Ruud impressed by Bundesliga

Hamburg marksman wants to end career at the club

By Thomas Zocher   Last updated: 15th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ruud impressed by Bundesliga

Van Nistelrooy: German strength

Related links

Teams

Players

Also see

Hamburg striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed he is impressed with the strength of the Bundesliga.

The 33-year-old Dutch ace moved to the German side from Real Madrid during the January transfer window and has settled in well at the Nordbank Arena.

Hamburg are currently fifth in the German top flight and, although he thinks Bayern Munich will come out on top at the end of the season, Van Nistelrooy says the competition is extremely exciting.

"With regard to the Bundesliga, I think Bayern Munich are going to end up champions this season," he told Bild am Sonntag.

"The Bundesliga is a great competition, every club can win a match.

"Lately we have almost lost against Hertha Berlin. They are bottom of the league and their squad is packed with A-internationals.

"This is an indication of the standard of the competition.

"Football in Germany is extremely professional, the training sessions under (Hamburg manager) Bruno Labbadia are tougher and longer than those I went through at Manchester United and Real Madrid."

Van Nistelrooy opted to move to Hamburg after slipping down the pecking order at Real Madrid.

He has a contract that runs until June 2011 and expects to end his career with his current club, although he still wants to secure silverware.

"Hamburger SV is a new and final chapter for me, but I have not left Real Madrid for Hamburg to play like being on a farewell tour," he added.

"I would like to win a first trophy already this season, probably the Europa League."

Germany. Click here to bet.