Kylian Mbappé's Journey to Real Madrid: A Decade in the Making

Kylian Mbappé says his move to Real Madrid was written long before the contract, long before the unveiling at the Santiago Bernabéu. According to him, it began with a phone call and a promise from Florentino Pérez a decade ago.

“He’s the one who brought me here. We’ve stayed in touch for ten years before I arrived,” Mbappé told AS in a candid interview that finally lifts the lid on one of football’s longest-running transfer sagas. “He always showed affection and understanding in the context of every decision made, both positive and negative for Real Madrid. He always told me that one day I would play for Real Madrid, and here I am, and very happy.”

Those words confirm what many suspected but never fully knew: Pérez didn’t just appear at the end of the story. He stayed in the background for years, keeping the line open, keeping the dream alive. On social media, Mbappé’s admission was distilled into a simple phrase that ricocheted around timelines: “I was in contact with Perez since 10 years before joining Real Madrid.”

Yet Mbappé is adamant that no grand sales pitch was needed. Not from Pérez. Not from anyone.

“To be honest, nothing and no one has to convince you to come to Real Madrid,” the World Cup winner said. For a boy who grew up with posters of Madrid legends on his bedroom wall, the club was never just another option. It was the destination.

His path there, though, was anything but straightforward. Failed attempts, blocked moves, twists that left Madrid fans frustrated and Mbappé himself disappointed. He doesn’t hide that.

“Of course, there’s disappointment, but a footballer’s life is about looking forward, not back,” he reflected. The timing, he insists, ruled everything. “In my history with Madrid, I wanted to come, but it wasn’t possible, and ultimately, in football, there are moments and decisions that are beyond your control. In football, timing is key, and you have to wait for everything to be right before you can go.”

The pressure finally told this summer. The long courtship ended, the white shirt finally pulled on. Yet Mbappé is clear: even the most powerful figure in Spanish football didn’t need to “sell” Real Madrid to him.

“No one had to convince me to come to Real Madrid, not even Perez, as big a club as he is. It was obvious,” he said. The club’s weight, its history, did the talking. “If you want to be part of football history, one day you have to play for Real Madrid.”

That line cuts to the heart of why this move feels different. For Mbappé, Madrid is not just the next step in a glittering career; it is the stage on which he believes true immortality in the game is written.

Since landing in Spain, the forward has settled into life at Valdebebas and the rhythm of the capital. The move from France, he admits, has brought something unexpected amid the chaos and spotlight: calm.

“I expected the best club in the world, to receive a lot of excitement from Madridistas all over the world,” he said. That part has arrived exactly as forecast. The rest, though, has surprised him. “When I arrived here I already had a status, but when you are a Real Madrid player you move to another level, to a higher level. I think that if you want to belong to the history of football, you have to go through Real Madrid.”

From the posters on his wall to the crest on his chest, Mbappé now stands where he always believed he would. The question no longer is whether he would ever get to Madrid. It’s what he will do with the shirt now that it’s finally his.