Van der Vaart proud of staying and fighting for Real Madrid place

Rafael van der Vaart is delighted to be ending 2009 as a Real Madrid starter.

The Dutch playmaker has successfully broke back into the first team as a replacement for the injured Kaka.

Van der Vaart said: "I said I wanted to succeed with this club, the biggest in the world. In this life you always have to fight at all times, not only in football, and now I will not let my guard down."

"I will continue fighting to be an important man on this team."

"I'm playing in my favorite position and where I can show my quality. I feel comfortable playing between the lines. So I can be important for the team."