After years of build-up, Kylian Mbappe finally donned the iconic all-white Real Madrid jersey on Tuesday, July 16. Thousands of Madridistas flocked to the recently renovated Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to welcome their newest Galactico, giving him a warm welcome. As per Los Blancos, Bernabeu had a capacity crowd on Tuesday, making it one of the most-attended player unveiling in the history of soccer.
Today, we will take a look at some other mega player unveilings in history and check out where Mbappe’s ranks. Read on to have a peek at the top five highest-attended player unveilings in the sport’s history.
#5 Ricardo Kaka (Real Madrid): 50,000+ Fans
The last Ballon d’Or winner before Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi turned the prestigious award into a duopoly, Ricardo Kaka joined Real Madrid from AC Milan in the summer of 2009. A member of the Galacticos 2.0 project, Kaka received a warm reception at his unveiling ceremony at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with over 50,000 fans coming to welcome him.
One of the most talented attackers in the history of the sport, Kaka, unfortunately, could not fulfill his potential in Madrid. He struggled to keep himself fit, and with Mesut Ozil wreaking havoc, he lost his place in the starting XI. He did produce some memorable performances but they were few and far between. Before returning to AC Milan in 2013, Kaka played 120 games for the Whites, scoring 29 times and providing 39 assists. He won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, and one Supercopa de Espana during his stay.
#4 Carlos Tevez (Boca Juniors): 65,000+ Fans
In July 2015, former Argentina ace Carlos Tevez returned to his boyhood club Boca Juniors. Fans gave their former player a hero’s welcome, with over 65,000 fans flocking to the La Bombonera Stadium to celebrate his return. Tevez played for Boca Juniors for one and a half years before accepting a big-money contract from SH Shenhua. However, he could not get accustomed to life in China and returned to Boca Juniors just a year later.
In total, the ex-Manchester United and Manchester City ace played 279 games for Boca Juniors in all competitions, scoring 94 times and providing 50 assists.
#3 Diego Maradona (Napoli): 75,000+ Fans
One of the best players in history, Diego Maradona, joined Napoli at the peak of his powers in 1984. Understanding the significance of this move, over 75,000 Napoli supporters filled San Paolo, celebrating their new talisman.
After two decent seasons at Barcelona, Maradona was eager to set the world alight, and Napoli were desperate to win major silverware. Two seasons in, right after he led Argentina to the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Maradona brought the Serie A title to Napoli. Under his direction, Napoli also won Coppa Italia that season. In the 1988-89 season, Maradona took them to the UEFA Cup, which is still their only European silverware. The following season, Maradona took the Partenopei to another Serie A title.
Before leaving in 1992, Maradona played 257 games for Napoli, scoring 115 times and claiming 72 assists. In 2020, Napoli paid tribute to the late icon by renaming their stadium, San Paolo, to Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid): 80,000+ Fans
Long-time target Kylian Mbappe finally fulfilled his dream of wearing the Real Madrid jersey on Tuesday. Fans, more than 80,000 of them, could sense how much it meant to the Frenchman and cheered him on throughout the presentation ceremony.
Mbappe, who has joined Los Merengues after running down his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), has a massive reputation to uphold. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner scored a staggering 256 goals in 308 games for the Parisians, emerging as their all-time top scorer. It will be interesting to see if he can carry that form over to the All-Whites when the new season commences in August.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid): 80,000+ Fans
Like Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo also got a warm embrace from a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when he joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. Over 80,000 fans filled the stands to welcome the Portuguese, chanting “Hala Madrid!” with him in unison.
Ronaldo vouched to give his all for the club, and he delivered on that promise, chipping in with world-class performances time and time again and helping Los Blancos to the biggest trophies on offer. He spent nine seasons in the Spanish capital, scoring 451 goals in 438 games, firing Madrid to two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies, amongst other honors.
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