According to Diario AS, the Bernabeu stadium will be full on July 16, when 80,000 spectators will come to watch Real Madrid introduce Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe will wear the number 9 shirt, stepping onto the Bernabeu pitch under the lights and fireworks. Regardless of which round France goes, Real have set a date for Mbappe’s debut, two days after the Euro 2024 final. If France are eliminated early, Mbappe will take a few days off, or take advantage of the opportunity to have nose surgery , before making his Bernabeu debut.
Kylian Mbappe will be introduced to Bernabeu on July 16, 2024. Photo: AS
Mbappe’s unveiling is called “M-Day” and will take place at 7pm Madrid time. According to Diario AS , Real Madrid are expecting the “most impressive presentation ever for a football player”. Mbappe is also the longest-running and most-reported deal in both the French and Spanish media.
A catwalk will also be prepared for Mbappe, starting from the dressing room door to the big stage. The 26-year-old striker will follow this path, similar to the American singer Taylor Swift did when performing at the Bernabeu in late May 2024.
President Florentino Perez will preside over the unveiling, along with honorary president Pirri. Guests will sit on a podium on the pitch. Above, a 360-degree screen will show highlights of Mbappe’s career, especially the 2018 World Cup.
If over 80,000 people come to the Bernabeu as expected, Mbappe will become the player with the most spectators for a debut for a team. The current record belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo, when 75,000 fans came to see him debut at the Bernabeu in 2009. Coincidentally, Ronaldo and Mbappe both wore the number 9 shirt on the day of their debut.
Ronaldo and Mbappe will also compete together in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, when Portugal meets France at the Volkspark in Hamburg on the evening of July 5.
Real announced Mbappe on the evening of June 2, in a brief announcement that he would sign a five-year contract. The French captain grew up in Monaco, played seven seasons at PSG, before joining Real on a free transfer. He will have to take a large pay cut at Madrid in exchange for other benefits.