Watch unveiling of Kylian Mbappé statue in Dubai's Real Madrid World - legend reacts

Dubai: A life-sized statue of global superstar Kylian Mbappé was unveiled tonight in a football-fest featuring dancers and Madridista stars.

Real Madrid World held a ceremony for the new waxwork that will become part of the theme park's 'Meet the Stars' attraction.

While the star striker wasn't present in the flesh, the Spanish club was strongly represented in Dubai by retired players and fellow club legends, Emilio Butragueño and right-back Michel Salgado.

After pulling aside the curtain to reveal the new statue, Butragueño told Gulf News: "Kylian Mbappé is important. He is one of the best, a top player, one of the best in the world. Players like him help all of football."

The sculpture is incredibly life-like, with Mbappé in a familiar stance, seemingly ready to turn a defender inside out before releasing one of his trade-mark thunderbolts.

The France international's name appears on the shirts of many fans in Dubai and beyond as the growth of football in the Middle East shows no slowing down.

Butragueño said he could never have imagined the size of Real Madrid in the region when he started playing for the Bernabéu-based team back in 1984.

Speaking in the first and only football-only theme park in the world, he was delighted to see young fans present with the country an 'important' part of the club's future.

He added: "The first time I came here was in 2004. They have grown it a lot. As a country, they have done it very, very well, you know. Our relationship we started many years ago and the relationship with the region is very good. You know, Emirates are our sponsor, so it is strong."

The Mbappé statue will stand alongside legends spanning different eras of the club, including icons like Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, Karim Benzema, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Doncic.

Fernando Eiroa, CEO Dubai Holding Entertainment said: “The statue is going to be one of the most visited and most loved attractions in the park. People, especially children, will spend a lot of time taking pictures and talking about the great players of the past.

“It’s an amazing piece. You can see the face, the details, the hair, everything. It looks so real. Creating something of this quality takes more than six months of manual work by artists from around the world.”