Kylian Mbappe realised a dream on July 16, 2024 as he was presented as a new Real Madrid player to an adoring crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The France star agreed to join Los Blancos back in June, and his free transfer — he left Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expired — was finally completed two days after Euro 2024 was over. Supporters who had already been in party mode after Spain's 2-1 win over England in the final were given further cause for jubilation as they watched Mbappe walk out onto the pitch dressed in the famous white jersey.
The scenes brought to mind Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking presentation at the same venue back in 2009 after he signed from Manchester United. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was an inspirational figure to the young Mbappe, and the parallels of their unveilings were clear, from the jersey number through to the crowd size and even a shared cry of "hala Madrid" with the watching fans.
Here is how those two presentations compared.
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How many people were in the crowd for Kylian Mbappe's Real Madrid presentation?
The exact crowd numbers for Mbappe's presentation on July 16, 2024 have not yet been confirmed, but there was a huge swell of people waiting outside the Santiago Bernabeu before the event, and the stands looked pretty full as he was introduced.
✨ La expectación.
— Relevo (@relevo) July 16, 2024
Larguísimas colas en el Santiago Bernabéu para ver la puesta de blanco de Mbappé con el Real Madrid.
🎥 @Raul9Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/6hIOhWse6e
The capacity of the Santiago Bernabeu since the refurbishment is 85,000, so there is a chance that Mbappe managed to attract greater interest than Ronaldo did 15 years ago. However, estimates on social media put the number at around 80,000, which would match the crowd size of Ronaldo's first appearance at the stadium.
How many people were in the crowd for Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid presentation?
In July 2009, Ronaldo set a record for attendees at an event of this kind in football. A capacity crowd of 80,000 were at the Bernabeu to watch his presentation following his transfer from Manchester United for €94 million — then a world-record sum.
The previous record was set in 1984, when a reported 75,000 turned out for Diego Maradona's arrival at the airport following his move to Napoli from Barcelona.
Mbappe copies Ronaldo's 'hala Madrid' countdown
Mbappe has spoken before about Ronaldo being his footballing idol. The fact he signed for Real Madrid in a similar ceremony to the Portugal star, and was even handed the same jersey number that Ronaldo was when he first joined the club, will have made this a dream come true for the forward.
There was also a moment where one of Mbappe's goals as a youth player — and his "SIUUU" celebration in imitation of Ronaldo — was played on the Bernabeu big screen.
At the end of his speech to the crowd, Mbappe went one step further and led the fans in a chorus of "one, two, three... Hala Madrid!" just as Ronaldo did in 2009.
🗣️ Mbappé repite el discurso de Cristiano en su presentación como jugador del Real Madrid.
— Relevo (@relevo) July 16, 2024
💬 "1, 2, 3... Hala Madrid" pic.twitter.com/Vq9xc352Sc
What did Mbappe say in his speech to Real Madrid fans?
Mbappe, naturally, spoke of his move to Madrid as being a dream come true. He also praised club president Florentino Perez "for having great confidence" in his ability, adding: "My family are so happy here, I can see my mum crying."
"It's such an incredible feeling to be here, just incredible," Mbappe said, in excellent Spanish. "I spent endless nights dreaming about one day playing for Real Madrid, and today I'm one happy guy.
9️⃣ @KMbappe 9️⃣#WelcomeMbappé pic.twitter.com/FFcoWesmbA
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) July 16, 2024
"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.
"I'd also like to send a message to all the kids that are here today. was just like you, I had this dream and today it comes true. I can tell you that if you have the passion, you can achieve your dreams.
"I'm very excited. The fact that I'm talking so much means that it's important for me to be here today. This is the club of my dreams and the biggest club in the history of world football."
Perez offered something of a eulogy on Mbappe's achievements before adding: "This love that you felt for Real Madrid, and you identifying with this club since your childhood, made it possible for you to be here and to overcome those obstacles on the way to your dream."
What did Ronaldo say in his speech to Real Madrid fans?
Ronaldo's speech back in 2009 was a little shorter than Mbappe's, but the similarities are clear.
"I am just so happy to be here," he said. "For me, I have made my childhood dream a reality, which was nothing less than playing for Real Madrid. I didn't expect a jam-packed stadium — this is truly impressive."
Perez told Ronaldo that Madrid's fans would "will ask of you the very best, but will also give you their all". It was a little more hastily wrapped up than Mbappe's presentation, but then, as Perez himself admitted, nothing of the kind had ever been staged before.
