Mbappé signs for Real Madrid in the transfer of the most expensive ‘free’ player in history

This article was originally published in English

Citing Mbappé himself, as the player himself noted on social media, the signing is “a dream come true“The contract of the French soccer star with the ‘merengue’ team comes into force on July 1 and extends until June 2029, which means that he can now put aside the tension about his future and concentrate, fully, in his preparation with the French team to compete in Euro 2024.

His signing for Real Madrid is not no surprise. The player and Real Madrid were ‘condemned’ to seal their relationship after several frustrated attempts. The president of the entity, Florentino Pérez, wants the best in the world on the pitch of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and Mbappé wanted to wear the jersey of the ‘King of Europe’.

Therefore, his signing does not surprise anyone. However, some are striking financial details of his signing, which are now coming to light.

A UK television channel has described the operation as “the most expensive free transfer in history.” This is because, in theory, when a player’s contract expires, the club that wants to sign him only has to offer him a new contract, but does not have to pay the other club in transfer concept.

However, in the case of french footballerthe signing will continue to cost one of the most successful teams in world football an enormous amount of money.

Salaries, bonuses and sponsorship agreements

The brand new winner of the 2023-2024 Champions League will have to pay a ‘signing bonus‘ to the forward. Some media outlets put this amount at around 115 million euros, while others speculate that it will be higher and around 150 million euros. The star from Bondy, a town located on the outskirts of Paris, will receive the full amount. It is a significant sum, although some consider that it must be viewed with perspective, since it should be mitigated by distributing it over the five years of the contract signed with what is now his new team.

To this will be added an annual salary of around 15 million euros net, according to the estimates of the Spanish sports newspapers. This is a figure very far from the 70 million euros per year that he earned with PSG, but higher than that of other current Real Madrid stars, such as the Englishman Jude Bellingham, the Belgian Thibaut Courtois, the legendary Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić, the Austrian David Alaba and the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, according to the Swiss publication Blick.

To explain the discrepancy with the other stars of the club, to his salary as a player we must add the transfer bonus, mentioned above, which raises his salary from around 15 million euros net to around 35 million euros.

In addition, there is the income from their image rights. According to the Spanish media, the world champion with France in 2018 will retain 80% of these rights. The only other star real Madrid The one who maintained possession of the majority of his image rights was Cristiano Ronaldo, when he arrived at the club in 2009. Normally, Real Madrid players usually share their image rights equally with the club.

Various bonuses have also been negotiated in the contract based on their performance, the trophies won and those of their club, as well as sporting objectives achieved. Last but not least, Real Madrid, the most successful club in Europeoffers much greater visibility and marketing possibilities than Mbappé had in France.

Kilian Mbappé and PSG: consummated divorce?

On Tuesday, May 28, the French sports newspaper L’Équipe reported that Paris Saint-Germain would owe some 80 million euros to Mbappé. This amount corresponds to the salary for the month of April and an economic bonus.

Initially, Mbappé was left out of the professional squad last summer, after announcing that he would be leaving the club. at the end of his contract in 2024. After accepting a negotiation with his club, the former player, who wore the number 7 at PSG, agreed to give up a bonus of 80 million euros, in exchange for returning to the entity’s first team.

A few months later, the French player officially informed the club president of his departure at the end of the season. Nasser al-Khelaïfi, who manages the club, finally decided to transfer the bonus of 80 million euros to Mbappé’s account. Interviewed by L’Équipe, several members of the Parisian club president’s entourage explained that he wanted Real Madrid to pay him the same sum. But the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, refused to accept this condition.

In response, Nasser al-Khelaïfi chose not to pay the Monaco-trained player his salary and premium agreed in the past. Mbappé blames Nasser al-Khelaifi for not keeping his word last summer. According to the 25-year-old player, the president pressured his coach, the Spanish Luis Enrique, to give him less playing time on the pitch. That is, he relegated the forward to the bench. For this reason, the footballer feels aggrieved, and he is no longer willing to part with the 80 million euros that were promised to him.

While the history of Mbappé and Real Madrid has only just begun, it seems that their confrontation with Paris Saint-Germain is far from over. Aside from the sports war in the offices, starting in July, ‘merengues’ fans in general, and football fans, in particular, will be able to enjoy the mastery of what is considered one of the best players in the world. The latest star of the ‘white’ firmament will soon arrive in Madrid, ready to shine with its own light in the Spanish League.