Real Madrid football club will spread its brand to the Middle East and Asia by lending its name to a $1 billion theme park on a man-made island in the United Arab Emirates, it said on Thursday. Executives unveiled plans for the "Real Madrid Resort Island", featuring an oceanside stadium and hi-tech club museum in the northern Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah, on the doorstep of the lucrative football-mad Asian market.
"Real Madrid Resort Island will be a major tourist and sporting centre of great dimensions and the highest level," club president Florentino Perez told a news conference.
"This extraordinary complex will attract millions of people looking for quality leisure services," he added at the event, also attended by Real players including captain Iker Casillas and striker Karim Benzema. "This is a decisive and strategic step which contributes to strengthening our institution in the Middle East and Asia," Perez said. "Real Madrid will be present permanently in a key region of the world." The complex, with $1 billion (758 million euros) of investment and backed by the government of the Emirate, is scheduled to open in January 2015, the club and executives said. It will include a five-star hotel, beachside bungalows and an amusement park with a rollercoaster and hologram show recreating Real Madrid's goals.