The weird and wonderful world of Real Madrid presentations: The keepie-uppies, the medical photos and when it goes wrong

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After signing for Real Madrid and before making their debut, every new arrival faces one last step.

Madrid have long been renowned for their elaborate player presentations, where players are sometimes presented to tens of thousands of people at their Bernabeu stadium, perform keepie-uppies in front of the crowd and receive a welcome.

Their latest recruits, Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, have had to settle for the quieter surroundings of Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground as work continues on the Bernabeu’s extensive revamp. But it does not make the day any less special for those players.

Here, The Athletic takes a look at when the tradition of these presentations began, what goes into them and those times when they have not gone quite to plan…

Madrid’s tradition of presenting new signings in this way can be traced back to the 1950s, when they won the first five European Cups in a row between 1956 and 1960. Players such as Alfredo di Stefano and Raymond Kopa were unveiled to the public before friendly matches in 1953 and 1956 respectively.

However, according to historian Alberto Cosin of the online outlet La Galerna, you have to go back to the 1970s to find the first examples of signings receiving individual presentations.

West Germany international Paul Breitner’s Bernabeu unveiling was attended by 5,000 people in 1974, while the now-legendary forward Juanito and Breitner’s compatriot Uli Stielike received a similar reception three years later. A photograph of Breitner published in the AS Color sports magazine shows the 1974 World Cup winner posing with his foot perched on the ball during his presentation on the Bernabeu’s pitch.

(AS Color)

The turning point came with Florentino Perez’s ‘galacticos’ policy during his first spell as club president from 2000-06, when Madrid brought in a host of top international players such as Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham. This approach to recruitment was not a huge success in terms of trophies, but it did bring the club plenty of financial opportunities.

Madrid sources, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, say Zidane’s presentation in 2001 was the first to follow the modern format. Even so, few have been as high-profile as Beckham’s arrival from Manchester United two years later.

That took place at the club’s then training complex, La Castellana — in the north of the city, where five skyscrapers now stand — with around 2,000 fans and the presence of 544 journalists and 46 TV cameras. The ceremony was broadcast live on CNN in the United States and the BBC in the UK.

Beckham took to the pitch wearing the No 23 shirt, chosen as it was one of the few available at the time and also because of its link to NBA icon Michael Jordan, who made it famous playing for the Chicago Bulls. It also reflected the club’s new and expanding commercial strategy.

Beckham greets the fans at his presentation (Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images)

“Mr Di Stefano (the club icon was in attendance as honorary president), Mr Perez, ladies and gentlemen. Being part of Real Madrid is a dream come true. Thank you very much and Hala Madrid,” were the England international’s first words as a Madrid player. A shirtless boy even jumped onto the pitch and dodged security to greet Beckham.

There were similar wild scenes when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled, in front of 80,000 fans, at the Bernabeu in 2009 — a record only matched by Kylian Mbappe when he joined last year.

That coincided with Perez’s second spell as president, starting that year. In his first summer back in office, Madrid invested €254million (£215m/ $291m at current rates) in players, including Ronaldo from Manchester United, Milan’s Kaka, Karim Benzema from Lyon and Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. Such was the enthusiasm for the ‘second’ galacticos era that 50,000 supporters turned up to Kaka’s unveiling, and more than 20,000 welcomed a 21-year-old Benzema.

Before his death in 2014 at age 88, Di Stefano was usually present at those events, with his trusty walking stick under his arm. Other legends have attended, such as Portugal great Eusebio for countryman Ronaldo’s 2009 presentation. It is a tradition which has continued to this day: the original Ronaldo was present for fellow Brazilian Vinicius Junior’s 2018 unveiling and French compatriot Zidane played a role in Mbappe’s.

Players usually start the day of their unveiling by going to the Sanitas hospital in the upmarket La Moraleja district of the Spanish capital (the health company is among the club’s sponsors), where they undergo their medical and awkwardly pose for what has become something of a traditional photo.

REAL MADRID TRADITION 🩺 pic.twitter.com/YXFk14eQGS

— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) June 10, 2025

They then travel by car through Madrid, sometimes passing by its biggest tourist attractions and ending up at the club’s offices to sign their contract, alongside relatives and Perez.

Often, their family will give the club photos of the player wearing a Madrid shirt as a child. These are then incorporated into a video montage showing their rise and the best moments in their career so far, which gets played during their presentation.

Dean Huijsen’s full presentation videopic.twitter.com/XxTdCdATgF

— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) June 10, 2025

The players are not always the protagonists.

When Asier Illarramendi joined from Real Sociedad in 2014, his presentation was considered a historic event back in his village of Mutriku in the Basque Country. Thirty-one of his friends travelled down to Madrid by bus to see his unveiling and posed for a photo with Perez in the Bernabeu’s presidential box to mark the occasion. Illarramendi later said he and his friends were invited by Perez to have lunch at the restaurant inside the stadium, Puerta 57.

Not every presentation has gone according to plan, either.

In 2019, Ferland Mendy was unable to string together more than a few keepie-uppies in front of the cameras. “It was the first time in my life I’d felt stressed. I arrived, I saw the fans and I thought, ‘Oh, what if.…?’,” he told Canal+ that year, as reported by Marca. “My friends told me I was going to fail… and in the end I failed.”

Later that summer, Eder Militao’s first news conference as a Madrid player ended abruptly because he was struck by a bout of dizziness. The Brazil centre-back had to pause, then took a drink of water, before holding his head and explaining he could not continue. “It’s a huge emotion,” he said.

Jude Bellingham’s 2023 presentation took place at Valdebebas, with work continuing on the Bernabeu, and it was the same for Arda Guler that same year. There was an awkward moment for the 18-year-old Turkey forward, who did not speak any Spanish then, when he mistakenly rose from his seat before the end of Perez’s speech. He then had to wait several more minutes, looking confused, while the president finished his address.

In fact, most presentations have taken place at the club’s training complex since work costing at least €1.76billion began at the Bernabeu in 2019 and following the pandemic. Ordinary fans don’t tend to be present for these events any more with only a few members of the club’s official supporters’ groups allowed in, though the club’s directors, executives and coaches are usually in attendance.

The Bernabeu tradition was revived last year with Mbappe and Endrick’s arrivals, when they were presented to crowds of 80,000 and 45,000 respectively. Both players gave speeches in which they were visibly emotional, before spending several minutes kicking balls into the stands.

That connection with the fans has been lost again this summer, given continued work to soundproof the Bernabeu. Madrid had to postpone all concerts scheduled for their stadium after the neighbourhood’s local residents complained about noise pollution from previous shows there.

Regardless, there is a reason Madrid’s new signings look forward so much to this day — as Alexander-Arnold will find out on Thursday.

“It’s the best day of my life,” Huijsen told reporters at his presentation on Tuesday. “It’s a dream to be here, and I’m going to give everything for the team.”

(Top photos: Huijsen and Cristiano Ronaldo at their presentations, Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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