Real Madrid presented Kylian Mbappé to much fanfare on Tuesday, with the Santiago Bernabeu raucous and loud in greeting its new star gladiator. After answering questions for over an hour in the press room, Mbappe will now be on holiday for two to three weeks in all likelihood.
Mbappe's presentation included a nod to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, mimicking the “1, 2, 3, Hala Madrid” from Portugal's presentation. The 25-year-old is certainly the first signing from Ronaldo to bring similar excitement, and will also be paid like a superstar.
According to Brand, Mbappe will earn a salary of €15m net per year (€30m gross), and will have a signing bonus of between €100m and €115m over the course of his five-year deal. These figures do not include performance-based goals, such as winning the Ballon d'Or.
There has also been a lot of talk about image rights, with Mbappe demanding more than the usual 50% Real Madrid cede – they say he will have between 60% and 80% of his image rights, which will also earn him many millions more. It is not clear how much he earned at Paris Saint-Germain, but at the very least, his basic salary was double what he would earn in the Spanish capital.
Undoubtedly, the total cost will still be considered economically efficient by Real Madrid and Florentino Perez, as they bring in perhaps the world's biggest superstar for his first few years, and do so without a transfer fee. In view of the record transfer for a striker, paid by PSG, is 222 million euros for Neymar Junior, the Blancos will still feel good.
