Football
Kylian Mbappe said on Tuesday it is "a dream come true" to be joining Real Madrid, a day after the club announced that they had reached a deal with the French superstar.
The 25 year-old World Cup winner leaves Paris Saint-Germain to join a Madrid team that is already loaded with talent and still celebrating their latest European triumph - and sixth in 10 seasons.
On 1st June, Madrid won a record-extending 15th European title when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final at Wembley in London.
Mbappe was speaking at the Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz, on the eve of France's friendly international against Luxembourg.
He made a statement and did not take questions.
In his role as national team captain, Mbappe said that he wanted the focus to remain on the squad and not on himself as France prepare for the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
"It's official - I'm going to be a Real Madrid player for at least the next 5 years," he said. "It's an immense pleasure, a dream come true, a lot of emotions. I'm very, very happy, liberated, relieved and extremely proud to be able to join the club where I've always dreamed of being."
"I'd also like to say a big thank you to everyone who was able to contribute in any way to this operation, which was more than complex. I'd like to thank everyone at Real Madrid who worked so hard, especially the president, Florentino Perez, who has always had faith in me from day one."
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