Kylian Mbappé joins Real Madrid, a team featuring Champions League winners like Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.
Today, Monday, Spanish club Real Madrid announced that French football star Kylian Mbappé has finally joined after years of transfer rumors.
Mbappé, 25, will receive $16.2 million (15 million euros) annually after taxes from Real Madrid over a five-year period, in addition to a guaranteed signing bonus estimated at around $163 million (150 million euros) spread over the contract term, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail” and ESPN’s Julien Laurens and Alex Kirkland.
This would put Mbappé’s estimated average annual income at just under $50 million. While this is a substantial amount of money, it is still far less than the one-year contract offer, valued at $776 million, which Saudi club Al-Hilal reportedly offered Mbappé for his services last summer.
Moving to Real Madrid and the new contract he agreed to means Mbappé is losing out on over $700 million when comparing the annual value of both deals. So, why didn’t Mbappé go for the more lucrative contract?
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Mbappé, who leaves Paris Saint-Germain after seven years with the French club, has already earned nearly $288 million in his career, according to estimates from Capology.com. The reported $776 million offer from Al-Hilal last summer was the largest one-year contract for a professional athlete in history.
Many prominent football players have received massive salaries to join the Saudi Pro League in recent years. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo earns an estimated $213 million this year from Al-Nassr, while French player Karim Benzema, a famous Real Madrid alum, reportedly received a total of $214 million through his two-year contract with Al-Ittihad.
Reportedly, other top European footballers nearing the end of their careers, like Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, have also attracted interest from some Saudi clubs in recent years.
Matheson stated, “Going to Saudi Arabia would be akin to retiring from top-tier club football.” “Of course, after another five or ten years at Real Madrid, he could always secure a big payday later on like [Lionel] Messi in Miami or Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.”
Due to its massive projects in professional golf, football, and Formula 1 racing, some critics have accused Saudi Arabia of “sportswashing,” a term used to describe entities allegedly using sports events or associations to improve their tarnished reputations.
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Mbappé acknowledged the move in an Instagram (META) post on Monday.
“The dream has become a reality,” Mbappé wrote. I’m over the moon and incredibly proud to be joining my dream club. Words can’t express just how thrilled I am right now. I can’t wait to see you, Madridistas. Thank you for your incredible support. Hala Madrid!”
Mbappé joins a Real Madrid team that already boasts a lineup of young stars and Champions League winners, including Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham.
Mbappé, a World Cup winner with France, leaves Paris Saint-Germain as the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals, including a record 175 goals in Ligue 1.
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