ronaldo, who represented Los Blancos between 2009 and 2010, lifted 16 trophies during his time in Madrid. He bagged a record 450 goals and provided 131 assists in 438 appearances for the La Liga giants.
Mbappe, on the other hand, found the back of the net 256 times and recorded 108 assists in 308 overall matches for Paris Saint-Germain.
