SPAIN: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Footballer Joses Antonio Reyes completes switch to Atletico Madrid

Last season Arsenal's loan to Real Madrid, Spain midfielder Reyes, says to be happy to sign for city rivals Atletico de Madrid. Spain midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes said on Tuesday (July 31) he had always wanted to join Atletico Madrid since it became clear he was not going to continue with Arsenal. The 23-year-old was on the point of signing for Atletico last year, having reached a pre-agreement with the club, but ended up going to their city rivals Real Madrid on loan instead. With that loan deal over, Atletico have now secured the player on a four-year contract. Atletico club president Enrique Cerezo was keen to play down the importance of that fact that the club appeared to have stolen the player out from under the noses of Real Madrid. "What matters is that today Jose Antonio Reyes is an Atletico player - he is the player we wanted and the player the sporting directors asked us for," said Cerezo before handing the new player next season's team top. Reyes's answer was that he has always wanted to play with Atletico and that he owed it to a Club that first tried to sign him 13 years ago from Seville. "Real Madrid valued me in their own way. Real wanted me until last moment bu Atletico made a great effort to get me. Atletico is all that mattered to me anyway -they did value me and place a strong bid on me, they won and I'm here. At the end of the day the one who pushes harder prevails," Reyes told at news conference. Spanish media reported Atletico had bid between nine and 12 million euros to land the player, topping an offer from Real of six million. Just to make life more complicated for Reyes his first league match in a red and white shirt will in the Bernabeu against Real on the weekend Aug 25/26. In his last game at the Bernabeu, he scored twice as the Spanish Champions beat Real Mallorca 3-1 to take the league title on the season's final day. "Who would have guessed that my first game would be against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. It will be a great game, the kind every player would want to play in," Reyes added. Doubting Atletico fans, who watched Reyes help their neighbours to the Primera Liga title just a month ago, have been divided over the signing, particularly as he appeared to shun them last year. "I'm a little bit worried by fans reaction - every new player hopes for a warm welcome. It'd be like in every other place when one join the lifelong rival team, city rivals as Real and Atletico are, there's always someone who's going to boo at you, insult you. I will have to prove my worth on the pitch, scoring goals, and by helping them to be successful, ultimately what I came here to do," Reyes said. In fact different groups of fans showed Reyes mixed reactions when he took the pitch to posed for photographers on his new T-shirt. Some chanted slogans against President Cerezo and Reyes as others wanted the new midfielder's autograph. In view of events, Reyes cut the presentation short. The midfielder will travel this morning to the Netherlands with the rest of the team.

ITN Source | August 1, 2007

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