In the early part of the 2010/11 Premier League season, perhaps the most influential player so far has been Tottenham Hotspur’s Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart. The midfielder won over the fans within just a few minutes of his first appearance, and he hasn’t stopped doing so ever since. By 5pm on Saturday 11th September, 2010, a new White Hart Lane hero was born.
In fact, the only way Van der Vaart could have made himself more popular is if he’d had an ‘I hate Arsenal’ tattoo inscribed on his forehead, and a dartboard with a picture of Sol Campbell on it. Time will tell if the love affair continues, of course, but if his first few games are anything to go by, the club have bought themselves a genuine star.
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk, a small town in northern Holland, in 1983 to a Dutch father and a Spanish mother. As a child, he was a Manchester United fan. At the tender age of ten, like so many other young hopefuls, Van der Vaart joined the legendary Ajax Youth Academy.
Following in the footsteps of glitterati such as Johan Cruyff, Patrick Kluivert and Marco van Basten, he soon showed he could mix it with the big boys – well, the eleven-year-olds, at least. At seventeen, he made the step up to the senior squad. Since then, the only thing that’s halted his progress has been a succession of knee injuries.
Van der Vaart signed for Spurs on the last day of the summer transfer window from Real Madrid, in fact just two hours before the window closed. A fee that was said to be around the £8M mark, surely one of the bargains of the 21st century so far, was all it took to persuade him to leave behind the tapas bars of Madrid and head for the pie and mash shops of north London.
Although his spell in Spain was considered to be a little disappointing by many, the Dutchman still managed to score goals and impress the pundits with his eye for a pass. He’s also well known for his work-rate, a characteristic that will stand him in good stead if he decides to stay in the Premier League for the next few years.
It’s not always easy for an overseas player to make an instant success of life in England, often because they need time to adjust to the pace of the game. Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, legends in another part of the city, took a few matches to get into the swing of things, but Van der Vaart has had no such problems.
If Spurs are to consolidate their fourth place in last season’s Premier League, they’ll need the Dutchman’s artistry to continue to change games. His two match-winning goals in the game against Aston Villa recently, after the Midlands side had led 1-0, may prove crucial in May.
Over the past few decades, Tottenham’s history can best be described by two words: under and achiever. But with Van der Vaart in the middle, the burgeoning Gareth Bale on the left and the goal-getting Jermain Defoe on his way back to fitness, there are many, optimists one and all, no doubt, who firmly believe that this could be their year.
Many Spurs teams of the past have promised much and delivered relatively little, and it’s worth remembering that great sides that included the likes of Chris Waddle, Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Glenn Hoddle, Jurgen Klinsmann and David Ginola still only won a few cups between them.
If Harry Redknapp manages to unearth a few more bargains like Van der Vaart in January, their supporters may be dreaming of a league title or, even, just perhaps, a European triumph.
