There was a flurry of reaction to the news on Monday, which has been at the forefront of the football world's minds for seven years. One of the most notable quotes came from Cristiano Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia and once one of Real Madrid's most illustrious players. 

He commented on Mbappe's Instagram post, which showed the teenager wearing a Real Madrid jumper and pointing to his new club's crest. "It's my turn to keep an eye on you," Ronaldo wrote. "I'm excited for you to be the light of the Bernabeu." And so is Mbappe, who has signed a five-year contract to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Madrid. For the Frenchman, it is "a dream come true."

The Spanish club officially announced the news the same day that the forward and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann were left off the preliminary list of 25 players called up by hosts France for the Olympic Games football tournament. Both players had indicated their desire to participate in the Paris Games, but their Spanish clubs said they will not release them. Mbappé will lead France at the Euro 2024, which runs from 14 June to 14 July in Germany.

"Los Blancos have strengthened their squad with a world superstar," Real Madrid announced on its website. "Real Madrid have agreed that the player will stay for the next five seasons," the note added.

The news has been seven years in the making. However, it never materialised untill now. "I am so happy and proud to be joining the club of my dreams @realmadrid. Nobody can understand how excited I am at this moment. I can't wait to see you Madridistas. Thank you for your incredible support," the 25-year-old added on social media.

Mbappe's history with Real Madrid has been well-chronicled in the media. In reality, the relationship goes back even further than seven years. In 2012, the 13-year-old was invited to spend a week with the team. It was during this visit that he had his photograph taken with his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Since then, every summer their story has become a soap opera, a series of episodes. It was the player himself who announced in May that he would be leaving PSG at the end of the season, and he has kept his word. Real Madrid won their 15th Champions League on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.

The club and the footballer quickly moved to finalise the deal before the European Championship, where Mbappe will be representing France. The failed attempts and the broken dreams are now behind him. Madrid fans have been waiting for him for many seasons.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not the only one to write about his arrival, with a number of former players also expressing their feelings and welcoming him to the club. "Welcome to the best club in the world," wrote former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas on X, formerly Twitter. "It's never too late if the feeling is good. With you, the road to 16th begins...", added the former Spain goalkeeper in reference to the club's Champions League titles.

He was also greeted by his future teammate next season, Eder Militao. "Welcome KMbappe, for the 16th...," the Brazilian wrote on X.

The figures of his new contract have not yet been made fully public. According to reports in Spain, he will earn an estimated €35 million ($38 million) per season. To get an idea of what his signing means, consider that his last contract with PSG, signed in 2022, was a two-year deal worth around €72 million before tax. It included a loyalty bonus of a similar amount and a signing fee of €150 million. In the end, he had to forgo the agreed sums.

His future team mates are eagerly awaiting his arrival. After years in which his signing appeared almost certain, something always seemed to go wrong. "Welcome to your new home," wrote Belgium's Thibaut Courtois on X. "Welcome, star," said Ukrainian Andriy Lunin on Instagram. And midfielder Eduardo Camavinga simply posted a photo of himself and Mbappé, who played together for France in the past. They will be teammates twice over.

His footballing career has been precocious. Everything has happened very quickly. He won the World Cup as a teenager in 2018. He has scored a club record 256 goals for PSG since joining the Qatari-owned club from Monaco on loan in 2017. When he arrived in Paris, the now Madrid man was already on their radar.

At just 18 years of age, his figures were staggering and PSG paid €180 million for him. He went on to win six Ligue 1 titles with the Parisians. He also led them to the final of the 2020 Champions League, where they lost to Bayern Munich. PSG have been unable to win the continent's premier trophy. They failed again this year, losing to Dortmund in the semi-finals.

He scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina in Qatar in 2022. However, they lost to Lionel Messi's Argentina on penalties. It was one of the most beautiful duels, past and future, as Messi left for America's MLS and Mbappe took over in Europe. At PSG, he had joined the likes of Neymar and Messi, but it didn't work out and they didn't win the Champions League.

His fame is such that even the French president, Emmanuel Macron, intervened to persuade him to stay at PSG in June 2022, when a move to Real Madrid seemed almost certain. The news went around the world. It seemed to be a matter of state.

Now he is finally in Madrid. He joins a championship-winning team and will share a dressing room with several Ballon d'Or candidates, including Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior and England international Jude Bellingham. 

There is talk of him struggling to break into the Spanish team's starting eleven, but his coach, the award-winning Carlo Ancelotti, has no doubts. "Good players have to know how to play together. The most important thing is to keep the balance," he said. "For me, quality and balance are the two most important things in a team. If you can combine those two things, you will be successful."

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris seemed to also be the horizon but Madrid did not approve of the extra workload and coach Thierry Henry, finally opted to leave him off the preliminary list on Monday. 

"I have to give a fairly realistic list, even if I know that it is virtual," Henry said, before adding that he was "still hoping" to be able to call upon Mbappe during the Olympic tournament. "Everything is open for everyone, but we must give a list so that everyone can prepare. But we are not closing the door to anyone."