Brazilian playmaker, Kaka, has joined Spanish giants, Real Madrid, for a reported £56 million. This makes Kaka the most expensive player in the history of football and surpasses the amount that Madrid paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

Kaka has signed a six-year deal with Madrid and the news could mean that the club end their pursuit of Manchester United winger, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian is the first high calibre signing since Florentino Perez was voted in as the new Madrid president.

The 27 year old is now likely to finish his playing career in Spain and it is a good move for Madrid who have been quite a distance behind one or two other teams in recent times. If they are to eradicate the disappointment of last season then they will need Kaka to be at his best and to gel into the side straight away.

Kaka said: “Everything I’ve always done for Milan has been by mutual agreement, from the moment I arrived until my departure today. I’m leaving by the front door. I’ve won everything that I wanted as a player and this is a new motivation for me. I’m sure Real Madrid will build a competitive team which can start winning titles again.”

Sir Alex Ferguson will be pleased to hear the news because it will mean that Madrid are now unlikely to be able to afford to buy Ronaldo to play alongside Kaka. As much as they would want to do that move, this signing could see the end of a number of reports that have been emerging since the start of the summer that Ronaldo is growing impatient at United and wants a move to Spain.

Some people had even tipped Kaka as a better proposition and it could be for this reason that they have gone for him and not the Portuguese star. For all of his talent and undoubted flair, Kaka does seem to have an air of modesty surrounding him, which is far more appealing than the ego of any other highly rated player.

There will be other sides that are clearly disappointed that they missed out on the chance to sign Kaka. Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea clearly wanted him to follow to Stamford Bridge but it seems the financial package that Madrid were able to put together was just too good to turn down.

This is the exact sort of signing that Madrid are going to have to make if they are to get back to the golden age of the Zidane’s and Figo’s. Although they may now be unable to stump up enough money to be able to bring in similar sorts of players they will attract a large amount and if Juande Ramos can get this part right then the rest could swiftly follow.

It would have been bitter for them to have to watch Barcelona run away with everything in Spanish football and this is the surest sign yet that Madrid quite clearly want it all back.

Barcelona players didn’t even have to get out of bed today (May 16th) to win their 19th Spanish Primera Liga title as their arch enemies Real Madrid handed it to them on a silver platter by managing to lose 3-2 at Villarreal.

Second-place Madrid were attempting to win their third title in a row, but went into their game eight points behind Barcelona and came out of it eight points behind, with only two games left on the schedule. So you don’t really have to be a rocket scientist to realize the gig is up for Madrid, for this season anyway.

Barcelona play Real Mallorca on May 17th, but after a night of celebrating, who know what kind of shape they’ll be in, or if they’ll even show up at all for that matter.

Robert Pires, Ruben Cani and Joan Capdevila drove the final nails into the hearts of Real players as they each scored, while Rafael Van der Vaart and Gonzalo Higuain answered back for Madrid.

Real knew things weren’t going to be easy, especially after they found themselves behind 1-0 after only 16 minutes when Ariel Ibagaza delivered a cross and the 35-year-old Pires hammered home a powerful header from near the penalty spot.

That goal took the wind out of Real’s sails pretty early and they didn’t muster up much of anything for the rest of the first half as Villarreal took it to them.

For some inexplicable reason, Madrid manager Juande Ramos made the brilliant move of leaving his top scorer Gonzalo Higuain on the bench for the first 45 minutes and brought him on in the second half to replace Klaas Jan Huntelaar. It’s moves like this that drove the clueless Ramos out of Tottenham in the English Premier League by the way. Higuain wasted little time in making his manager look stupid as the Argentinian set up Van der Vaart to tie the game at 1-1.

Madrid couldn’t build on their momentum though, and Cani scored to give Villarreal a 2-1 advantage in the 62nd minute as he unleashed a shot that beat Madrid keeper Casillas. Things looked a little brighter in the 88th minute when Higuain made Ramos look even more foolish for leaving him on the bench for half the game while in a title race as he leveled the game at 2-2, even if he might have been offside.

The wall finally came tumbling down though just two minutes later as Capdevila ended all hopes of Madrid capturing a third-straight title as he tapped home the winner.

In other Spanish action, Sevilla and Deportivo Coruna are still fighting for European spots after drawing with relegation-fighting teams. Third-placed Sevilla (64 points) drew 0-0 at Osasuna to move five points ahead of fourth place in a bid to secure the third automatic Champions League qualification place for next season.

Deportivo stayed in sixth place with 57 points after Ivan Riki scored a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Getafe at home. Getafe are in 14th spot with 38 points, which is one more than Osasuna has (37 points) and just four above the relegation zone.

It is time again for one of the most historic and passionate derbies in world football as Barcelona make the trip to the Bernabeau to take in Real Madrid in La Liga.

With just four points separating Barca at the top and Madrid in 2nd then we are likely to see all of the aggression and quality that this match up can bring to the football table.

Religion and history have marked this match for the history of the derby so there is also an added spice for the fans. Barca may have one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League return leg against Chelsea and therefore it could be the perfect time for Madrid to cash in and get vital points back on the board.

Madrid will be relying on their passion and team spirit to get them through this one as Barca arguably have the edge in terms of quality within their squad. The only injury for Barca is the loss of defender Rafael Marquez who went off with a knee problem in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

Madrid will be drawing on all of their experience and will look for a big performance from Raul. Whether or not their manager, Juande Ramos, decides to bring back Arjen Robben after a spell out of the side remains to be seen but his inclusion will not doubt add the smallest amount of fear into the Barcelona full backs.

Madrid will have to counter the influence of Xavi and Yaya Toure in the middle of the pitch if they are to impose themselves on this game. This is without mentioning Barca’s attacking line up of Theirry Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o. However, Barcelona manager, Guardiola, may decide to rest one or two with Europe in mind. Bojan may well get a start, which will suit the Madrid defence regardless of his potential, and ability.

No doubt the home support for Madrid will be a big factor. Barca have what it takes to easily boss this game in the same manner as they did against Chelsea. However, Madrid will be lifted by the fact that they don’t really have any right to be in the position they are having looked out of the title race at the turn of the year.

A victory for Madrid will put them within another victory of gaining top spot from Barca and every single Madrid fan will be taking this one as passionately and importantly as any other El Classico match in recent times. Bookings are guaranteed but hopefully goals will be the talking point and not injuries or gamesmanship.

This arguably the best Barcelona side there has ever been but the fact this match is in between their European campaign could prove the difference. Barca may have the edge in terms of man-to-man match ups but with such an important trip to London this week it will be easy for them to take their eye off the ball and allow Madrid in for what could be a decisive victory.

Harry Redknapp has come out and openly stated that his Tottenham Hotspur side are going for a top four finish next season and will do whatever it takes to get there.

Redknapp has worked miracles at Spurs after replacing Juande Ramos as manager. Spurs sat rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points after eight games and Redknapp has transformed their fortunes to propel the side to 10th in the table, just outside the European places.

Spurs are reported to already be lining up summer signings and Redknapp believes the club are only one or two signings away from having a virtually perfect squad. He said: “I am just looking to add one or two more in the summer to give us a real squad that can push on next year.”

“Getting into it is difficult, they are so strong, but we have to aim to be there if we can. Tottenham have great resources and there’s no reason why we can’t do it one day. So let’s see what we can do next year and if we can do it that would be fantastic.”

Spurs are a side filled with endless talent that never quite seems to achieve what they are capable of year after year. Were it not for a refereeing blunder last Saturday then they may also have seriously dented Manchester United’s chances of retaining their Premier League crown for this season.

Redknapp seems keen to emulate the recent success of Everton and become the second side in recent years to challenge the ‘big four’ for the final Champions League place. There is absolutely no reason why Spurs cannot perform in the same vein as Aston Villa did earlier this year, but keep the run going to secure that spot instead of fading away with inconsistency.

If Spurs set this is as their goal for next season then they should achieve it. Redknapp is a shrewed enough manager to know exactly who to buy and when to buy them. The squad is rich in talent and experience so it is well within their capabilities.

Redknapp’s comments today are also likely to fire up the enthusiasm of Tottenham fans all over North London. White Hart Lane is one of the most atmospheric and intimidating grounds to travel to in the country. The fans are always audible and their backing is something which is paramount if Spurs are to make this push.

The power struggle at Tottenham seems to have stopped, something that had become one of the main reasons at Spurs why progress seemed to have ground to a halt. This equipped with the fact they managed to resign one of their most influential playesr in Robbie Keane from Liverpool will be massive to their future European campaigns.

Each individual knows their role at Spurs right now and Redknapp will want to keep it that way. Team spirit is something the side seems to have been lacking in recent memory but it looks as though they have slowly managed to get this back and it will be instrumental in any future success.

There can be no big surprises at the fact that Real Madrid captain, Fabio Cannavaro, reportedly turned down the chance to go and earn some big money at Manchester City.

Cannavaro is just the latest rumoured target for the City merry go round in a football reality where money quite clearly doesn’t talk. Cannavaro’s decision comes without massive shock because once again City are trying to punch above their weight before they have solidified the foundations of the club.

After losing a regular starting place at Real Madrid under their manager, Juande Ramos, Cannavaro’s future has become uncertain. It seems a lot more likely that he will return to Juventus this summer to rejoin the club where he formed his reputation as one of the best defenders in the world.

He made just fewer than 100 appearances at Juventus and should he decide to return then it may turn out that it feels to the club like he had never been away. This personal satisfaction could be just the thing that sways the eventual decision.

You have to admire City’s ambition. Kaka, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and now Cannavaro have all been approached with unrealistic financial figures being offered to sway a decision they would otherwise not even think about.

Cannavaro said in the Italian media: “I didn’t want to have start from scratch again, not in a World Cup year. That’s why I rejected offers from Bayern Munich and Manchester City.”

The move once again defies the comments made by Manchester City defender, Nedum Onuoha, last month that players will join City this summer for football reasons. Well this instance proves that no amount of money or solid football foundations can prevent a player from going to where he wants to go.

City could have offered Cannavaro the same figures they were reported to have offered Kaka to leave AC Milan and he still would not have thought seriously about joining.

It all points to the fact that City will have to sign less high profile and more experienced players to build the success that will get the attention of better quality players.

This news comes just days after City were reported to be trying to draw Eto’o away from Barcelona in what was quite literally a nonsense attempt. Fair enough City have massive financial backing at the moment but the club’s owners have to realise that the football transfer market is not a candy shop where they can go and buy who they want.

Despite the financial influence in the modern game, money is not what makes day to day club routine tick. Comfort and job satisfaction are clearly valued by players such as Cannavaro a lot more than hundreds of thousands of pounds per week. Far from it, Cannavaro probably has a good couple of million in the bank to fall back on once he retires from the game in Italy.

There will be many more stories like this one but if City sign any big names this summer it will be because those players display more mercenary tendencies than a large amount of sporting ambition.