Injury Prone Van Der Vaart Retires From Football

By Max Wise

Former Netherlands, Ajax, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder, Rafael Van Der Vaart, has announced his retirement from football with immediate effect.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup finalist has been plagued with injuries since moving to Danish side Esjberg in August 2018, culminating in just 55 minutes of playing time.

Van Der Vaart has been capped 109 times by the Netherlands and featured at the EUROs 2004, 2008 and EURO 2012, as well as the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.

The 35-year old feels it is time to hang his boots as his body is struggling to adapt to the physical demands of the game.

"I just have to stop now. I'm not here to rehabilitate, but to play football," Van der Vaart told De Telegraaf.

"I would have wanted to become a football grandpa, but that is not the case. I can only be grateful for all the years I was allowed to play football, all those players, staff, fans of the [Amsterdam] Arena, Volksparkstadion, White Hart Lane, to the Bernabeu."

"I just have warm feelings about it. It was a great time."

"I won prizes and played championships, both with my clubs, the Dutch national team and individually."

"In all those years, I have been able to play football with and against so many great players in the most beautiful stadiums. I had never dared to dream of that as a young boy."

Van Der Vaart won the inaugural Golden Boy Award, given to Europe’s best young player, in 2003 during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.