"Van der Vaart" redirects here. For other people with the same surname, see Van der Vaart (surname).
In this Dutch name, the surname is van der Vaart, not Vaart.
Rafael van der Vaart
Van der Vaart at practice with Hamburger SV in 2014
Personal information
Full name
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart[1]
Date of birth
(1983-02-11) 11 February 1983 (age 41)[2]
Place of birth
Heemskerk, Netherlands
Height
1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[3]
Position(s)
Attacking midfielder
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
78
(16)
2015–2016
Betis
7
(0)
2016–2018
Midtjylland
17
(2)
2018
Esbjerg
3
(0)
Total
417
(135)
International career
1998–1999
Netherlands U17
13
(5)
1999–2000
Netherlands U19
8
(2)
2000–2001
Netherlands U21
4
(2)
2001–2013
Netherlands
109
(25)
Managerial career
2021–2023
Esbjerg (assistant)
2022
Esbjerg (interim)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up
2010 South Africa
UEFA European Championship
2004 Portugal
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
2000 Israel
U-16 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (engl.: 'from the ride', born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.[4]
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 Hamburger SV in 2012. In the latter stages of his career, Van der Vaart had brief spells playing in Spain and Denmark before announcing his retirement in 2018, and return in 2019 with a testimonial match.
Van der Vaart earned 109 caps for the Netherlands between 2001 and 2013. He represented the country at three UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups, reaching the final in 2010.
In 2019, Van der Vaart began his darts career, joining the British Darts Organisation.
^"Acta del Partido celebrado el 08 de mayo de 2016, en Eibar" [Minutes of the Match held on 8 May 2016, in Eibar] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
^"R. van der Vaart" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
^"Spielerprofil – Rafael van der Vaart" (in German). Hamburger SV. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
^"Rafael van der Vaart interim-trainer bij Deense club Esbjerg". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 12 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
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