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"Real Madrid" acquired Brazilian national team defender Cicinho from the World Champions "Sao Paulo", the Royal club announced on Friday.
"Real" representatives stated that the 25-year-old Brazilian, who plays on the right side of defense and likes to join the attack, signed a five-year contract with the Madrid club and will join the team on December 29, when the players return after a short Christmas break.
Cicinho, who recently obtained Italian citizenship and therefore does not occupy one of the three places reserved for non-European Union citizens, is the fifth Brazilian national team member in the Royal club. "Real" already has Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Julio Baptista, and Robinho, while the recently dismissed head coach was the Brazilian Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
As reported by the Spanish media, the Brazilian, who was a member of the national team that crushed Argentina 4-1 in the Confederations Cup final in June, moved to "Real" for about 4 million euros (approximately 13.8 million litas).
Cicinho played in the FIFA Club World Cup final last Sunday, where "Sao Paulo" defeated the European champions "Liverpool" 1-0.
Experts emphasize that Cicinho will have to fight hard for a place in the starting lineup of his new team. "Real" already has three other right-back defenders: Spanish national team members Michel Salgado and Sergio Ramos, as well as Uruguayan Carlos Diogo. However, Sergio Ramos has played in the defensive midfield position several times this season, and according to experts, he did quite well.
