Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Roberto Soldado confident of rediscovering form at Villarreal

New Villarreal forward Roberto Soldado is convinced he will recapture the goalscoring touch back in Spain after leaving Tottenham Hotspur.

Soldado scored 82 goals in his three seasons at Valencia, breaking into the Spain senior squad and leading to a €28 million move to Spurs two years ago.

However, the former Real Madrid youth had a nightmare spell in London -- scoring just 16 goals in 76 games and never really looking comfortable at White Hart Lane.

As he was presented to Villarreal fans on Monday after completing a €10m move back to La Liga, the 30-year-old told Superdeporte that he had not been able to show his best in England, but was now sure he will be finding the net on a regular basis again for his new club.

"This is a very important step for me," Soldado said. "I have been abroad for two years, when I could not give my best. I am convinced I will score many goals for Villarreal.

"I had two very bad years [at Spurs] and lost my confidence. Valencia was the best time of my career, I played my best there, now I am coming to Villarreal with the idea of doing even better. For that I will have to work very hard and sacrifice a lot."

Soldado said agreeing to return to La Liga with Villarreal had not been a difficult decision to make, and he was looking forward to playing in his new club's 2015-16 La Liga opener at Real Betis on Sunday night.

"The summer was relaxed," he said. "When I got back to London I already knew about Villarreal's interest, and the truth is we reached an agreement very quickly.

"It was a chance to return to Spain, to play for a great club like Villarreal, so I did not think twice. From there it was about waiting for the two clubs to reach an agreement, and luckily I can be here to start the La Liga season. I appreciate the effort Villarreal have made to help me return to Spanish football."

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