Schuster happy with Van Nistelrooy the 'sure bet'

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster said Saturday he was pleased that his "sure bet" of a Dutch striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, seen here on 06 January 2008, had extended his contract with the Spanish giants.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster said Saturday he was pleased that his "sure bet" of a Dutch striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, had extended his contract with the Spanish giants.

"Ruud deserves it. He has always been a goal-scorer and he's a sure bet every season. He's also a great person. I like seeing extensions like his. We want him here for a long time to come," he told a news conference.

The 31-year-old player this week signed a one-year contract extension with the defending Spanish champions which will keep him at the club through to 2010. No financial details were disclosed.

Van Nistelrooy joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in July 2006 for 15 million euros (22 million US dollars).

The former PSV Eindhoven player was the Spanish league's top scorer in his first season at Real Madrid with 25 goals and has scored nine goals in 18 matches this season.

Real Madrid, seven points ahead of nearest rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga, face bottom-of-the-table Levante on Sunday.