Saturday 13 July 2013 16:14, UK
Asier Illarramendi has completed his move to Real Madrid, signing a six-year contract after passing his medical with the club.
Illarramendi, who was greeted by 4,000 fans, admitted his move to the capital was a dream come true. "This is a very special day for me, this is a truly great club; a few days ago I would never have dreamt that I would wear a different shirt from that of Real Sociedad," he said. "This is a unique opportunity for me, this is a truly great club and I will give my all for it. It was not an easy decision. I have had many wonderful moments in the 12 years I spent with Real Sociedad. "I would like to thank everyone for their support. I accept this challenge eagerly and I promise you all that I will give everything I have for these colours; let's hope that next season will be one full of success Thank you to my family and friends for being there for me. "Let us hope that the history of this club will continue to grow." Perez, who sanctioned the big-money move, believes Madrid have marked their intent to plan for future. "We have taken another step in our quest to bring in new talent," he said. "This is a fantastic player who has come to Real Madrid; one of the brightest hopes of Spanish football. Today begins a great challenge for him. We are very happy to welcome Asier Illarramendi." "We are constantly moving closer to sporting perfection in the quest for spectacular football that our manager Carlo Ancelotti is committed to, in our quest for new titles and for the realisation of the dreams of our supporters all over the world. "We have a team with immense class but we are nevertheless convinced that we have to keep working intensively to strengthen even further the model that has made Real Madrid the greatest team in the history of the game."
