That's the headline I had to use but the real story is found in the part I bolded.
Midfielder Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid, from Tottenham Hotspur, was finally completed Sunday, and Tottenham Coach André Villas-Boas told reporters in London that Bale had “left us with great memories.”
There was no official word on the size of the transfer fee, but Madrid was believed to have paid a record 100 million euros (about $130 million) to add Bale, a Welsh star, to its luminous roster.
Bale, 24, was one year into a four-year contract with Spurs, but he and the club were ultimately overwhelmed by Madrid’s persistence and money. The fee, if confirmed, would be about 7 million euros ($9 million) higher than what Madrid paid to acquire Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
Mama mia (or however you say that in Spanish).
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/02/sports/soccer/real-madrid-acquires-bale-from-tottenham.html?hp&_r=0
