Former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo was Monday presented to the fans of his current club, real Madrid.
About 80, 000 excited fans were on ground at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to welcome the Portuguese to his new club.
The former Manchester United striker was signed for a record transfer fee of £80 million and was handed the same No. 9 jersey Madrid's great Alfredo di Stefano wore.
President of real Madrid FC, Florentino Perez, basking in the glow of the
assembled fan base, gave his customarily hyperbolic speech before presenting
Ronaldo, who spoke in slightly briefer fashion.
However, the Portuguese, every inch a superstar, made up for in chutzpah what
he lacked in oratory by conducting the crowd in a three-two-one 'Hala Madrid'.
His attempted ball skills to follow, though, betrayed a hint of nerves.
How It Happened
Reports out of the Spanish capital have it that fans began gathering around
the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, its bars, its metro station, as early as nine
o'clock in the morning.
With Cristiano Ronaldo having risen early for his medical, the hospital where
he underwent tests was also mobbed by a youthful band of supporters.
But this was nothing compared to the scenes inside the stadium as presentation
time approached. Kaka may have attracted 50,000, but Cristiano Ronaldo brought
75,000 to the stadium, with sources such as Radio Marca even saying it was
closer to 80,000. This would, if true, eclipse the 75, 000 summoned by Diego
Maradona to Napoli.
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