Mateo Kovacic says he has realised a life-long dream by joining Real Madrid. “I still can't believe that I've joined.”
The Croatian midfielder finalised his €30m switch from Inter earlier in the week and struggled to contain his excitement in his first interview as a Blanco.
“The first team I knew about as a boy was Real Madrid and I still can't believe that I've joined,” the 22-year-old told Madrid's official website.
“This is a club used to winning trophies and I want to lift as many as possible. It's an honour to work under one of the world's best coaches [Rafa Benitez].
“It's a dream for me and for any footballer. It has come true for me at just 21 years of age. I'd like to thank everyone at the club for the support they've shown.
“I'm living a dream. My whole family and I are delighted to be here and I hope to stay for a long time to come.
“I don't think I was alone in doing that, it's the dream of every player. I never expected my dream to come true so soon. I'll never forget my presentation.
“I can remember my mother taking me to my first training session and everyone realising that I was a good player. I was signed immediately. My dream was always to play for a great team like Real Madrid.
“The first team I knew about as a child was Real Madrid. Now I've joined them.
“Back then all my team-mates dreamed about playing for Real Madrid. I still can't believe that I'm part of the team now.”
