Real Madrid Embarrassed By Secretary Scandal

Real Madrid presented Ruud van Nistelrooy before the Dutchman had signed a contract with the club and turned down the chance to sign Gonzalo Higuaín for under half the price they paid only a few months later, a former employee at the Bernabéu has revealed.

Cristina Bermúdez was a secretary for the directors at the Spanish giants and she claims to have witnessed things that are now causing the current administration some embarrassment.

In Interviú magazine, she stated that Madrid went ahead with the presentation of Van Nistelrooy in July 2006 despite the fact that he was not actually their player.

Bermúdez was sent an internal mail from Carlos Bucero, sporting director Pedja Mijaotvic's right-hand man, that explained that there was a hitch regarding how much the Dutch striker's agent would be paid.

"Pedja wants to change the amount of commission of the representative because it seems that it is not €1.2 million but, in fact, €1.5 million; you have made a mistake," it read.

Minutes later a reply was sent back: "Yesterday afternoon D. Carlos gave me the data and the figures were stated in front of the agent and Pedja; the amount was €1.2m."

Madrid's corporate director general, Carlos Martínez Albornoz, then left the stadium with a colleague; neither of them having signed the contract, which would have made it legal.

That did not stop the press conference going ahead. Van Nistelrooy posed with Ramón Calderón, who is said to have personally authorised the agent receiving more money, and Alfredo di Stefáno as if the deal had been signed.

In another incident, Bermúdez revealed, the club were sent an official fax offering them Higuaín for €6m in August 2006 but they turned down the opportunity.

In December of that year the Spanish club then registered a bid having watched the player and had to hand over more than double the amount that they would have paid in the summer.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com