Kylian Mbappé's Decade-Long Journey to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé says his move to Real Madrid was a decade in the making – and that no one, not even Florentino Pérez, really needed to convince him.

In a candid interview with AS, the French star pulled back the curtain on the long pursuit that finally ended at the Santiago Bernabéu this summer, revealing a relationship with the Madrid president that stretches back ten years.

“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.”

That bond with Pérez, echoed across social media where Mbappé has been quoted stressing their decade-long contact, framed a transfer saga that spanned failed moves, changing circumstances and shifting power in European football. But Mbappé insists the decisive factor was never a sales pitch.

For him, Real Madrid was the endpoint from the moment he started pinning posters on his bedroom wall.

“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.”

The timing, more than once, was wrong. Previous attempts collapsed, and with them came the inevitable frustration. Mbappé does not hide that, but he refuses to dwell on it.

“Of course, there’s disappointment, but a footballer’s life is about looking forward, not back,” he reflected.

That forward gaze always seemed to land on Madrid. The club’s weight in the game, he says, makes persuasion almost irrelevant.

“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, underlining the inevitability he feels about the move. “If you want to be part of football history, one day you have to play for Real Madrid.”

Now that the long chase is over, the reality has started to sink in. Mbappé has settled into life at Valdebebas and the rhythm of the Spanish capital, embracing both the calm of his new surroundings and the storm of global attention that comes with the white shirt.

“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 a player who has always spoken about legacy, the message is clear: this is not just another transfer. For Mbappé, Madrid is the stage where his career will be judged – and where he now believes true football immortality is earned.