Real Madrid Bring Altintop
Altintop signs a four-year deal with Real
Real Madrid have announced that the 28-year-old Turkish midfielder signed a four-year deal with the Primera runners-up. Hamit Altintop signed the Spaniards on a free transfer from the former German champions Bayern Munich.
The player becomes the second Bundesliga player to join the Bernabeu side after Nuri Sahin who also signed a six-year contract with Jose Mourinho’s side earlier this month. Sahin left this year’s Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, while Altintop split with Bayern third in the standings. The Turkish midfielder has thus marked his fourth career side, having also played for Wattenscheld, Schalke 04 and Munich. The Gelsenkirchen-born player scored 11 goals for the Germans and gathered 99 appearances.
Apart from Sahin, Altintop will join a couple of more Bundesliga players in Madrid, including Mesut Ozil and Khedira, who both arrived on Bernabeu last summer. The Turkish, winner of German title, German Cup and Supercup as well as of the League Cup, is likely to replace Kaka whose future is uncertain at Real.
“Hamit Altintop joins Real Madrid by way of Schalke 04 and most recently Bayern Munich…In 2010 the now 28-year old earned the FIFA Puskas Award for his volley against Kazakhstan in a Euro 2012 qualifier. Other individual accolades include being named to the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament,” Spanish club read in a statement.
Altintop has gathered 14 selections for Bayern this season and scored two goals for the Germans. His international experience includes six goals and 55 selections for Turkey. Finally, his best performance has been set last year when Bayern reached the UEFA Champions League final. Jose Mourinho’s Inter beat the Germans 2-0. As for his individual awards, Altintop is winner of the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament and of the 2010 FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal scored.
Real Madrid, winner of this year’s Copa del Rey, will finish this year’s La Liga season second, Jose Mourinho’s side being four points behind rivals FC Barcelona and one game is left to be played. The Spaniards will next play UD Almeria, game which is scheduled to take place on Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu. Real have provided the top-scorer of the season in Primera. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 38 goals so far this season to equal an unique record, but still has time for one more. He is followed by Barcelona’s Ballon d’Or Messi who has scored 31 goals.11
