Van Nistelrooij joy at Madrid move

Real Madrid CF have officially presented Ruud van Nistelrooij after signing him from Manchester United FC for around €15m.

Di Stefano presentation
The 30-year-old striker arrived in Madrid on Friday morning and penned a three-year contract after passing his medical. The Dutchman was handed his shirt by club legend Alfredo Di Stefano in front of fans at the Santiago Bernabéu, although he has not yet been assigned a squad number.

'Dream come true'
"This move means everything to me. It is a great honour to stand here in the Bernabéu, it's a dream come true. Real Madrid is a fantastic club, the greatest players ever have played here," said Van Nistelrooij, who was described as a "goal machine" by Madrid president Ramón Calderón. Meanwhile, coach Fabio Capello said it did not mean the end for Brazil striker Ronaldo: "They can play together, but we'll see about that when they play and train together."

Third arrival
Van Nistelrooij scored 150 goals in all competitions in England since joining United for €28m in 2001, and will be reunited with David Beckham, with whom he played for two seasons at Old Trafford. He is the third arrival since new president Calderón appointed Capello as coach, following on from Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro and Brazil midfielder Emerson. The Italian is clearly looking to add experience to his squad, with the three men sporting a combined age of 92.

Transfer request
Van Nistelrooij put in a transfer request two weeks ago and Madrid and FC Bayern München were competing to secure his services. The former FC Den Bosch, SC Heerenveen and PSV Eindhoven player had fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, with Sir Alex Ferguson favouring Frenchman Louis Saha as Wayne Rooney's strike partner towards the end of last season. Van Nistelrooij has scored 28 goals in the 54 games for the Netherlands, including one at the recent FIFA World Cup.