Rafael Van Der Vaart

Sneijder, Robben left out of Dutch squad

Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Arjen Robben have been left out of the Netherlands squad for next week's friendly against Italy. ...  

Van der Vaart back in Netherlands squad

Amsterdam: Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal recalled Rafael van der Vaart on Friday for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Romania. Van der Vaart was dropped for the first two qualifiers as he returned to full fitness following his move from Tottenham to Hamburg. Also back in the squad were midfielders Ibrahim Afellay and Nigel de Jong, who also have proved their match fitness after summer transfers. Afellay moved from...  

van der Vaart joins Hamburg from Tottenham

Hamburg: Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart is returning to Hamburger SV, one of his former clubs, from Tottenham. Hamburg announced Friday that they had signed the 29-year-old midfielder on a three-year contract. Van der Vaart previously played for Hamburg from 2005-08 before moving to Real Madrid. He struggled to establish himself at Real and moved to Tottenham two years later. Hamburg is the only club never to be relegated...  

Spurs' van der Vaart ends transfer speculation

Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has ended transfer speculation linking him with a move to the Bundesliga by insisting that he has no plans to leave White Hart Lane this summer. Following the sacking of Harry Redknapp it was widely reported that the former Real Madrid player was considering a move, with Hamburg and Schalke among the clubs supposedly interested in his signature. But Van der Vaart has claimed...  

We didn't deserve to go through: Van der Vaart

Kharkiv:The Netherlands midfielder opened the scoring against Portugal but admitted that his side were not good enough to progress after surrendering their lead to fall to a third defeat. The Oranje were seen as one of the pre-tournament favourites but failed spectacularly to live up to that billing and now return home on the back of three successive defeats. Van der Vaart looked to have set his side up for...  

Van der Vaart picks three German threats

Kharkiv: Rafael Van der Vaart has identified the three Germany players that his Netherlands side should be wary of in their Euro 2012 clash on Wednesday. Bert van Marwijk's side take on Die Mannschaft in Kharkiv in the second round of Group B fixtures, with the Oranje in desperate need of a win following their shock 1-0 defeat to Denmark in the opening round. Despite Germany currently sitting joint-top of...  

Discontent emerging within Netherlands camp

Compared with some of his predecessors, Bert van Marwijk has had an easy time managing the Netherlands over the last four years when it comes to crisis management. The Dutch have been notorious over the years for in-fighting and feuds that can ruin harmony in the squad and destroy their hopes in major tournaments. Van Marwijk has avoided such issues through intelligent management and, more importantly, strong performances and results...