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FERNANDO "EL PRINCIPE" REDONDO

THE SIGNING

During the pre-season rumours had it that Inter Milan, Lazio and Roma were making offers to sign Redondo, but it was all rejected due to Redondo's importance to the club by both Vincent del Bosque and Lorenzo Sanz. And Real Madrid supporters was not really worried about the news either knowing that Redondo is one of the rocks of the team that Sanz and Vincent was building around.

Then Lorenzo lost the presidency to what Nostradamus predicted centuries ago, the birth of a third and unnamed antichrist which clearly have to be Florentino Perez, the new President at Real Madrid. The fact that he also happens to be a politician also highten that theory.

First duty of the new "President" is to offload Redondo to AC Milan.

The news of Redondo's departure was first stated on a Spanish state radio station on July 27. One day after Real Madrid technical director Jose Pirri Martinez and coach Del Bosque had both said that the Argentine international was not for sale, due to his importance to the club, both as player and person.

On July 27th, 2000, Redondo is on his way to Milan, am Spanish state radio announced technical director Jose Martinez Pirri and club coach Vicente Del Bosque had said the Argentine international was not for sale.

On July 28, Redondo returned from a training camp in Switzerland, 2 days earlier he had played what would be his last game for Real Madrid, a exercise match against Servette which Real lost 4-3. Redondo needed a police escort on his return to Madrid , to shield himself from angry Real fans at the city airport however the demonstrations had reportedly been fairly peaceful.

Marca, Spainsh biggest selling newspaper, reported the same day to have a copy of the contract which accidently had goten them into hands showing Redondo's signature and no other Real official This had been done to show that Redondo wanted away from the club, not opposite.

Later on reports has it that Florentino wanted Redondo away due to desires to build a younger team, another newspaper had reported. whatever the reason is for Redondo's departure it is very unlikely that Redondo himself wanted to go, since he a week before had said he wanted to stay out his career at the club. And maybe the most important issue his philosophy of playing soccer, entertaining or anything else than destructive, which have to be said is a trademark of AC Milan since the crash of the days Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard formed an alliance with the club.

Redondo was sold to AC Milan for around 11.3 million pounds on the 28th of July, on a 3 year contract, in which he will receive a yearly salary of around 2.9 million pounds.

Redondo talked about his transfer to an Argentine newspaper that his transfer to AC happened because it was a good deal for Real Madrid and not because Redondo supported Lorenzo Sanz during the elections campaign.

"I am a nice person and I can't believe this! I don't want to have bad feelings and I did take part in the decision of the Real Madrid directors. I believe the club thought that accepting a good offer by the Milan was a good operation. This is all I think about my transfer to Milan.", Redondo points out.

Redondo added up that he does not regret the public support shown to Sanz during the election campaign. "This fondness that I showed in public is something I still keep. I would have said those things I did all over again just as I did back then." The player points out with special feelings the moments as a Madrid player and the Copa de Europe which granted him the title of the best player of the tournament.

"It is a great pride for me. Something that brings my cycle in Real Madrid to a closure in the best fashion because amongst the many titles gotten in Madrid the last CHampions, the eighth in the history of the club is the one I consider the most outstanding, the one I took the most pleasure in getting because we ended up the game by playing good quality soccer. I have a great deal to thank REal Madrid for because I reached my maturity as a professional player and as a human being having integrated myself in such a wonderful way with the Spanish society." Now, the player starts his new stage in Milan and expects it to be as productive as the one lived in Real Madrid. "I am attracted to the idea that the coach will play an offensive soccer with protagonists, faithful to the history of Milan. On the day I arrived I told him something about the way I play and he told me the way he wants me to play when I am in the field. This is a stage that really fascinates me because I am arriving in Milan, a great club with excellent players with projects and history. " But if there is something that Redondo will keep the same way in Milan as he did in Madrid is his refusal to play in the national side in spite of all the rumours that pointed out that he would go back. "In that moment I told the world about my conversation with Mr. Bielsa and I made it clear why I made that decision. ANd the reasohns today, in this very moment, are still the same ones. There is nothing for me to add to that."FErnando Redondo believes that with Milan he will have a calendar as clossed down and tight as the one in Real Madrid which he doesn't think would go well if he also had to play for the national side. "I take my responsibilities seriously and I still think the same way."

THE SIGNING

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