Kylian Mbappé's Journey to Real Madrid: A Decade in the Making
Kylian Mbappé says his move to Real Madrid was a decade in the making – and driven quietly, consistently, by Florentino Pérez.
In a revealing interview with AS, the French star lifted the lid on the long courtship that finally ended with him walking into the Santiago Bernabéu as a Madrid player.
“He's the one who brought me here. We've stayed in touch for ten years before I arrived,” Mbappé said. “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 matched what has circulated on social media in recent days, where Mbappé has been quoted repeating the same line: “I was in contact with Pérez since 10 years before joining Real Madrid.”
A president’s push – and a club that sells itself
Pérez’s role was clearly central, but Mbappé was adamant: you don’t really need a sales pitch when the badge is Real Madrid’s.
For a boy who grew up with posters of Madrid legends on his bedroom wall, the transfer felt less like a negotiation and more like an appointment he was always meant to keep.
“To be honest, nothing and no one has to convince you to come to Real Madrid,” the World Cup winner said. “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.”
There had been failed attempts, false starts, and public disappointment along the way. Mbappé did not hide that. But he made it clear he never allowed frustration to turn into regret.
“Of course, there's disappointment, but a footballer's life is about looking forward, not back,” he noted.
So when the door finally opened, no grand persuasion was required – not even from the most powerful figure in Spanish football.
“No one had to convince me to come to Real Madrid, not even Pérez, as big a club as he is. It was obvious,” Mbappé said, before distilling his ambition into a single, stark idea: “If you want to be part of football history, one day you have to play for Real Madrid.”
A new life, a higher level
Since landing in the Spanish capital, Mbappé has begun to settle into life at Valdebebas and in Madrid itself. The change of country has brought calm off the pitch, even as his profile has exploded on it.
“I expected the best club in the world, to receive a lot of excitement from Madridistas all over the world,” he said. “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.”
For Mbappé, this isn’t just a transfer. It is the chapter he always believed his career would need if it was truly to belong to the game’s grand narrative. Now he has the shirt, the stage, and the president who waited ten years to see him there.
