Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado says he is delighted to have finally fulfilled his dream of playing for a top club in Europe.
One of most impressive players during last summer's World Cup Finals, the 26-year-old joined from Fiorentina for an initial fee of £23.3m with Mohamed Salah going the other way on loan.
"I am very happy to be part of this team," Cuadrado told the club's official website.
"I'm very grateful to have been given this possibility to live what has been a childhood dream for me, which is to play for a very big club – in fact, one of the best clubs in the world."
Chelsea will be the Colombian's first experience in the English Premier League but the ex-Fiorentina man is eager to learn and improve his game under manager Jose Mourinho.
"To be on the same team as all these big players is amazing for me," he said.
"Not only from a football point of view and how I can grow as a player, but also personally, to be surrounded by so many champions. It's always going to make you want to grow and improve even more.
"I've been watching and I know we are top of the league, but that's no surprise because everybody is aware Chelsea are a very big club.
"We have big players and they maintain that level by fighting daily and trying to win as many trophies as possible. Hopefully we can keep playing in a way that guarantees victories.
"I didn't know any of the players personally before I joined, but obviously when I was younger I used to see some of them on television, players like Drogba and Terry.
"To now be on the same team as them, and to train with them every day is such a dream come true.
"To think that when I was younger I really looked up to these champions, and now I'm playing with them. It's a really big opportunity for me to learn and grow because they're very experienced and they've won a lot of trophies."
