Scott Musgrave
Born north of Amsterdam in the city of Heemskerk, Rafael van der Vaart was a precocious talent. During his time at Ajax he was touted as being one of the best players ever to come out of the ranks of the Ajax youth set-up, quite an achievement in itself given the supreme talent that has flowed from it, and by extension, the Eredivisie.
Van der Vaart picked up Ajax talent of the year three times, followed by a 2002 European talent of the year award. However due to injury and a somewhat bizarre move to German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV his career took a turn for the worse.
Although introduced to international football at a very young age he never made much of an impact. Despite making the squad for Euro 2004 van der Vaart was more often than not on the peripheries of the Dutch team as his bad luck continued.
Once again at the recent 2006 World Cup he ended up being a bit-part player due to injuries suffered in the domestic season, thus limiting his game time and influence on the pitch. Dutch fans often wonder if the attacking-midfielder had been at his peak, would he have helped the cause more in these tournaments. The answer is an emphatic yes.
The lack of creativity in the Holland midfield at the World Cup was their fall down point as van Nistelrooy became increasingly isolated and most play was restricted to the wing wizardry of Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. Rafael showed glimpses of his talent through some inclusions in the tournament, but he was very much far from his best.
Euro 2008 has now provided the platform for the playmaker to stand up and be counted as one of the very best midfielders in Europe. Coming off the back of a semi-successful campaign with Hamburg he will no doubt be looking to get himself in the shop window for the big clubs of Europe. He will also look to prove something to himself and his countrymen.
Van der Vaart has been linked to Chelsea, Inter, Valencia and Juventus so far this season, but all interested clubs will be watching closely to see how Rafael handles himself on the biggest stage of all. A good performance in the Euros could help clinch a much wanted move to one of Europe’s giants.
To many, van der Vaart is seen as a key player in the Oranje side, more so than Sneijder (the other creative midfielder in the side) or even some would argue, Van Nistelrooy.
The midfield playmaker is the master of the Dutch midfield and his experience, talent and leadership will definitely come into play if the Oranje are to have any hopes of qualification for the second round.
Should everything go well for the Dutch we could be talking about Euro 2008 as being van der Vaart’s tournament as it elevates him to a level many believe he was born for. Otherwise van der Vaart and Holland could be reflecting on yet another failure come the end of June.
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