Cristiano Ronaldo will be wearing Real Madrid shirt in coming season after completing a world record £80m move from Manchester United.
A statement on Madrid’s website read: “Real Madrid and Manchester United have signed a final agreement for the transfer of the rights of Cristiano Ronaldo from July 1. The player will be tied to Real Madrid for the next six seasons and will be presented on July 6 at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
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Cristiano Ronaldo was named as FIFA World Player of the Year for 2008 on Monday and became the first Premier League player to get the award at a star-studded gala in Zurich.
The 23-year-old was in stunning form last term when he helped Manchester United to Premier League and European Cup success hitting 42 goals in the process, and after FIFA’s annual poll of international team coaches and captains he has added the world governing body’s prize to the prestigious Ballon d’Or which he has already received.
Ronaldo received the award from Pele, and said: ”It is an overwhelming moment and a very special moment in my life and I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be set off now.
Manchester City’s prospective new owners are weighing up a staggering £135 million offer for Cristiano Ronaldo in January as the club attempt to topple the established elite of European football.
Having lived in the shadow of Manchester United for so long, City could be about to test the resolve of their fierce rivals with an offer that would obliterate the world transfer record and send shock waves through the sport and beyond.
The extraordinary revelations come as the ruling al-Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi moves closer to completing a £200 million buyout of City from Thaksin Shinawatra.
To put it into context, £135 million is more than twice United’s operating profits for the 2006-07 season, more than double the amount that Randy Lerner paid for Aston Villa two years ago and almost three times the world record transfer fee of £47.5 million that Juventus received from Real for Zinédine Zidane in 2001.
Manchester United remain hopeful that Cristiano Ronaldo will be back in action by October.
Having committed his short-term future to the Red Devils, ending the constant speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid, the Portugal international is now concentrating on regaining full fitness as soon as possible.
The talismanic winger underwent ankle surgery shortly after Euro 2008 and is still some way off a first-team return.
However, having been assessed by the United medical team on Friday, Sir Alex Ferguson is happy with the progress being made by Ronaldo in his rehabilitation.
Sir Alex Ferguson says that Cristiano Ronaldo will be at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future. Ronaldo pledged his immediate future to Manchester United earlier this week, but stated that he would one day like to end up at Real Madrid.
That seemed to signal that this may be Ronaldo’s final season as a Manchester United player but, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield, Ferguson expressed confidence that the Portuguese winger will remain at the club for the four remaining years of his contract – and possibly even beyond.
“As he gets older, I think Cristiano will appreciate being here more and more,” Ferguson said. “That happens with players the longer they stay here. They don’t want to leave. It’s unusual for anyone to want to leave Manchester United. Cristiano realises that, too.
“We had a good meeting over in Portugal and clarified a lot of things. He was good, and I was pleased with that. That’s why I was confident that everything was going to be all right. Cristiano will settle down and enjoy his career here. He’s got four years on his contract, and hopefully at some point we would like to extend it. That’s where we are.”
[Guardian]