Robinho Defends Real Madrid

While making his first comments regarding his new club, Manchester City, mega summer transfer buzz, Robinho also spoke about his former club as the Brazilian not only thanked them but defended their actions.

Robinho pulled off one of the biggest shocks in football transfer history when he agreed to swap Real Madrid for Manchester City on the final minutes of the summer transfer window yesterday for a fee of €42 million (£32.5m).

But City fans won’t be able to get an up-close glimpse of him in action yet as he immediately left for Brazil to join up with the Seleçao for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, after making a quick pit stop in London.

But before leaving the Spanish capital, the 24 year old left a message for his former club, Real Madrid, via his agent Wagner Ribeiro.

"Firstly, I want to thank the understanding of the president, (sporting director) Mijatovic and José Ángel Sánchez, who were always correct in defending the interests of Real Madrid," the agent read out on EFE Radio.

"What had happened is just something part of football and in this case, I felt undervalued by the club wanting to sign Cristiano Ronaldo."

"We accept the criticism and we understand the anger from the fans of Real Madrid. I also want to thank everyone who supported me and understood everything from the beginning," concludes the statement.

Robinho racked up a total of 131 appearances and 35 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid since joining them in 2005 from Santos.