Rafael van der Vaart, once of Tottenham Hotspur, has confirmed that he is hanging up his boots.
The former Spurs favourite, Rafael van der Vaart, announced his retirement from professional football when speaking to De Telegraaf.
Van der Vaart, who also played over 100 times for the Dutch national team, is now 35 and feels his body can no longer cope with the rigours involved in being a professional football.
“I just have to stop now,” Van der Vaart told De Telegraaf.
“I am not here to rehabilitate, but to play football. The fun will be different and that’s what I want to be. I wanted to become a football grandpa, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
“At this moment I can only be grateful for all the years I was allowed to play football. All those players, staff and fans, from the ArenA, the Volksparkstadion, White Hart Lane to the Bernabeu, I just have warm feelings about it. It was a great time.”
Van der Vaart made his senior debut back in 2000 after coming through the famed Ajax youth academy of the 90s. The skilful attacking midfielder made a name for himself with Ajax before moving to the Bundesliga with Hamburg SV.
Three successful years in Germany led to a dream move to Real Madrid for Van der Vaart. He spent two years at the Bernabeu before moving to Spurs in 2010. His Spurs move transpired in typical Harry Redknapp style – with Van der Vaart’s signature only secured two hours before the transfer window close on August 31st 2010.
Spurs’ new number 11 slotted in well with Redknapp’s free-flowing, attacking side which also contained Gareth Bale and Luka Modric. He went on to make 63 appearances for the north London side, scoring 24 goals in the process. Van der Vaart helped Spurs reach the quarter-finals in the team’s first ever season in the Champions League.
The Dutchman left White Hart Lane in the summer of 2012 after two years at Spurs. He returned to Hamburg in Germany, before going on to have brief spells with Real Betis, FC Midtjylland and Esbjerg fB.
Spurs fans everywhere will remember Van der Vaart for years to come. He was an integral part of the Redknapp team of that era, with the likes of Modric, Bale, Defoe and co. That team was the springboard that propelled Spurs into the ‘big six’ in the Premier League as they raised the bar for those who would follow.
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