Mbappé Joins Real Madrid Next Season, Heading to Bernabéu

Physically in Paris, but his heart has already flown to Madrid. Last week, Mbappé officially informed Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain, that he would leave the team after this season and bid farewell to his teammates.

Thus, the long-running “soap opera” “Mbappé to Real Madrid” will come to an end this summer, as Mbappé finally heads to his long-desired Bernabéu. But Madrid is not Paris, and Mbappé, venturing out of France on his own, must be cautious.

Negotiations every year

Finally bearing fruit

Let’s go back to the summer of 2022.

In June that year, Real Madrid was very eager to acquire Mbappé to compete against Barcelona and other European powerhouses. They offered Mbappé a tempting salary of 26 million euros after taxes and a signing fee of 130 million euros. However, just when the transfer seemed about to be completed, Mbappé “dodged” Real Madrid and renewed his contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2024, as PSG offered him a salary of 32 million euros.

2022 was indeed a victorious year for Mbappé. Maximizing his own interests is not wrong, but his renewal angered the Real Madrid executives. Fortunately, this world-class superstar has high emotional intelligence and quickly apologized to the Real Madrid executives, looking forward to future cooperation. Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, still looked forward to Mbappé’s joining with a talent-loving mindset.

A year passed in the blink of an eye, and the summer of 2023 arrived, marking another “Where will Mbappé go?” season. This time, Real Madrid had a new target, Bellingham, and their pursuit of Mbappé cooled slightly. With Bellingham’s successful transfer, the Real Madrid executives seemed satisfied, and Mbappé was not their top priority.

At this point, Mbappé found himself in a dilemma. If the summer of 2022 was a honeymoon period with PSG, then the summer of 2023 was a period of relationship breakdown. Mbappé refused the club’s proposal to renew his contract, planning to join Real Madrid for free after his contract expired in June 2024. However, PSG’s executives knew that Mbappé’s value was close to 200 million euros, and if he left without a transfer fee, the club’s loss would be immeasurable. Paris Saint-Germain hoped to renew his contract until 2025 and then offer him a loyalty bonus of tens of millions of euros.

PSG stated that Mbappé could either join Real Madrid in 2023 by paying a transfer fee or renew his contract and stay in France. Therefore, since PSG began preparing for the new season, Mbappé had been placed in the transfer list group, not participating in the first-team training, and he even missed the Ligue 1 opening round roster. But there was no movement from Real Madrid; they were determined not to spend money to sign Mbappé in 2023. Thus, this silent battle had no winners.

Fortunately, things took a turn. Neymar, whose star was fading at PSG, caught the eye of the wealthy Al-Nassr, who paid a transfer fee of 100 million euros for Neymar. With this money, PSG’s executives were in a good mood and no longer pressured Mbappé, who ultimately did not renew his contract.

Time moved to 2024, and Mbappé was only half a year away from becoming a free agent. He could sign a contract with any club at any time, so he decided to give up the 80 million euros loyalty bonus he could have received and informed PSG that he would definitely leave this summer.

The Real Madrid executives were secretly delighted; signing Mbappé as a free agent would save the club at least 180 million euros in transfer fees. Thus, both parties finally ended their long pursuit and reached a preliminary agreement two weeks ago.

Salary halved

That’s not an issue

Now, there are no obstacles for Mbappé to join Real Madrid, and PSG has completely given up. The only disagreement between Mbappé and Real Madrid was merely about income, and Mbappé was ready to accept all conditions.

According to reports, Mbappé’s salary for his first season at Real Madrid will be between 15 and 20 million euros after taxes, which will increase annually based on performance, along with various performance-based bonuses. However, these bonuses are minuscule compared to those offered by PSG. When Mbappé renewed his contract with PSG in 2022, his after-tax salary was 32 million euros, plus tens of millions of euros in loyalty bonuses, as well as the unique 100% image rights revenue globally, and he could even influence team-building decisions.

This is something Real Madrid would never offer Mbappé. As is well known, the “Galácticos” have had good financial operations and success over the past 20 years, largely due to the club’s sound salary structure. At the Bernabéu, there are no superstars above other players, the salary difference among main players is not significant, and the highest salary is also around 20 million euros. Real Madrid has promised that Mbappé will receive the team’s top salary upon joining, but the initial salary is not “superior,” being close to that of veterans like Modric, Kroos, and Alaba, who have served for nearly 10 years.

Regarding the issue of image rights, the “privilege” Mbappé enjoyed at PSG is simply not feasible at the Bernabéu. Real Madrid’s tradition is a 50-50 split, even for Cristiano Ronaldo. However, this time the club made some concessions, offering Mbappé a slightly higher percentage.

Of course, since Real Madrid essentially got Mbappé for free, saving close to 200 million euros in transfer fees, they will pay him a signing fee of about 130 million euros, which will be paid in installments over his five-year contract. In summary, after Mbappé lands at the Bernabéu, his total income, including salary and bonuses, will not exceed 50 million euros, which is just half of what he earned at PSG.

These terms, barring any surprises, will be fully accepted by Mbappé. Time has changed, and Mbappé sees no hope at PSG. He urgently needs to move on to pursue his childhood dreams and join the Real Madrid he has longed for; otherwise, he will miss his chance.

Now, Mbappé lowers his stance and decides to head to Madrid alone. In Paris, he was the superstar adored by everyone, the favorite star of club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the core player absolutely relied on by coach Enrique, and the indispensable pillar for his teammates. However, at the star-studded Bernabéu, all of Mbappé’s advantages will vanish, and he is just an individual who needs to continue working hard to find himself again.

Mbappé has been carefully nurtured by Paris Saint-Germain for seven years, and now, he must face life on his own. Real Madrid’s coach Ancelotti is not Enrique; he has seen too many stars. Although Real Madrid still considers Mbappé the future pillar of the team, he still needs to compete to earn his rightful place.

In the Real Madrid squad, there are several world-class players who can compete with Mbappé. Vinicius and Rodrygo landed at the Bernabéu six years earlier; Bellingham showed his star power and temperament as soon as he arrived at Real Madrid last year. Not only are they comparable to Mbappé in strength, but their positions on the field also overlap with his.

Mbappé excels as a left winger, but under Ancelotti’s tactics, he does not necessarily have absolute ownership of this position. With Real Madrid severely lacking a center forward, with only José Lu available, Mbappé must even be prepared to play as a center forward, although he does not like this role.

Besides accepting competition, the second thing Mbappé needs to be cautious of is not to be arrogant. In Paris, he could be the center of attention, but at Real Madrid, no one will pamper him. Chuameni and Camavinga, both French and both worth over a hundred million euros, must play as substitutes if Ancelotti asks them to, and they must move from defensive midfield to defense if instructed, with no other options. Mbappé must be humble, follow Ancelotti’s arrangements, and secure his position.

More importantly, Mbappé must not be impatient. As is well known, he left PSG for a greater future, to win the Champions League, World Cup, European Championship, Ballon d’Or, and even FIFA World Player of the Year. In European football, there are few teams that can provide him with such a platform, and Real Madrid is one that can bring him closest to his dreams.

However, there are no smooth sailings in the football world. Mbappé, who was defeated in the 2022 World Cup final, must have learned some lessons. One cannot be impatient or forceful; only by laying a solid foundation can one step by step achieve one’s ultimate dream. As his French compatriot, the world-famous popular novelist Alexandre Dumas, wrote at the end of “The Count of Monte Cristo”: “All human wisdom is contained in these two words—wait and hope!”