Cristiano Ronaldo said on Monday he had fulfilled a “childhood dream” as he was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player before a record-setting capacity crowd of nearly 80,000 people at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
“I am very happy to be here,” the 24-year-old Portuguese winger told cheering fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital after completing his long-desired move to the club from Manchester United.
“For me it is the realization of a childhood dream, which was to play for Real Madrid. I never expected the stadium would be full just to see me. It is impressive,” he added.
PHOTO: AP
Club officials said the event had smashed the previous record for attendance at the unveiling of a soccer player set in July 1984 when Diego Maradona was presented at Naples after signing from Barcelona before 75,000 people.
Real acquired the player from Manchester last month on a six-year deal worth 94 million euros (US$131 million) and he will reportedly be paid 13 million euros each season, making him the most expensive player in the world.
Ronaldo, last year’s FIFA world player of the year, said he was “proud” to be the world’s best paid soccer player and would do all he could to help the team win the Champions League.
PHOTO: EPA
“I want to prove that they paid the right price for me,” he told a lengthy news conference after he was unveiled where he fielded questions in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
“We have a great team, a great coach, and we have to take it step by step. We have a really good chance to win the Champions League,” he added.
Real, Spain’s historically most successful team, last won the Champions League in 2002.
Ronaldo wore the black and white No. 9 jersey once sported by club legend Alfredo di Stefano during his unveiling.
The Argentine striker, Real’s honorary president, was present at the unveiling as was Portuguese legend and former Real player Eusebio.
The No. 9 jersey was recently vacated by Argentine striker Javier Saviola, who joined Portuguese side Benfica last month.
While Ronaldo wanted to keep the No. 7 which he used during his six years at Manchester, that number is already taken by Real captain Raul.
“Nine is a mythical number at the club. The numbers don’t play. It is me who is going to play and I am going to play well,” he said.
Ronaldo arrived in Madrid on Monday afternoon on a private flight from his native Portugal where he was on holiday to undergo medical tests before he was unveiled.
The head of Real’s medical services, Carlos Diez, said Ronaldo was “in perfect condition” after the player underwent medical tests.
“His cardiac and lung capacity is extraordinary,” he added.
Fans, many equipped with food and drinks to ease a lengthy wait, starting gathering at the stadium hours before the official presentation, which lasted about 30 minutes, got underway at 9pm.
Real president Florentino Perez praised Ronaldo’s “professionalism and talent,” saying he was capable of taking the club to “the peak of world soccer.”
Ronaldo will team up with Kaka, the 2007 FIFA world player, who signed with Real from AC Milan for 65 million euros from AC Milan in early June.
Kaka was officially unveiled on June 30 before 55,000 fans. He was the first big name who Perez signed since he returned in June for a second stint as president of Real.
Perez, who brought Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane to Real during his first term as the club’s president between 2000 and 2006, is seeking to rebuild a squad which trailed arch rivals Barcelona last season by reviving his policy of signing soccer superstars.
Among Real’s other signings is French striker Karim Benzema from Lyon and defender Raul Albiol, who joined from Spanish side Valencia.
■RIBERY PRICE TAG
AFP, BERLIN
Bayern Munich have set a price tag of 80 million euros (US$111.7 million) on French midfielder Franck Ribery, tabloid daily Bild reported on Tuesday
The German giants have been insisting all summer they intend to hang onto Ribery, who insists he wants to join Real Madrid.
According to Bild, Bayern have given the Spaniards an ultimatum of July 16, the day when the squad begin preseason training, to decide if they are ready to stump up the cash or not.
The paper did not divulge their source.
Bayern’s new coach Louis van Gaal indicated on Sunday he wanted to see an end to the uncertainty over Ribery’s future.
Jonas Vingegaard on Tuesday claimed the overall Vuelta a Espana lead while Jay Vine earned the stage 10 victory for his second triumph of the race. Two-time Tour de France winner Vingegaard overhauled Torstein Traen’s lead to head the general classification by 26 seconds from the Norwegian, with Joao Almeida third and trailing the Dane by 38 seconds. Vine put in an unmatchable performance on the final climb to finish ahead of Spanish Movistar riders Pablo Castrillo and Javier Romo. “Back in red, I’m happy with it, it’s a beautiful jersey,” Vingegaard said. “I’m happy with how the day went,
RIVALRY: Carlos Alcaraz lost his previous two matches against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the Australian Open quarter-finals this year and Paris Olympics final last year Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday dazzled at the US Open to make the semi-finals before Novak Djokovic of Serbia danced his way through to book a New York showdown with the Spaniard that would mark the latest chapter in their generational rivalry. Former champion Alcaraz produced yet another entertaining display at Flushing Meadows to dismantle 20th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 at a sunbathed Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing his place in the last four without dropping a set this year. “Sometimes I play a shot that I should not play in that moment, but it’s the way I love
Australian Alex de Minaur reached the second week of the US Open for the third year in a row with little fanfare on Saturday and said he intended to keep winning until the tournament organizers were forced to give him better billing. Despite being the eighth seed and a quarter-finalist last year at Flushing Meadows, De Minaur’s third-round match against German Daniel Altmaier was scheduled for Court 17 — the smallest of the four stadium venues in the precinct. “It is a little bit of a headscratcher for me. I’m not gonna lie,” he told reporters after progressing 6-7 (9/7), 6-3, 6-4,
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
RSS