Rafael van der Vaart has reaffirmed his intentions to remain with Real Madrid.

Ahead of this summer's World Cup in South Africa a number of out-of-favour players across the globe have expressed a desire to pursue regular football elsewhere, but Van der Vaart has no such intent.

On the contrary, he has vowed to buckle down in an attempt to convince Pellegrini he is worth a place in his starting XI.

He told Radio Marca: "I have the skill and quality to play for Real Madrid.

"Pellegrini told me in pre-season training that I was a very good player, but he did not have much room for me because they had Kaka, Raul, many players.

"I said OK, but I will not leave Madrid, I want to fight, so let's see.

"The league is very important but also the Champions League. The final is in Madrid. It is a dream for everyone to play the final here, but we also want to win the league.

"I am very happy in this team."