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Wednesday July 1, 2009

New Madrid's Kaka takes No. 8 jersey, Ronaldo may take No 9

MADRID: Kaka's arrival has spawned goodwill at Real Madrid even as the Brazil playmaker took away Fernando Gago's No. 8 shirt.

Kaka was introduced to at least 50,000 fans at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday wearing the Argentina midfielder's number from the past two seasons.

But Madrid director general Jorge Valdano explained that Gago wasn't on his way out.

Instead, Gago was more than happy to cede his number to the euro65 million ($92 million) acquisition since defender Fabio Cannavaro's departure had given him a chance to swap shirts.

"Gago wanted to wear No. 5 because as we Argentines know, it is the number that best identifies the holding midfield position," Valdano said.

"At the same time, Kaka was excited about wearing No. 8.

"It was the first time for a long time at Real Madrid that an agreement was reached that made everyone happy."

Kaka, whose full name is Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos, wore 22 for six seasons at AC Milan.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid's other blockbuster summer signing for 80 million pounds (euro94 million; $131 million) from Manchester United, is expected to take No. 9, which is available with the departure of striker Javier Saviola to Benfica. - AP


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