Rafael: “I want to have fun!”

Rafael is happy. “I enjoy life, I enjoy my family and I am happy with the games I can play…

Edwin van der Sar recently said that Van der Vaart and Sneijder should step up to the plate and become the new leaders of Oranje, now so much routine (Cocu, Stam, van Bommel and van Nistelrooy) is no longer available. Both players have an EC and WC in their backpack and should rise to the occasion and pay the team manager’s faith in them back.

“Sar is right”, says van der Vaart, “I am an international for 6 years now. I played 41 international games. I guess I am an experienced player. When I talk to the team manager, it’s different then when I had 10 international games behind my name. Van Basten wants me to lead, to talk, to coach and to take responsibility. I think I do all that, but maybe I should do it even more. No problemo.”
Rafael van der Vaart enjoys an interesting career, to say the least. Always searching for balance. First being the new superstar of Ajax, later being severely critized. Then all the injuries, his public life and his marriage to a Dutch starlet. And everytime the pressure was on, Rafael excelled on the pitch.

He is only 24 years old, but he is a thoroughbred that needed to accept that sometimes, the body says no… He’d like to play every match, be the best and score goals, but it isn’t to be, and he seems to be able to accept that now.

“Injuries no longer determine my mood. I enjoy life, every single aspect. The injuries, and the ridiculous media attention. “I’m cool with magazines like Bild. These guys gotta live too. I make time for them and treat them well, and they treat me right.”

He seriously wants to stay with Hamburg SV. He discussed that with van Basten, and the Dutch team manager supports him. “I think I can grow stronger in Hamburg. I can differentiate myself in a team of hard workers. It may not sound that attractive, but I am becoming a man here. And, I have to say, I like it at HSV. It’s a club with warmth, with very nice people.”

So, no Bayern Munich? “Well, Beckenbauer said I would fit well in the Bayern team. That’s quite a compliment. But that’s all. I know HSV wants me to stay and I do not have a clause in my contract stating I can leave for a certain amount.”

“At the end of 2009, a year before my contract expires, my transfer sum will be 1.5 Mio Euro.”

Van der Vaart read in the papers recently, that if he signs a new contract with HSV, he could make as much as 3 Mio Euro a year. “Yeah, that would make me the biggest earner in the team. I think that information is correct, actually. That kind of information is pretty open in Germany.”

Sar made his comments also about Van der Vaart’s friend Wesley Sneijder. What does Rafael think about his progress. ” I really don’t know, to be honest. I don’t follow Ajax that well. We often play at the same times, and I don’t always watch football on tv. I’ve got a private life too, you know. But…he scored 14 times as a midfielder. I think you’re doing well, then….”

If Sneijder and Van der Vaart talk, it’s mostly about fatherhood. They don’t talk about Sneijder’s possible transfer to some big club. “No, you know…I didn’t do that either. I mean, once it’s relevant you start thinking and talking about it. No sooner…”

Van Basten was seen tallking and laughing with Rafael on the training grounds. What did he ask? “Actually,” a smiling van der Vaart answers, “he asked me if I was going to have fun at the game tonight. I like that attitude. Relaxed and all. Not that I will be doing all sorts of circus tricks, but I do want to have fun and take the initiative…”

“But this week was a lot of fun already. The amount of “football” we have in the group is awesome. It’s like a dream to be in a team with Sneijder, Seedorf, Robben… I think we could all play together even. As long as we know how to act if one of us goes up front… I can play more controlling, and so can Wesley. Even as a right winger I didn’t do so bad, right?”