Raul Albiol extends Real Madrid contract

Raul Albiol has committed himself to Real Madrid by signing a new five-year contract with the La Liga champions.

Albiol has been at the Bernabeu for three years having arrived from Valencia for a fee believed to be in the region of £12m in 2009.

His Madrid career started promisingly but Jose Mourinho's signing of Ricardo Carvalho and the re-positioning of Sergio Ramos had seen the centre-half fall down the Los Blancos pecking order.

However, Mourinho has displayed his faith in the Spanish international by offering him an extended contract.

Albiol has been capped 34 times by Spain since debuting in 2007.