Rafael van der Vaart

At 41 years old, Rafael van der Vaart has this physical status:

Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch professional darts player and professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder.Van der Vaart's career began in Ajax's youth academy and progressed to the first team, making his debut as a 17-year-old.

He was known for his playmaking abilities, and he drew comparisons to Johan Cruyff.

While at the club, he was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and became the first winner of the Golden Boy Award.

He went to Hamburger SV, then to Real Madrid, and finally to Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Hamburg in 2012.

Van der Vaart had brief stints in Spain and Denmark before deciding on his retirement in 2018 and returning in 2019 with a testimonial match. Between 2001 and 2013, Van der Vaart earned 109 caps for the Netherlands.

He appeared in three UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups, winning the final in 2010. Van der Vaart started his darts career in 2019, joining the British Darts Organisation.

Early life

Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Dutch father and a Spanish mother from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz, who had moved to the Netherlands weeks after birth. He competed for De Kennemers, a Beverwijk-based local team, before joining Ajax. He grew up in a trailer park, with him and the Woonwagenbewons sharing links with Irish Travellers and the Yenish people, and often pretended to be Romário when playing football. He learned how to play football at the trailer park and joined the AFC Ajax Academy at the age of ten. "That was the way my family lived," van der Vaart said of his upbringing. My father was born there, and it's a lifestyle. Okay, it isn't a normal lifestyle, but I do remember liking it. I've always loved football on the streets. It was a great life when I was ten years old and moved to Ajax where I spent almost 12 years."

Personal life

Van der Vaart married Sylvie Meis on June 10, 2005, and Damián Rafael was born on May 28th, 2006. Some of the media have referred to the couple as the "new Beckhams," but neither of them denied the allegations that they prefer to live a normal life.

Real Madrid had hoped to sell Van der Vaart in 2009, but the player decided to stay in Madrid because his wife was undergoing cancer treatment there. "She had a very serious illness and it is true that she had to be treated at the Clinica Quiron a year later." They wanted me to leave last season, but I couldn't leave for that reason. Madrid is well, and the only thing that happened was that she wanted to sell and I wanted to return to playing football, and Tottenham Hotspur is a great team that will give me the football opportunities that I need.

Van der Vaart found out via emails that his wife was having an affair with a KLM airline pilot. Van der Vaart and his wife were divorced on New Year's Eve 2012, marking the beginning of the new year.

Van der Vaart is in a friendship with Dutch handball player Estavana Polman, who plays for Danish club Team Esbjerg as of August 2016. He came from Denmark and selected Midtjylland because of this. They announced that they are expecting a child on December 27, 2016. Jesslynn, their daughter, was born in June 2017.

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Club career

Van der Vaart, a national team member, and national teammates John Heitinga and Wesley Sneijder followed him through Ajax. He started working for Ajax on a trial basis as a ten-year-old boy but was later enrolled permanently after impressing the coaches. Van der Vaart played his debut for the Ajax senior team in a 1–1 draw with FC Den Bosch on April 19, 2000, during the 1999–00 season. Van der Vaart was "hailed as the new Johan Cruyff" after breaking into the Ajax first team.

Van der Vaart's playing time was extended in the 2000-2001 season by his transfer to the attacking midfielder position. CalcioManager, an Italian football website, named him European Talent of the Year.

Van der Vaart sustained a serious knee injury against RKC Waalwijk on February 10, 2002, which required an operation that required the removal of his entire meniscus. This injury forced him to miss the run-in to Ajax's thrilling Esports campaign and their Dutch Cup victory over Utrecht in 2001–02 season, but it did not stop him from winning the Dutch Cup, mainly due to the 15 goals he scored in only 27 games prior to the match.

The Amsterdam Tournament was won by Ajax in 2002-03, but injury limited Van der Vaart to 21 league appearances, in which he scored 18 goals. He scored a crucial goal in the UEFA Champions League against Lyon, which sent Ajax to the knockout stages after his return to fitness.

His results in the first half of 2003-2004 were weak. Van der Vaart confessed to being overweight, and the media mocked his celebrity lifestyle with his then-fiancée, The Music Factory Vs. Sylvie Meis. As Ajax claimed their second league title, he became a popular figure once more. Van der Vaart had established himself as one of the team's leading names as well as one of the Netherlands' most popular players.

Van der Vaart was appointed team captain by coach Ronald Koeman for the 2004-05 season. He was injured during an international match against Sweden on August 18, 2004, which resulted in Ibrahimovi's transfer to Juventus just two weeks later, following tense allegations that the Swede had purposely tried to hurt Van der Vaart. He was dissatisfied with being out of place, and Koeman was kicked out of his team captaincy after refusing to play on the wing in a Champions League match in December.

In five seasons with Ajax, his constant injury problems led to him to expect that he would leave the team at the end of the season.

Van der Vaart's appearances at this point were attracting notice from some of Europe's top clubs. He had previously been closely linked to Milan, but he signed for Bundesliga side Hamburger SV in Germany in the summer of 2005. Many eyebrows were raised as a result of Van der Vaart's €5.5 million move to Hamburg on June 1st. Many other top-flight clubs had expressed an interest in the midfielder, but he chose Hamburg. "I don't know what to say or what Rafael van der Vaart is doing in Hamburg," Ajax legend Johan Cruyff said in his De Telegraaf column. He was instrumental in Hamburg's impressive away form this season, scoring in each of their first four games on the road; in fact, the German club did not lose a single match away from home while he was on the field. As Hamburg finished third in the league and captured the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Van der Vaart completed his first season as the team's top scorer.

For the 2006–07 season, he was the team captaincy. Van der Vaart's three goals in the Champions League group stages, the club dropped early in the season, while languishing in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table as Van der Vaart was plagued by injuries throughout the season. Nevertheless, Van der Vain's countryman Huub Stevens as head coach boosted the Hamburg ranks, ending the season in a respectable seventh position and also winning the Intertoto Cup.

Van der Vaart responded immediately by saying, "I am going to spend another season in Hamburg," he told Welt am Sonntag after gaining admiration from Real Madrid from Spain. "Now we have the team to do something," he said. Van der Vaart scored 12 league goals as Hamburg finished fourth in the league last season, while the UEFA Cup qualifier reached round 16, which was round 16. He tore ankle ligaments and was out of action for several weeks after winning the UEFA Cup away victory over FC Zürich. Despite fandom from Chelsea and Valencia, he said he will stay with Hamburg until the end of the season, but decided against signing a contract extension.

Van der Vaart's move to various clubs, including Atlético Madrid and Juventus, was contemplated near the end of the 2007-08 season. Atlético made a €15 million bid for the Dutchman, which Hamburg turned down, but it was their cross-town rivals who gained Van der Vaart's signature in the end.

Real Madrid and Hamburg signed a €13 million deal for Van der Vaart's transfer, the first summer signing for Real Madrid. He has been working for an undisclosed amount for a five-year deal. Van der Vaart earned his first match in a 2–1 pre-season victory four days later against Colombian Independence Santa Fé, where he scored the equalizing goal and provided an assist.

Following Robinho's departure to Manchester City on August 31, he changed his squad number from 19 to his favoured number 23. In a 4–3 victory, he marked his debut in Real Madrid with a strike against Numancia. In a 7-1 thrashing of Sporting de Gijón, he scored his first career hat-trick on September 24. Van der Vaart was one of many La Liga players nominated for the Ballon d'Or in October 2008, but the award was eventually given to Manchester United forward and future teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Van der Vaart was mainly used as an impact substitute by coach Juande Ramos, contributing to rumors of a fallout between coach and player during the 2008–09 season. Despite rumors linking him with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, he denied having any affiliations with the English clubs.

Following being told that van der Vaart would not be part of the team's plans by coach Manuel Pellegrini, it was predicted that during the summer of 2009. His number 23 jersey was even handed over to Esteban Granero in preseason, leaving him without a squad number. He eventually reached an agreement with Real Madrid to keep with the club after the squad number had been reduced to 25 players as a result of the club's Dutch compatriots Sneijder, Arjen Robben, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were forced to leave the club in the summer transfer window. Van der Vaart was given his original number 23 jersey, while Granero was given number 24. Van der Vaart was then included in Pellegrini's squad list against Villarreal on September 23rd, after a wait of four games. Van der Vaart had a chance to rename himself as a key player for Los Blancos after suffering a back injury in Kaká. In a 6–0 victory over Real Zaragoza on December 20, he scored two goals. On May 16, 2010, he scored his last goal for Real Madrid against Málaga. Van der Vaart expressed his desire to remain at Real Madrid, at least until the end of his deal comes to an end.

Tottenham Hotspur made an offer of £8 million for Van der Vaart on August 31, 2010, just two hours before the transfer window was closed. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said an £18 million transfer to Bayern Munich had collapsed the day before and Van der Vaart had immediately become much cheaper, but Real Madrid denied this. Spurs requested special dispensation from the Premier League due to problems with computer servers used in the transfer between Tottenham and Real Madrid, which prevented the necessary paperwork from being completed. The transfer had been allowed after the Premier League announced on September 1st that "technical difficulties" had caused Tottenham Special Dispensation. He began working at White Hart Lane for four years. Van der Vaart's number 11 shirt for Spurs was announced. Van der Vaart denied rumors that he had been a victim at Real Madrid, saying he had always delivered his best over the past few years for both club and country, as well as showing his talent for his new club.

Van der Vaart tied West Bromwich Albion 1–1 draw on September 11, 2010, marking his Champions League debut for the club against Werder Bremen, providing an assist for Peter Crouch in a 2–2 draw. In a 3–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 September, Van der Vaart scored his first Premier League goal from the penalty spot. Van der Vaart was named Goal.com World Player of the Week on Sunday, after starting his Spurs career by scoring three goals in four Premier League games, as well as a goal and an assist in two Champions League matches. For October, he was named Premier League Player of the Month.

Van der Vaart was out of action for much of December due to a hamstring injury, but he returned to Tottenham Hotspur on December 26, scoring both goals in a 2–1 away victory over Aston Villa. Van der Vaart boosted Tottenham's Champions League aspirations by scoring twice to hold North London rivals Arsenal to a 3–3 draw at White Hart Lane on April 20, 2011. Spurs travelled to Anfield after losing to Manchester City and being knocked out of the Champions League competition. Tottenham beat Tottenham 2–0, putting the team in a 2–0 win and putting them in a position to guarantee qualification for the Europa League. Van der Vaart scored from 25 yards out in a 2–0 victory that put Tottenham in a 2–0 win that put them in a tie for the Europa League. He ended the season as Tottenham's top scorer in the Premier League, scoring 13 goals – almost a quarter of Tottenham's total – while still giving the most assists, with nine.

Van der Vaart scored his first two Premier League goals of the following season against Wigan Athletic and Arsenal. Van der Vaart scored a penalty against Newcastle United on October 16th in order to keep up a good run of goal scoring form and also scored twice in the 2–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. In a 3–1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on October 30, he tied for the first time in five Premier League matches, a record he shares with Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Keane. He converted a Benoît Assou-Ekotto cross on December 31 and moved to Swansea City. Tottenham Hotspur defeated Watford in the FA Cup with a 1–0 win. Van der Vaart scored a long-range goal against Watford in the FA Cup, advancing Tottenham Tottenham to the next round of the FA Cup. Fabrice Muamba, a midfielder for Bolton Wanderers, went into cardiac arrest on March 17th, 2012; van der Vaart later described it as "horrible to see... the absolute lowest point in my football career."

Van der Vaart's return to his old club, Hamburger SV, on August 31, 2012. He'll wear his favorite 23 numbers on the shirt and was announced as the club's vice captain. In a match against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 16, he made his second appearance with HSV in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt. Van der Vaarty scored two goals against Borussia Dortmund on September 22nd, contributing to two crucial goals in a 3–2 victory. In a 2–2 away draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, he scored his first goal of the season, but after suffering a serious injury that had kept him out of action for several months, he missed his first game of the season.

Van der Vaart made his return to action on January 20th, 2013 against 1. In a 1–1 draw, FC Nürnberg lost by 1-1. He was voted the club's captain on Monday, replacing Heiko Westermann, who was named captain on April 9th. Van der Vaart scored a brace against Fortuna Düsseldorf in a 2–1 home victory on Friday, despite not having scored for nearly two months. Later, Hamburg decided not to give van der Vaart a contract extension.

Van der Vaart joined Real Betis, a newly promoted Spanish club, on a free transfer in June 2015. In a 2–1 La Liga loss to Deportivo de La Corua on September 24, he made his La Liga debut for the club. His result turned out to be a fiasco. He officially left the club on June 30th, 2016, after only 296 minutes of playing time in the 2015–2016 season.

Van der Vaart was seen in a skybox at MCH Arena just outside Herning, alongside agents Alan Hvedehave and Mikkel Beckmann, both before and during the league match between Danish Superliga clubs FC Midtjylland and Silkeborg IF. Midtjylland sports director Claus Steinlein denied any ongoing talks during the match, saying that Midtjylland would not be able to live up to Van der Vaart's economic demands. Steinlein said the club was actually trying to reach an understanding with him just four days later, just four days later.

Van der Vaart signed Midtjylland on a two-year contract on August 10th. He made his Superliga debut eight days later as a replacement for Paul Onuachu in a 0–0 draw away from local rivals Viborg FF. He scored his first goal in his fourth appearance for his new team, a 5–2 victory over promoted team Horsens. He was only selected for one of the first team's matches against Lyngby BK on May 28, 2017 after being on the bench in a 2–0 victory over AC Horsens on February 9, 2018. Van der Vaart made his first appearance for the first team in the 2017-18 season on February 18th, coming in as a replacement in the 90th minute. "I wasn't chosen for half a year," he told NOS. This is why this is such a big birthday for me. Not playing is bad."

Van der Vaart had signed a one-year deal with Esbjerg fB in the same league on August 4, 2018. Since his FC Midtjylland had ended, he had been training with them. He was introduced to the fans at the Esbjerg Stadium during a league match against Randers FC that resulted in a 3–3 draw. He announced on November 4th that he would suspend from professional football immediately after being plagued with recurring injuries.

Van der Vaart announced on August 22, 2019 that he would play for Esbjerg's reserves in Denmark's ninth tier. As she was playing for Team Esbjerg, he was still living in Esbjerg due to his friendship with handball player Estavana Polman.

International career

Van der Vaart was noticed by the youth team's mentors and was called up for the youth teams. He competed in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with current senior teammates Maarten Stekelenburg and John Heitinga, as well as former Real Madrid colleagues Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben.

Van der Vaart, an 18-year-old boy, made his senior international debut against Andorra on October 6, 2001. He was a member of the Euro 2004, Euro 2012, the 2006 World Cup, and the 2010 World Cup. Despite being prominent in a number of qualifying stage matches, Van der Vaart hasn't had a lack of luck in the final tournament. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Mark van Bommel, respectively, were vice-captain during the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, while Mark van Bommel was vice-captain. Van der Vaart earned his 100th cap for the Netherlands against Belgium in a friendly match on August 15, 2012.

When playing for his country, Van der Vaart was able to wear the number 23 or ten jerseys.

The Dutch manager Dick Advocaat convinced the team's formation to be changed into one that the talented Van der Vaart did not fit into during their first game of Euro 2004. Van der Vaart's new system appearing to be operational, he will be confined to a bit-part participation at Euro 2004, as the Oranje reached the semi-finals.

Despite the setback, Van der Vaart put on some spectacular performances in the Bundesliga over the next season, and it seemed that Van der Vaart's time to shine on the big stage had come – at the 2006 World Cup. However, niggling injury issues resurfaced, and Van der Vaart was not disadvantaged by Dutch coach Marco van Basten's risk to the first World Cup match against Serbia and Montenegro. With victory in the first round, the national team coach will decide to keep fielding a "Van der Vain" lineup. And, while Van der Vaint was confined to a part of the squad, he has since been a more consistent fixture in the starting lineup.

Despite missing several qualification matches due to an ankle injury, Van der Vaart was deemed up for Euro 2008. Van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, and either Dirk Kuyt or Robin van Persie, all from Bain Basten, were deployed in the midfield behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, to great effect. The Dutch team defeated Italy 3–0 in the first game of the tournament, with Van der Vaart playing a key role in the build-ups. In the next match against France, Van Basten decided to bring him back in the starting lineup; the Oranje later won 4–1.

Despite enduring a difficult time at club, Van der Vaart remained a top-choice pick for Van Basten's replacement Bert van Marwijk in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. He broke a ten-month goal drought with a vital strike against Macedonia on September 10, 2008, a 2–1 victory. With two goals and several important assists, he concluded the season.

Van der Vaart captained the Dutch in the absence of Giovanni van Bronckhorst in a friendly against England on August 12, 2009. He scored the second goal off a Gareth Barry mistake to bring the Netherlands two goals up in the first half, but Jermain Defoe scored a brace to seal a 2–2 draw.

Van der Vaart was in the starting lineup for three group matches in the 2010 World Cup, against Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon, but after being recalled in the match against Cameroon, he eventually lost his place in the starting lineup to Arjen Robben. After giving up a penalty to Cameroon by blocking the ball with his arm from a free kick, he was forced off the field. However, he made his second appearance in the semi-final against Uruguay after starting with the injured Demy de Zeeuw. He was a big help Oranje to win the match with a score of 3–2, effectively advancing them to the final. He also played in the final against Spain, swapping Nigel de Jong right before injury time. Netherlands lost the game 1–0 to Andrés Iniesta's goal. After Giovanni van Bronckhorst was scratched off, the captain's armband was handed to him during the game.

Van der Vaart made his Euro 2012 debut as a sub in the first match against Denmark – a match they would lose if they did not win. He was a substitute in the second match against Germany, but the captain's armband was removed from his cap. He had more attacking chances in the second half, which resulted in a goal, but the team lost the game again. Van der Vaart started as captain of the Netherlands and scored a goal that gave the Netherlands a glimmer of hope to get out of the group. However, Cristiano Ronaldo's two goals gave Portugal a 2–1 victory and knocked out the Netherlands.

Van der Vaart was selected in Louis van Gaal's provisional 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup but had to withdraw on May 28th, three days before the final squad was announced due to a calf injury while training.

Coaching career

Van der Vaart was hired in his first coaching role as an assistant coach to Peter Hyballa at his former club Esbjerg fB on August 10th. Van der Vaart had lived in Esbjerg for the past five years due to his friendship with handball player Estavana Polman, who was playing for Team Esbjerg.

Darts career

Van der Vaart began a career as a professional darts, joining the British Darts Organisation in April 2019. Van der Vaart won his first round match 4–2 against Thomas Anderson before being disqualified by Mogens Christensen in the second round 4–0.

Career statistics

The national team and year have the most appearances and goals.

The Netherlands' goal ranked first in terms of scores and results. After each van der Vain goal, the score column indicates the score.

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