No one involved with the deal, nor the player himself, will officially say it, until now- Kylian Mbappe has joined Real Madrid. No one from the club will say it out loud, in public, until this week. Obviously, we have all known, for several months that this was going to happen. Mbappe to Madrid has been a majorly tedious transfer saga for the past few summers, as we endured dozens, if not hundreds of “Mbappe: will he or won’t he leave Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid?”
In February, that saga finally ended, and the decision was made.
??? Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, HERE WE GO! Every document has been signed, sealed and completed.
Real Madrid, set to announce Mbappé as new signing next week after winning the Champions League.
Mbappé made his decision in February; he can now be considered new Real player. pic.twitter.com/MMqEp1C0pK
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 2, 2024
There you go- according to Fab, it is “here we go” time. There has been so much drama, between PSG and Real Madrid, PSG and Mbappe, between, well, everybody involved. So it’s good to see this all end. Elsewhere, Toni Kroos has now retired but Luka Modric isn’t going anywhere.
The 38-year-old Croatian sensation is staying on for another season. According to the New York Times, Real Madrid Club President Florentino Perez has confirmed that Modric will be given a one year extension, which will keep him at the club until June 2025.
Luka Modric is now the most decorated Real Madrid player in history with 26 titles ??
? 6 European Cups (competition record)
? 5 Club World Cups
? 5 Spanish Super Cups
? 4 European Super Cups
? 4 LaLiga titles
? 2 Copas del Rey pic.twitter.com/wQB7x32kYS— SPORTbible (@sportbible) June 2, 2024
As you can see from the tweet above, Modric is the most decorated individual player in all of club football. When he left Tottenham Hotspur at age 27 a decade ago he was trophyless.
Wow! Have things really turned around for him.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.