Rafael van der Vaart 
Name: Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart
Date of Birth: 11.2.1983
Birthplace: Heemskerk
Nationality: Dutch
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Club: HSV
Former clubs:Ajax
Favourite clubs:Barcelona
International carrer:41 caps/8 goals History:
He was born in town of Heemskerk in the north of Holland to a dutch father and spanish mother. At the age of 10 he joined Ajax. At age seventeen, he made his debut for AFC Ajax in a 1-1 draw with FC Den Bosch in the 1999/2000 season. It was his first and last match that season, but managed to impress.
In the 2000/2001 season, Van der Vaart saw a vast amount of game time compared to his first season at AFC Ajax under coach Co Adriaanse. Van der Vaart's keen eye for attack was noticed and he was put into the central attacking midfielder position. Oftentimes though, he was seen playing on the left flank. That year, he went on to be elected as talent of the year from the Ajax supporters.
2001/2002 brought more prestigious times for Van der Vaart.However, in that season, Van der Vaart suffered a serious knee injury which would require operation. He was diagnosed with having a rip in his knee meniscus. The operation went through and Van der Vaart returned to football, however, the injury plagued the young player even more and on April 2, 2002, Van der Vaart sustained a more serious injury in the same area and required a more important operation, removing his entire meniscus. This injury prevented Van der Vaart from taking part for the rest of the season.
Van der Vaart came back strong in his second full season at Ajax. In the 2002/2003 season, Van der Vaart had recovered from his injuries and during the Amsterdam Tournament, he scored two goals in Ajax's magnificent 4-3 victory over FC Barcelona. Ajax went on to win the tournament and Rafael van der Vaart was voted the best player of the tournament.
Van der Vaart moved to Bundesliga club Hamburg SV on July 1, 2005, where he is positioned as playmaker. Great hype was created arround him selling a club record number of shirts. HSV played amazing that season proppeling themselves to 3rd place as a result of being beaten by bitter rivals Bremen.He was appointed team captain in the 2006/07 season. They qualified for the Champions league against spanish side Osasuna.
Rafael on FM 2007:
He is valued at 13.250.000 milion euros at the start but his price goes up to at least 20.000.000 milion euros. The top clubs are chasing rather quickly on my game, but it isnt hard to keep as he is a loyal player and captain of HSV. He is described as midfield playmaker and plays best at AMC, but can also play at MC and ML. He is a set piece specialist, scores goals from far out and in the box as well with his brilliant finishing. He also has great technique, passing attributes, creativity and vison. As an adition he also posseses a fair amount of pace. His only weakness is his liability in the air. He is always my assist leader and many times scoring as he has the instinct for the goal. He is a very consistent performer and relishes the big matches. I think he would fit well into every top european league, although the spanish league would be ideal for this midfield maestro. He is also at the right age with 24 years of age. If your looking at a quality playmaker dont look anywhere else.
Rafael van der Vaart 
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