Cristiano Ronaldo fulfilled a "childhood dream" as he was unveiled as a Real Madrid player in front of a packed Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
The Portuguese forward, who has been handed the number nine jersey, was greeted by Alfredo di Stefano ? considered the greatest player to have worn that particular shirt ? Eusebio and Florentino Perez, the club president whose re-election prompted Ronaldo's £80 million (Dh475m) signing from Manchester United.
"I am just so happy to be here," he said to a rapturous reception from the gathered thousands.
"For me, I have made my childhood dream a reality, which was nothing less than playing for Real Madrid. I didn't expect a jam-packed stadium, this is truly impressive."
Perez claimed tonight's events "might not have a precedent".
"We are very satisfied to know that you made the firm decision to play for Real Madrid," Perez said.
He told Ronaldo what to expect from his new adoring fans, adding: "They will ask of you the very best, but will also give you their all."
Ronaldo is the third player to be unveiled by Real since Perez returned to the presidency at the start of June, following in the footsteps of Kaka and Raul Albiol.
Brazil playmaker Kaka was a reported £56m signing from AC Milan, while Spain centre-back Albiol was brought in from Valencia for a fee believed to be around £13m.
Real have also agreed a deal with Lyon for their striker Karim Benzema for an initial fee of £30m, a transfer that takes the Spanish giants' summer spending close to the £200 mark.
Tonight's attendance at the Bernabeu swamped the estimated 55,000 that watched Kaka's unveiling here last Tuesday, and is believed to be the biggest turnout for a presentation since a reported 75,000 saw the arrival of Diego Maradona at Napoli from Barcelona in 1984.
Earlier Ronaldo, the reigning Fifa World Player of the Year, successfully completed his medical with Real after landing in the Spanish capital just after midday (3pm UAE).
Carlos Diez, Real Madrid's medical chief said: "Ronaldo is in perfect condition and very eager to start the season as soon as possible."
Ronaldo had already undergone initial medical tests with the Spanish giants while on holiday in Portugal last month, which the player claimed at the time had gone "perfectly".
Diez added: "He has an extraordinary cardiac and lung capacity. We have complemented everything that we already did in Portugal and done all the specific tests.
"Now we will be able to start working using an individual plan in order to improve his performance.
"For him, it's a dream, and this dream starts to convert into reality from today."
*PA Sport
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
RESULTS
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company%20Profile
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
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What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”