Rio Ave wing-back Fabio Coentrao says he's proud of his time with Real Madrid.

He is happy to be playing again after a career break.

"I had to go to other clubs to show my work and then I arrived at Real Madrid, the best club in the world," he said in an interview with O Jogo as he looked back on his career.

"But, that's not for everyone. I was there for seven years, with a contract that was renewed in the middle of that time. I won 15 or more titles there. That speaks for itself and it's a matter of pride.

"I'm only thinking about working each day, knowing that it's not easy after such a long break, my family is proud of my career. When I was 13, my parents had to emigrate and I was alone. Rio Ave helped me a lot at that time because I was only a young boy."