Ruud out to reign in Spain again

Ruud van Nistelrooy said he is relishing the prospect of a return to Spain after signing a one-year deal with Malaga.

Van Nistelrooy turns 35 on July 1, and the former Manchester United front man has spent the past 15 months with Bundesliga side Hamburg.

His last spell in La Liga was a three-and-a-half year stint at Real Madrid that ended in January 2010, and the Dutchman said he was looking forward to the challenge of helping Malaga improve on their 11th-place finish last term.

“Throughout my career I have been with many clubs and have shared a dressing room with world-class players,” Van Nistelrooy told Spanish newspaper Marca. “I feel very proud and happy to be here.”

Van Nistelrooy came to prominence at PSV Eindhoven, but made his name around the world in a five-year tenure at Old Trafford where he scored 150 goals in 200 appearances.

He scored seven goals from 25 Bundesliga matches with Hamburg in the 2010/11 season.