Please let me find a property in Spain!
Retiring Britons aren’t the only expats looking for a place to live in Spain and Tenerife. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo is house hunting in Madrid following his transfer to Real Madrid from Man. United, no doubt with a hefty budget thanks to his record-breaking £80million transfer fee.
There has been much speculation in the Spanish press as to where Ronaldo would choose to live. Many expected him to buy a luxury villa in one of Madrid’s high end residential suburbs like La Moraleja or La Finca, following in the footsteps of other ‘Galacticos’ or megastars from the Real Madrid team. Beckham, for example, bought a villa in La Moraleja for £4.5m in May 2005, and is reported to have spent another £500,000 doing it up.
But it appears that Ronaldo has decided against buying, and has opted to rent a swanky city-centre apartment instead. The Spanish press reports he is looking for a 500m2 penthouse bang in the centre, fully furnished, with at least 5 en suite bathrooms, a large terrace, and a pool. Football stars tend to move on sooner or later, and by renting Ronaldo might be keen to avoid the fate of the Beckhams, who just can’t flog their villa in Madrid. After around 2 years on the market they are reported to have dropped their asking price from £5m to £3m, but still no takers.
