Rafael van der Vaart
Van der Vaart at practice with HSV in 2014.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 February 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Heemskerk, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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FC Midtjylland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1993 | De Kennemers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2000 | Ajax | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Ajax | 117 | (52) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Hamburger SV | 74 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Real Madrid | 58 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 63 | (24) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Hamburger SV | 79 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Real Betis | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Midtjylland | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Netherlands U17 | 13 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Netherlands U19 | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Netherlands U21 | 4 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2013 | Netherlands | 109 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 November 2016 (UTC). |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 November 2016 (UTC).
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈraːfaːɛl vɑn dɛr ˈvaːrt]; born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Danish club FC Midtjylland and the Netherlands national team as an attacking midfielder.
Van der Vaart began his career at Ajax's youth academy and worked his way into the first team, debuting as a 17-year-old. Known for his playmaking skills, he drew comparisons to Johan Cruyff. He was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and became the first recipient of the Golden Boy Award while at the club. He moved to Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, then to Real Madrid, then on to Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Hamburg in 2012.
Van der Vaart earned 109 caps for the Netherlands between 2001 and 2013. He represented the nation at three UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups.
Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Dutch father and a Spanish mother from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz. Before joining Ajax, he played for a local club called De Kennemers based in Beverwijk. He grew up on a trailer park, living a "gypsy life", and often pretended to be Romário while playing football. It was at the trailer park that he learned how to play football and, at the age of ten, he joined the AFC Ajax Academy. Van der Vaart has said of his upbringing, "That was the way my family lived. My father was born there and it is a lifestyle. Maybe it is not a normal lifestyle but I always liked it. I always played football on the street. It was an easy life, then I was 10 years old and went to Ajax and played there for almost 12 years."
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