You must be delighted to join the Club...

I’m very happy, of course. I think this is a dream for any player. I’m really enjoying it.

One thing is of course joining Real Madrid, but you must be especially proud of coming to Spain?

Everybody knows my mother is from Spain. This is a dream come true for the whole family. It’s great to have my grandparents here with me.

How often have you come to Spain? Your family is from Cádiz, right?

They’re from Chiclana, which is near to Cádiz. I go there two or three weeks every year for my holidays. I don’t speak Spanish (laughs); my mother never taught me because she was only 6 years old when she came to Holland. I hope to be able to speak the language in two or three months.

How have the last few days been for you? How do you feel after this change?

It was difficult because I was still a Hamburg player while knowing I could come to Madrid after the weekend. I got the call late on Sunday night and my wife and I celebrated the news together with a bottle of champagne. We were very happy.

You played for Ajax in Holland and also know the Bundesliga, where you played for Hamburg. What do you expect of the Spanish league?

I think it’s one of the best leagues in the world. It has great clubs and showcases great football. I like the way Spanish teams play; their players are very skilled. The Bundesliga was a great championship to play in, but this is different and, I believe, harder.

You’re the fifth Dutch player on the team, which might help you to settle in...

I’m very happy about that. It’s obviously nice for me to be able to speak Dutch. Wesley usually phones me and he’s already told me about Real Madrid. I’m sure the other Dutch players will help me.

What kind of player are you?

I’m a central midfielder, but I can also play down the right or left wings. I like to score goals and to assist strikers, but I mainly try to enjoy the game, which is the most important thing to do in football.

What kinds of goals do you most enjoy scoring?

I find it’s very nice to score from free-kicks, especially when you are 20 metres away from target, but I think any goal is a thrill. Van Nistelrooy once told me that it doesn’t matter how you score as long as you do and he’s totally right.

People say you are similar to Sneijder. You both grew up at Ajax. Do you know each other well from that period?

Yes. We know each other very well. He’s one year younger than I am. I played with his brother, who is also a very good player. Wesley and I coincided on our first year at Ajax and it is a dream for us to be at the biggest club together.

You are a very attacking-minded player and Schuster likes his team to attack. There must have been something that attracted you to this club...

The team plays similarly to the Dutch national side, where we like to attack and to score goals. Wesley and I like to keep ball possession and to net strikes also. I think that’s important.

How important was it for you to know Bernd Schuster was very keen on signing you?

It is always great when a coach wants you. It is very important. Sometimes, when a club signs a player, they do so without the coach wanting him and he ends up not using him at all. Everybody wants me here and that’s good.

You’ve joined a championship winning squad. Which Real Madrid players would you highlight?

I saw them in London this weekend and was thrilled by Raúl, Guti, Van Nistelrooy, Robinho... It is an honour for me to play with them. I hope Wesley becomes fit again soon. I can’t wait to play.

Johann Cruyff said you are the kind of player that only appears every 50 years or so...

It’s nice to hear he said that, but I think he is probably the best Dutch player to have lived. Everybody still talks about him. We’ll have to wait and see what I do in the next few years here in Madrid.

Besides Cruyff, who have your idols been?

Zidane and Romario. I hope people talk about me when I retire as they still talk about them.

You’ve signed for five years. What’s your main goal?

I want to win many titles, naturally, such as the league and the Champions League, which I think is the most important title for the Club and myself also.

Would you like to give us a number of goals you hope to score?

No... I want to be important for the team and help my teammates. That’s the most important thing. It’s nice to score a lot of goals, but one has to find another way by which to be important.