Rafael van der Vaart

Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for La Liga club Real Madrid, and the Netherlands National Football Team. His preferred position is central midfield as playmaker but is capable of operating on both sides of the midfield. Van der Vaart began his career at Ajax's famous youth academy and worked his way into the first team debuting as a 17-year-old. He switched to Bundesliga side Hambu... more

Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for La Liga club Real Madrid, and the Netherlands National Football Team. His preferred position is central midfield as playmaker but is capable of operating on both sides of the midfield. Van der Vaart began his career at Ajax's famous youth academy and worked his way into the first team debuting as a 17-year-old. He switched to Bundesliga side Hamburg before moving on to La Liga giants Real Madrid. Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Spanish mother Lolita (from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz) and a Dutch father named Ramon. Before joining AFC Ajax, he played for a local club called De Kennemers based in Beverwijk. He grew up on a caravan park living a "gypsy life" and often imagined he was Romário while playing football with his father. It was there that he learned how to play football and, at the age of 10, he joined the AFC Ajax academy. Van der Vaart is a product of AFC Ajax's... less