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Kylian Mbappe’s inevitable transfer to Real Madrid is done.

A pursuit that dates back at least seven years – when the French superstar talked to Real Madrid before joining Paris Saint-Germain in a €180-million move – concluded Monday with Mbappe agreeing to sign for the Spanish and European champions on a free transfer.

Mbappe’s five-year contract with Los Blancos begins once his PSG deal expires June 30. The 25-year-old reportedly agreed to personal terms with Madrid in February.

“A dream come true, so happy and proud to join the club of my dreams, Real Madrid,” Mbappe wrote on X alongside pictures of him when he was younger wearing the team jacket and meeting club icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Nobody can understand how excited I am right now.”

(Courtesy: @KMbappe)

Last summer, Mbappe declined an option to extend his PSG contract until June 2025. The attacker was subsequently dropped from a preseason tour to Japan and temporarily trained away from the first-team squad. He was reintroduced to the matchday roster after missing just one league match, and relations between the club and player seemed to improve during the opening months of the 2023-24 campaign.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi stated last July that it’d be “impossible” for Mbappe – arguably the best player in the world – to leave on a free transfer. Later that month, the club reportedly accepted a world-record €300-million offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal for the forward. However, Mbappe didn’t entertain the opportunity, and no other transfers materialized before news of his decision to depart the Parc des Princes for nothing surfaced in February.

French superstar

Mbappe scored 256 goals and assisted 95 times over 308 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and hoarded medals in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue, and the Trophee des Champions. He finished as the top scorer in Ligue 1 six times. The 2023-24 season marked the fifth time in a row that he was named the best player in France’s top flight.

He started his career with Monaco, where he won one Ligue 1 title and helped fire the principality club to the 2016-17 Champions League semifinals, beating Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund along the way.

Mbappe’s club achievements

Mbappe has 46 goals in 77 appearances for France and succeeded Hugo Lloris as captain in March 2023. He scored four times during Les Bleus’ victorious 2018 World Cup run, including once in the final against Croatia. Mbappe finished the 2022 World Cup as top scorer with eight goals, with three of those strikes crammed into a remarkable final as France fell to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a penalty shootout.

Now, after representing his country at Euro 2024, Mbappe will spend most weekends bewitching crowds in Spain.

“It’s hard, and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that, to leave my country, France, Ligue 1, a championship I’ve always known, but I think I needed this, after seven years, a new challenge,” Mbappe said when he confirmed he’d leave PSG on May 10.

The new challenge

The next step in Mbappe’s career comes with one clear objective: winning the Champions League. It was PSG’s No. 1 aim throughout his time in the French capital, but the closest they got was a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

Mbappe didn’t carry the burden of trying to conquer Europe alone. His teammates at PSG included true greats of the game, including Messi, Angel Di Maria, Neymar, and Sergio Ramos. Still, PSG’s lavish spending couldn’t deliver European football’s top prize.

Not only will Mbappe share a dressing room with more huge names at the Bernabeu – he’ll form an intimidating attack with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Endrick – he also joins a club that makes winning the Champions League a habit. Real Madrid overcame RB Leipzig, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in this season’s Champions League knockout rounds before beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in Saturday’s final for their record-extending 15th success in the competition.

In addition to their continental exploits, Real Madrid are the most successful team in Spanish football history with 36 La Liga titles. They clinched the 2023-24 crown with four matches to spare during the first weekend of May.

Mbappe added on Instagram: “Can’t wait to see you, Madridistas, and thanks for your unbelievable support.”

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GENEVA (AP) — Real Madrid winning the Champions League title also was a victory for Shakhtar Donetsk and defeat for Borussia Dortmund also was a loss for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Madrid’s 2-0 win Saturday in the final in London settled the last direct entries into the revamped 36-team Champions League lineup for next season.

UEFA retains an entry for the defending champion but Madrid already secured its place by winning the Spanish league title a month ago.

That entry reverts to the domestic league winner in the qualifying rounds that has the highest ranking based on results in UEFA competitions over five seasons. That is Ukraine Premier League winner Shakhtar, which gets the upgrade and the guaranteed share of Champions League prize money worth tens of millions of euros (dollars).

Dortmund qualified for the Champions League as the fifth-place team in the Bundesliga. Germany got a bonus fifth entry that UEFA now awards to the two countries whose teams performed best across this season’s European competitions. Italy got the other bonus place.

Had Dortmund beaten Madrid in the final, Germany would have got another Champions League entry for its sixth-place Bundesliga team, which was Eintracht.

Eintracht now enters the second-tier Europa League, which it won in 2022.

The 29 direct qualifiers for the next Champions League are now known and seven more places will be confirmed in the qualifying rounds that finish in August.

The new intake includes competition debutants Girona of Spain and Brest of France.

It also includes teams that last played decades ago when the competition was still known as the European Cup.

Aston Villa was the defending European champion when losing in the quarterfinals in 1983.

Bologna’s only European Cup appearance was a quick exit in the preliminary round of the 1964-65 season.

All those teams with little or no recent track record in European competitions will come out of the low-ranked seeding pot when the draw is made Aug. 29 in Monaco.

UEFA scrapped the traditional group stage in favor of a new league phase, under pressure in 2021 from the influential European Club Association whose leaders wanted more games, and a wider ranger of opponents.

The new league phase guarantees each team eight games, instead of six, and eight different opponents, instead of three.

UEFA agreed that format in principle three years ago when the ECA was strongly influenced by Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona who had secretly plotted a breakaway Super League to effectively wreck the Champions League.

Despite the UEFA concessions, those clubs — joined by nine others in Italy, Spain and England — still went ahead to launch a Super League in April 2021 that collapsed within two days. A furious backlash from fans in England and threats of legislation by the British government forced the six English clubs to withdraw.

The four Champions League finals played since April 2021 all were won by Super League clubs — Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City — which tried to break apart the premier European competition that is now 69 years old.

The seven remaining places in the next 36-team lineup will go to five domestic champions who advance through qualifying rounds plus two teams from a separate route for runners-up, third- or fourth-place teams from high-ranking leagues.

Qualifiers could include Galatasaray, Lille, Red Star Belgrade, Salzburg and Young Boys.

Prize money for the 38 teams will be shared from a UEFA fund of about 2.44 billion euros ($2.65 billion) and the eventual champion should earn at least 150 million euros ($163 million). Each team will be guaranteed about 20 million euros ($21.7 million) even if it loses all eight games.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been handed his first start of the 2023-24 Champions League campaign as Real Madrid released their lineup over two-and-half hours before Saturday’s final against Borussia Dortmund.

Courtois replaces Andriy Lunin, who’s been dealing with an illness ahead of the London showpiece. Courtois didn’t feature for Real Madrid this season until May due to a knee ligament injury. The Belgian shot-stopper finishes this term with four La Liga appearances and an outing in the Champions League final.

Aurelien Tchouameni is a surprise inclusion on Carlo Ancelotti’s bench after he was initially ruled out of the match.

Toni Kroos is starting for his final appearance in club football. His final act in the professional game will be with the Germany squad on home soil at Euro 2024.

For Dortmund, fan favorite Marco Reus is on the bench ahead of his exit this summer. Sebastien Haller, who missed time earlier this month with an ankle issue, is also among the substitutes. Edin Terzic’s starting lineup is unchanged from the semifinal second-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Borussia Dortmund starting XI

(4-2-3-1) Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Can, Sabitzer; Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi; Fullkrug

Subs: Meyer, Lotka; Ozcan, Nmecha, Haller, Reus, Wolf, Moukoko, Malen, Sule, Watjen, Bynoe-Gittens

Real Madrid starting XI

(4-3-1-2) Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior

Subs: Lunin, Kepa; Militao, Alaba, Modric, Joselu, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Garcia, Brahim, Guler

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This season’s Champions League final, a meeting between European kings Real Madrid and underdogs Borussia Dortmund, is finally here. Get ready for Saturday’s match with theScore’s comprehensive preview package.

The lowdown ?

Who: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
What: 69th European Cup final
When: Saturday, June 1 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Wembley Stadium (London, England)
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
VAR: Nejc Kajtazovic (Slovenia)

How to watch ?

TV: CBS, Univision, TUDN (U.S.)
Stream: Paramount+ and fuboTV (U.S.); DAZN (Canada)

Betting odds ?

Odds via theScore Bet:

Real Madrid: -170
Draw: +300
Borussia Dortmund: +450

Key questions ?

Bellingham’s big moment?

Jude Bellingham has thrust himself into the Ballon d’Or conversation after a sensational debut season with Real Madrid. The English midfielder scored 24 goals in 132 games with Borussia Dortmund, but he has exploded since making his big transfer and inheriting the famous No. 5 shirt once worn by Zinedine Zidane, finding the net 23 times in just 40 appearances for Los Blancos. His tactical versatility and attacking instincts from midfield are essential to Real Madrid’s play, providing another scoring threat for a team that often lines up, at least to start matches, without a recognized striker.

The stars couldn’t possibly align any better for him to deliver a crowning performance. Against his former club, playing in his home country’s most famous stadium, one more standout display – or, better yet, another decisive goal – would cap a truly incredible season for the 20-year-old. Can Bellingham’s former coach and teammates conjure up a plan to limit his influence?

Who will excel on the counterattack?

Both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund can be devastating in transition. The German side relies heavily on wingers Jadon Sancho and Karim Adeyemi to take advantage when the opposing full-backs get too far forward, something Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal will need to keep in mind when trying to join the attack. The blistering Adeyemi, in particular, will have an enormous pace advantage over wily veteran Carvajal, who’ll surely use all his nous to try and slow down the young German.

Madrid, meanwhile, are arguably the best team in the world at exploiting open space on the break, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Bellingham able to flip the field and use their collective combination of speed and ruthless precision to craft scoring chances. Something has to give, though. Both teams can’t eschew possession in the hopes of racing out on the counter. Someone has to take the initiative. The ebbs and flows of the match should be fascinating.

Perfect send-off … but for whom?

One of Toni Kroos or Marco Reus is going to walk off into the sunset after the final whistle blows at Wembley. Kroos, who’s made 464 appearances for Real Madrid, is retiring after Euro 2024. Saturday’s contest will be his final match at club level after a decorated career. Reus, described by Edin Terzic as a “living legend,” is leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer after 12 years and over 400 first-team appearances for his boyhood team. He intends to continue playing, but both sides agreed his expiring contract wouldn’t be renewed.

Their career paths have diverged – the masterful Kroos is still the focal point of Madrid’s midfield, while Reus is now a late-game option off the bench for Dortmund – but there’s a storybook ending to be had for one of these German icons. “My ambition was always to finish my career at the peak of my performance level,” Kroos said upon making a retirement announcement that shocked so many. There is no greater peak than this in the club game.

Further reading ?

Dive into some of the storylines surrounding the contest:

Injury updates ?

The latest on the lingering lineup questions:

Projected lineups ?

Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Emre Can, Sabitzer; Adeyemi, Brandt, Sancho; Fullkrug

Kit matchup ?

(Photo courtesy: UEFA)

Season at a glance ?

Brief rundown of 2023-24 credentials:

Real Madrid

• Form (all competitions): DDWWWW
• League finish: 1st in La Liga
• Domestic cup: Lost in round of 16

Borussia Dortmund

• Form (all competitions): WLWWWL
• League finish: 5th in Bundesliga
• Domestic cup: Lost in round of 16

Path to the final ?

Reviewing how both teams got to Wembley:

Real Madrid

• Group stage: First place in Group C
• Round of 16: Beat RB Leipzig (2-1 on aggregate)
• Quarterfinals: Beat Manchester City (4-3 on penalties)
• Semifinals: Beat Bayern Munich (4-3 on aggregate)

Borussia Dortmund

• Group stage: First place in Group F
• Round of 16: Beat PSV Eindhoven (3-1 on aggregate)
• Quarterfinals: Beat Atletico Madrid (5-4 on aggregate)
• Semifinals: Beat PSG (2-0 on aggregate)

By the numbers ?

Raw statistics for the two finalists:

Advanced metrics:

Tournament pedigree ?

Best European Cup finish for both clubs:

Real Madrid: Champions (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022)

Real Madrid have reached the European Cup final 17 times heading into Saturday’s match, emerging victorious on 14 occasions. Their most recent appearance, in 2022, ended in a 1-0 win over Liverpool.

Borussia Dortmund: Champions (1997)

Dortmund have a much more modest record, having reached this stage twice before. Their last appearance, in 2013 under Jurgen Klopp, ended in a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in a game that also took place at Wembley.

Fun facts ?

0: This is the first time Real Madrid have reached a European Cup or Champions League final without losing a single match along the way in the competition. Overall, Madrid have lost just one game in 2024, a Copa del Rey defeat against rivals Atletico.

6: A Real Madrid victory would see Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal join club legend Paco Gento as the only players to feature in six European Cup final wins. Toni Kroos could also win the sixth title of his career, like his two teammates, but he missed the 2013 final with Bayern Munich due to injury.

8: Real Madrid have won each of their last eight Champions League finals. They haven’t lost a UEFA knockout final since 1983 when they fell to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

11: Borussia Dortmund’s last Champions League final was 11 years ago when they lost to German rivals Bayern. Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, who each played 90 minutes in that contest, get a shot at redemption Saturday.

27: If Dortmund emerge victorious, their 27-year gap between European Cup triumphs would be the fourth-longest in tournament history. The most agonizing wait belonged to Inter Milan, who went 45 years between hoisting the trophy in 1965 and 2010.

43: Real Madrid and Dortmund have met 14 times in European competition, combining for 43 goals; the high-scoring affairs have produced an average of 3.07 goals per game. The Champions League final has delivered cagey matches in recent years, with the last four editions finishing 1-0. Can these two sides reverse that trend?

What they’re saying ?

Ancelotti: “(Borussia Dortmund) deserve to be in the final … They are a very solid and close-knit team with great players. Their defensive display against Paris surprised me. We’re really happy to play in yet another final. The nerves will come, but we aim to let them come as late as possible. We have to seize this moment, this huge match, the most beautiful match of the year, and also the most beautiful to experience.”

Terzic: “It’s the biggest title you can win in club football. We’ve only managed it once in the club’s history, which also just shows how special this chance is for us. It’s not getting easier for us to be successful, and that’s why I think it would be a very special story to win. If you do it together, stick together, all think in the same direction, stay positive, show resilience and a lot of bravery, then you, too, can celebrate in the end.”

Prediction ?

Real Madrid 2, Borussia Dortmund 1

There’s something romantic about the prospect of Terzic, a lifelong Dortmund fan, leading his favorite club to Champions League glory as a coach. But sentimentality isn’t enough to pick against Real Madrid. Not in this competition. Not on this stage. This is “their” tournament, after all. Until someone discovers the antidote to ward off Real Madrid’s Champions League magic, we won’t believe it can actually be done.