Kylian Mbappé is not likely to don a Real Madrid jersey until after the European Championship.
The signing of Kylian Mbappé for Real Madrid was confirmed on Monday, June 3rd, to great fanfare as the French international put an end to years of speculation by joining the UEFA Champions League winners. However, we are yet to see him in the colors of his new team, and we won’t for another few weeks at least.
For Madridistas already looking forward to seeing their new Galáctico appear in their jersey, there are five key dates to keep in mind as the excitement surrounding his transfer builds.
July 1st – Mbappé officially becomes a Real Madrid player
While his signing for Real Madrid has already been confirmed, Mbappé’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain remains in place until June 30th, with his new contract in Spain coming into force as of July 1st. This date will be when his new club will be able to sell jerseys with his name on, but there will be little more change as Mbappé is set to be part of the France squad competing in the European Championships in Germany.
Mid-July – His official presentation at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Mbappé is not expected to be presented as a Real Madrid player until after the European Championships, where he is already part of the France squad as Didier Deschamps hopes to compete for the trophy with his talented squad. As such, Real Madrid fans will have to wait for his official presentation, which is expected to welcome fans to the stadium with huge demand. The date is yet to be confirmed and could depend upon when France complete their role in the Euros in Germany, though July 15th or 16th, the days following the final in Berlin, are already being touted as potential dates to pencil in to the calendar.
August 3rd – A possible Clásico friendly at the MetLife Stadium
The MetLife Stadium will host a now annual pre-season exhibition game between Real Madrid and Barcelona on August 3rd. Initially, it looks to be too soon for Mbappé to feature, unless France are knocked out of the European Championship unexpectedly early. However, the marketing pull of having Mbappé make his debut in this game may mean that the club pushes to have him involved to some extent, even if coach Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t put him in the starting line-up.
August 14th – A competitive debut in the European Super Cup
Mbappé’s first competitive game for the club is likely to come at the Kazimierz Górski National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, where Real Madrid will take on Atalanta for the UEFA European Super Cup. The Frenchman should have had enough training under his belt to be in contention for Ancelotti by this time, assuming he stays injury-free, and will be eager to get his hand on silverware in what would be his first game in a Real Madrid jersey in competitive action. It would also be his first time competing for the trophy, which Real Madrid qualified for as UEFA Champions League winners after overcoming Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1st.
August 18th – His most-likely first outing at the Bernabéu
La Liga will not release the fixture list for the 2024/25 until July, but with the Super Cup on Wednesday night, the billing is already likely to set Real Madrid with the Sunday night fixture to kick off the season. Having missed out on starting the season at home since before the Covid-19 pandemic due to works on their stadium, it seems likely that La Liga will seek to give Los Blancos a home kick-off. That would mean that Mbappé would be in action on the Bernabéu turf for the first time in a white jersey on this date. All that’s left to be confirmed is if it will be this date, or a week later, and who the opponent will be.