Helguera happy to stay at Madrid
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Article summary
Real Madrid CF defender Iván Helguera has followed Iker Casillas in committing his future to the Santiago Bernabéu club, signing a new two-year contract.
Article body
Week deadline
The deal directly followed goalkeeper Iker Casillas's renewal yesterday, meaning chairman Florentino Pérez was correct to predict that the pair's futures would be secured by the end of the week. Casillas inked a five-year contract, ending speculation he would move abroad.
Late closure
Madrid had planned to make both deals public at the same time, but there was a slight delay over one of the clauses in Helguera's contract. The 30-year-old Spanish international, in his seventh season at the Bernabéu, has accepted a wage cut in exchange for the assurance of longer terms.
'Only interested in Madrid'
"I have played here a long time and I wanted to stay," Helguera said. "It is an honour for me to carry on at Madrid. I couldn't consider any other offers because the only one I was interested in was Madrid, although I had my doubts about my renewal and it wasn't until November that the club told me they wanted me to stay."
