Lassana Diarra admitted the lure of Spanish giants Real Madrid was just too great to turn down after completing his "dream" switch to the Bernabeu from Portsmouth.
Diarra was presented as Madrid's newest addition this afternoon after passing his medical and penning a contract that ties him to the Primera Liga champions until 2013.
The France international, who will reportedly cost his new employers in the region of 20million euros, had also been linked with Manchester City but the 23-year-old revealed he could not say no to Madrid.
"I couldn't turn down Real Madrid's offer. It's a dream that I've had since I was small and now I'm in the Spanish capital I want to give everything on the pitch," said Diarra, who will officially become a Madrid player on January 1.
"I've come here to give 100%. I'm looking forward to defending the Real Madrid colours. I have a strong personality and I want to prove my worth to my new fans."
Diarra is the third recent addition to the Madrid squad as the ailing superpower looks to overcome a crippling injury list and get their bid for a hat-trick of title successes back on track.
Over the last few months Madrid have lost Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra and Ruben de la Red to season-ending injuries, while a host of other players have been ruled out for varying periods of time - a series of setbacks that has contributed to the team ending the year 12 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
In a bid to resolve that situation, Madrid have brought in Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Dutch outfit Ajax for a fee that could rise to 27million euros and recalled Dani Parejo from his loan spell at Queens Park Rangers in England.
Diarra is the latest player to be brought in and he is likely to take over the role of holding midfielder previously held by his namesake Mahamadou prior to injury.
However, the new Diarra does not want to be seen as either a stand-in for the Mali international or a reincarnation of former Madrid midfielder Claude Makelele, a player Diarra knows well from his time at Chelsea and who has been likened to.
"It's an honor to be compared to Makelele, but Makelele is Makelele and I am me. We have some things in common but I'm my own player. They compare me to him, but he came here when he was a little older, I'm younger," said Diarra, who was unveiled today with the name 'Lass' on the back of his Madrid shirt.
"I don't want to be called Diarra One or Diarra Two. I want to be known as Lass," he explained.
Although he is still only 23, Diarra has already played for four different clubs - starting off at Le Havre before going on to represent Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth.
Diarra did not make more than 40 senior appearances for any of the three Premier League clubs, but he insists he is ready to take the step to playing for nine-time European champions Madrid, who are now coached by former Tottenham manager Juande Ramos.
"For four or five years I have been at great clubs, such as Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as the French national team, and I'm ready to play for Real Madrid," he said.
"At Chelsea I was young and it was not easy to be able to play in a team with so many experienced players. I have matured at Portsmouth and I think I'm capable of competing."
Diarra also insisted he would be fully fit by the team the Primera Liga season re-starts following its Christmas break.
The Frenchman had been sidelined with an ankle injury but featured as a second-half substitute in Portsmouth's 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Bolton at the weekend.
"I was out for a month before playing last Saturday but when I return (to Madrid) I will be in prefect condition. Although the decision of whether I play or not will be up to Juande."
Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie was full of praise for the contribution made by Diarra during his 11-month stay at Fratton Park
"We wish Lassana all the best for the future and thank him for his efforts here," said Storrie after selling Diarra for a club record fee.
"He said himself when he came to us that he hoped he would one day play for a massive club - and you can't get much bigger than Real Madrid.
"It's fantastic we can do business with Real Madrid, one of the greatest sides in the world. It shows how far we've come," Storrie added on his club's website.
