Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra feels his good early season form is the perfect response to the critics who felt he was not worthy of a place in the Spanish giants' line-up.

Diarra has found it hard to win over some doubters since his big-money move from Lyon in the summer of 2006, but the Mali international believes the way he has been playing so far this term shows him in his true light.

The 27-year-old has played in all eight of Madrid's Primera Liga and Champions League fixtures to date, six of which have ended in victory.

"I sincerely think that I'm already the same as I was at Lyon. I wanted to show the fans that I could play like that and now I feel that I'm at the same level, although I don't just settle for that and I want to improve much more," Diarra said in AS.

"Since I arrived there have been doubts about me and I know that I've received a lot of criticism, but I knew that my form was going to become great.

"I feel very good physically and now everything is going well for me. I'm very happy for me and for being able to

the confidence to my team-mates and coaches."

Following his hugely successful spell at Lyon, if Diarra helps Madrid to the Primera Liga again this year it would be the powerhouse's midfielder's eighth successive league title.

However, Diarra is not getting carried away just yet, saying: "At the moment I have won seven consecutive leagues, but I want to be able to obtain the eighth with Madrid. (But) I know that is is very difficult to obtain this..."