Real Madrid unveil Cristiano Ronaldo
Updated on 06 July 2009
Christiano Ronaldo has been unveiled as a Real Madrid player in front of thousands of fans at the Bernabeu Stadium after completing his £80 million move from Manchester United.
The Portuguese winger, 24, passed a medical exam before being presented to nearly 80,000 screaming supporters.
âI am just happy to be here,â he said to rapturous applause from the crowd. âFor me, I have made my childhood dream a reality.â
He also took the opportunity to pay respect to the fans: âI didnât expect a jam-packed stadium â" this is truly impressive.â
Ronaldo, who will wear the number nine shirt for the club, is the third player to be unveiled by Madrid since Florentino Perez became President of the club at the beginning of June, following in the footsteps of Kaka and Raul Albiol.
Brazilian playmaker Kaka signed from AC Milan for a reported £56 million, while Spanish full-back Albiol came from Valencia for a fee believed to be around £13 million.
Ronaldo will wear the number nine shirt for Real.
The attendance for Ronaldo at the Bernabeu is believed to be the biggest turn-out for an unveiling since an estimated 75,000 saw the arrival of Diego Maradona at Napoli from Barcelona in 1984.
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