Colombia’s FIFA World Cup revelation James Rodriguez was unveiled as Real Madrid’s latest headline signing in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Rodriguez, the top scorer at the World Cup in Brazil, has moved to the UEFA Champions League title holders from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco on a six-season contract.
Spanish media said Real paid about 80 million euros (US$108 million) for the 23-year-old playmaker, which if correct would make him the fifth-most expensive player in history after Real strikers Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar and Luis Suarez, both of Barcelona.
“It’s a lot of pressure to be here, but I’m ready to take it on,” Colombia’s poster boy said, looking relaxed and smiling as he sported Real’s No. 10 shirt, last worn by Germany’s Mesut Ozil, now at Arsenal.
“My goal here is to always win, I don’t like losing. I’m thrilled to be here, it’s a dream come true, I hope to give a lot of pleasure,” he told a crowd estimated at about 40,000, including a significant number of Colombians. “I think Colombia will now be a fan of this great club.”
Neither club confirmed the size of the transfer, but Monaco described it as one of the largest ever.
Spanish sports daily Marca, which has close ties to Real’s board, said Los Blancos will pay 75 million euros straight away and up to 5 million more in add-ons.
Monaco paid 45 million euros for the Colombian when he signed from Primeira Liga side Porto.
The French club said in a statement that they had not wanted to sell Rodriguez, but that were “proud to have carried out one of the biggest transfers in football history.”
Rodriguez’s six goals for his country at the World Cup won him the Golden Boot award and his spectacular volley against Uruguay went down as one of the best goals of any World Cup.
Before being unveiled in the Spanish capital, he posted on Twitter: “The dream already is REAL. Happy to be part of the best club in the world.”
He is Real’s second major signing in five days as they prepare for a new season of confrontation against eternal rivals Barcelona.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos moved to the Bernabeu from Bayern Munich on Thursday last week, just days after the 24-year-old helped the Mannschaft win the World Cup.
Real have also been linked with a move for Keylor Navas, the goalkeeper whose heroics helped Costa Rica reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Navas plays with Levante UD in La Liga.
Rodriguez had only been at Monaco for one year, but his sizzling performance in Brazil made him the No. 1 target for many European clubs.
Rodriguez went to the World Cup as Colombia’s second-best known striker, but Radamel Falcao was injured in January, leaving the starring role to his Monaco teammate as Colombia reached the last-16 for the first time.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez compared Rodriguez to Argentine legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, the “players who succeed in doing things because they are special.”
The Colombian has made it clear for a long time that La Liga is the league he wanted to get to.
“The Spanish league is a league that I’ve always watched — it’s different from the English [Premier] League, which is very physical,” he told FIFA.com in an interview in November last year. “The game in Spain is more about technique and about getting more touches on the ball. That’s why I like it so much.”
Rodriguez started his career aged 16 for Colombian second-division side Envigado and built up a reputation immediately.
In 2008, he was signed by Argentinian side Atletico Banfield where he became known as “James Bond of Banfield” after scoring an extraordinary left-footed lob for the unfashionable side in February 2010.
He then moved to Porto, where more spectacular goals brought three domestic league titles in three seasons before Monaco bought him in May last year.
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