Posted online: Jun 22nd, 2009

By Andrew Jennings
Sports Editor

AUTOGRAPH hunters will be treated to a once in a lifetime opportunity next month with the news Real Madrid will spend 10 days pre-season training at Carton House, Maynooth in July.
The Spanish giants – who in the past fortnight have twice broken the world transfer record by luring firstly Brazilian ace Kaka and then Manchester United superstar Ronaldo to the Bernabeu – will begin preparations for the 2009/2010 season with a visit to Carton’s brand new state-of-the-art training facility.
The move follows the appointment of Irish sports management company Platinum One by Real Madrid as its Official Pre-Season Partner for its pre-season training programme.
Amazingly, Ronaldo is likely to meet his new team-mates for the very first time at the training camp in Carton, team-mates that include star names such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Raul and Iker Casillas.
It is not yet confirmed but it looks all but certain the nine time
European Cup winners will include a friendly with Shamrock Rovers as part of their visit to Ireland.
On Friday a spokesman for Platinum One stated: “Discussions between the two parties began in November when officials
from Real Madrid CF visited Scotland and Ireland with Platinum One.
Within the past few weeks negotiations for the ten-day visit of the world’s biggest football club were concluded in Madrid.”
The pre-season programme, which will involve the full senior squad under new first team coach Manuel Pellegrini, will take place at Carton House, Maynooth from July 13-22.