Real Madrid Capture Van der Vaart, Will They Still Chase Cristiano Ronaldo?

Real Madrid have completed the signing of Rafael Van der Vaart from Hamburg. The Spanish giants have been linked with the Dutch star off and on in past months and will be relieved that completing his signature was a lot easier than that of Cristiano Ronaldo, who looks set to stay at Old Trafford for another year.

The deal for Van der Vaart is reported to be around 13 million euros, which is about at least a fifth of the price it would have taken Madrid to sign Ronaldo from Manchester United. That is if they would even accept an offer of any price for their star man.

Madrid’s interest in Ronaldo may diminish, or at least be put on hold after signing Van der Vaart. The 25-year-old will undergo a medical in Spain tomorrow before being unveiled to the media. Ronaldo is prepared to meet with Sir Alex Ferguson in the next couple of days, where he is reportedly planning to announce his wish to join Real Madrid.

Van der Vaart’s move to Madrid will be good news for Manchester United, who are desperate to hang on to Ronaldo. With Madrid not as likely to pursue Ronaldo with the same urgency as they have in the past few months, Sir Alex Ferguson may end up retaining the services of his star man for yet another year.

Roman Caledrom, Madrid’s President, is still anxious to sign Ronaldo but with Madrid already bolstered by the signing of Van der Vaart, it remains to be seen if he will continue in his pursuit of the Portuguese winger.

Caledrom recently said if he failed to land Ronaldo he would not attempt to sign any other players this summer. But after signing Van der Vaart, it will be interesting to see if Caledron makes another bid for Ronaldo.

Van der Vaart’s arrival couldn’t come at a better time after his Dutch compatriot Wesley Sneijder sustained a knee injury in a friendly on Sunday and could be out for as long as six months.

After three years in Germany with HSV, Van der Vaart is delighted to have completed a move to Madrid and has even labeled it as a dream come true.

"Last night everything came together, and I am now moving to Real Madrid," Van der Vaart said on his personal Web site.

"As everybody might know I have always wanted to move to Spain, because I have a strong bond with that country. Now I'm going to play for Real Madrid. It's a dream comes true!”

So as one players dream comes true, another player’s dream may be all but over, at least for the time being.

Ronaldo once claimed it was his dream to play for Real Madrid, but his chances of doing so next season may have taken a big blow.