MADRID, July 9 - Spanish champions Real Madrid appointed former German international Bernd Schuster as their new coach on Monday.

New Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster of Germany waves during his presentation at Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, July 9, 2007. [Reuters]

The 47-year-old, coach of Primera Liga side Getafe for the last two seasons, replaces Fabio Capello, who was sacked at the end of June after leading the club to their first league title in four years.

"This is a very happy day for me and I would like to thank the club for giving this opportunity to a young coach," Schuster said after signing a three-year contract with the nine-times European champions.

"Looking at the clubs I've coached before this is a great step up for me. I've always wanted to be in a place like this but in my view I think it has taken me too long to get here. I think I'm capable of doing a good job."

Schuster, who has coached Primera Liga side Getafe for the last two seasons, is the eighth occupant of the Real Madrid bench in a little over four years.

The former Real, Atletico and Barcelona midfielder has been set the task of emulating Capello's success but at the same time ensuring that the team plays the sort of crowd-pleasing, attacking football demanded by the club and its fans.

"I know what I've let myself in for," said Schuster. "I know the club and its philosophy.

"I've been at clubs before where it wasn't possible for them to demand that you win trophies but here you have to win and play a style of football that the fans enjoy.... We want to see them happy, even when things don't go well.

"I'm convinced my vision of football will fit what the fans want."

CONTRACT BUY-OUT

The German confirmed that he had bought himself out of his contract with Getafe by paying a compensation fee of 480,000 euros, thus allowing him to make the switch.

"I had to pay the buy-out clause but I've never had so many friends ring me up to help me pay," said Schuster. "We'll have to see how I can settle up."

Schuster steered the modest, Madrid-based Getafe to consecutive ninth-placed finishes in the Primera Liga and to a first final of the King's Cup, where they lost 1-0 to Sevilla.

Getafe caused the upset of the season when they came back from a 5-2 first-leg loss against Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Cup to inflict a humiliating 4-0 defeat on the Catalans in the return.

Prior to the Getafe job, Schuster had a brief spell in charge of Levante.

Levante got off to a flying start but faded badly in the second half of the season and Schuster was fired four games from the end of a campaign that ended with relegation.

His only other top-flight experience came with Ukraine side Shakhtar Donetsk between 2003-04.

Once again his team got off to a good start but they hit problems towards the end of the season and he was fired when they fell behind arch-rivals Dynamo Kiev.