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| Career | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Clubs: | Ajax (since 1993) |
| International appearances: | 17 |
| International goals: | 4 |
| International debut: | 06/10/2001, Holland-Andorra (4-0) |
| Last international appearance: | 1/06/2004, Holland-Faroe Islands (3-0) |
| First international goal: | 06/09/2003, Holland-Austria (3-1) |
| Last international goal: | 1/06/2004, Holland-Faroe Islands (3-0) |
Winner (2002, 2004)
Winner (2002)
Winner (2002)
Biography
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| Nikola Milinkovic (L) of GAK Graz tackles captain of Ajax Amsterdam Rafael Van Der Vaart during their UEFA Champions league qualifying round match in Graz 12 August 2003. AFP PHOTO JOE KLAMAR |
Holland may have uncovered a diamond in their crown of jewels as the exciting and multi-talented Rafael van der Vaart has suddenly come to the fore with a string of smashing performances for Ajax and the national team.
Not only does this rising talent have skills in abundance on the playing field, he is also a media celebrity in his homeland, adored by female admirers, much in the same way David Beckham is, and has a t.v presenter girlfriend.
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| AFC Ajax's Rafael Van Der Vaart (R) challenges AC Milan's midfielder Gennaro Gattuso during their Champions league group H match at Milan's San Siro stadium 16 September 2003. AFP PHOTO PAOLO COCCO |
Brought up in modest surroundings, his footballing ability was spotted as a 10-year-old when playing in a 'Talent Day' and officials from Ajax quickly signed him up.
At the Amsterdam club, he swiftly swept through the youth system to make his first team debut as an 17-year-old in a Dutch league match and was handed his debut for Holland just over a year later in a 4-0 win over Andorra.
He is normally utilised in a playmaking role behind the two strikers but during Holland's bumpy qualifying route to Euro 2004, much ink was spilled on what his best role should be and if he is better suited to play with Patrick Kluivert, Ruud van Nistelrooy or both.
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| Holland's Van Der Vaart (F) and his teammate, Mustapha Rahamat (B), embrace after scoring a goal against Egypt in their World Cup Sub-20 Championship Soccer quarter-final match 01 July 2001 in Rosario, Argentina. AFP PHOTO/MIGUEL MENDEZ |
While he is now an uncontestable squad member for Holland under current coach Dick Advocaat, van der Vaart gained valuable experience playing for the Under-23 team and Under-20 outfit, the latter team having played at the 2000 World Cup in Argentina and reached the quarter-finals.
If he has a weakness, it is his tendancy to get hurt and he suffered two serious knee injuries in the same season that greatly hampered his progress, especially when a surgeons mistake led to having his meniscus completely removed.
Ajax went on to win the Dutch championship and domestic Cup in 2002 and the team almost reached the semi-finals of the Champions League only losing to eventual champions AC Milan in a 3-2 thriller at the San Siro.
Van der Vaart finished the campaign as the team's top scorer despite missing a large chunk of the season.
He was again pivotal in 2004 helping Ajax regain their title from PSV Eindhoven after a race that went down to the second last game of the season.
Assuming he stays fit, he will get his first taste of a major competition at Euro 2004 where the talented but unpredictable Dutch team face a serious first round challenge, drawn in a group with the Czech Republic, arch rivals Germany and upstarts Latvia.