More on Ronaldo-to-Madrid

Here's the take by yours truly:

Real Madrid began the week playing second fiddle in its own country.

The Spanish superclub greets the weekend with a roster that's second-to-none.

All it took was a bit of moxie, persistence -- and more than a fifth of a billion dollars in transfer fees.

Three days after acquiring AC Milan midfielder Kaka in a blockbuster deal, Real Madrid shattered records and recalibrated the soccer universe by offering Manchester United $131 million for the rights to Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo.