Van der Vaart seals Madrid move

The Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has sealed a move to the Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has sealed his transfer from Hamburg SV to Real Madrid.

LONDON // Rafael van der Vaart will complete his move to Real Madrid today and has already set his sights on helping them add to their successful history. The Spaniards have reached agreement with Hamburg to take the Dutch midfielder to the Bernabeu - a timely arrival after the knee ligament injury suffered by his fellow countryman Wesley Sneijder at the Emirates Cup. Van der Vaart, whose mother is Spanish, is delighted and said: "As everybody might know I have always wanted to move to Spain because I have a strong bond with that country. Now I'm going to play for Real Madrid. It's a dream come true. "Looking back at the last couple of years, I'm extremely happy that I've had the chance to experience playing for HSV. No club and no set of fans will treat you with more hospitality than they do." His teammates understand why van der Vaart has ended his three-year spell in the Bundesliga. Vincent Kompany said: "It's a compliment when teams like this are interested in you. Sometimes you need to make a step forward in your career so we understand." [e-mail]