Real Madrid sign ‘Little Ronaldo’

Marca reports that Real Madrid have completed the signing of Brazilian sensation Alipio Duarte Brandano from Portuguese minnows Rio Ave on Thursday, beating English rivals Chelsea in the race for his signature.

Los Meringues had been keeping tabs on the young striker for over a year now and have finally been able to offer him a contract after his 16th birthday this summer. The Brazilian born hit man, dubbed “Little Ronaldo” by the Portuguese press on account of his pace with the ball, will join the Real Madrid Castilla, hoping to rise through the ranks and one day make it to the first team.

Brandano had the difficult decision of choosing between Chelsea or Real Madrid, both of whom were frontrunners for his signature, but he opted a move to the Spanish giants after weighing up his chances of rising to prominence. Another factor that influenced the forward’s decision was culture, choosing a move to Spain in order to avoid any major shifts in his lifestyle.

Real Madrid scouts Juan Castro and Manu Sianz confirmed Thursday that they would meet with Alipio and his father to discuss what was expected of him at his new club. Rio Ave, Alipio’s previous club, were not happy about losing their No. 9, but felt that they could no longer nurture his growing talents and knew the best option was to let him go.

Los Blancos have been linked with Europe’s top strikers of late, namely Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Karim Benzema, but seem to have made the right move, investing their money in youth players rather than multi-million dollar contracts especially after the success of signing Gonzalo Higuain from River Plate two years ago.

Brandano is expected to fly into the Spanish capital later this week to finalize the deal, joining Real Madrid as early as next Wednesday.