Van Marwijk: Rafael will play at Real Madrid

Rafael van der Vaart will get his playing time in Madrid, is what team manager Van Marwijk thinks. “I think he made the right choice.”

“He decided to stay at Madrid and he knows he takes a risk, but on the basis of what he told me, I do feel he’ll play his games there. Enough at least for him. I think he’s capable of making his own decisions. He knows the offers that were on the table and he made the right choice. Because it’s his choice. And he obviously also took his private situation into account. These things have more angles than “a nice club” or “a good paycheck.”. Players need to be trusted to make their own decisions, these are normally the best decisions.”

The 70 times capped international has confidence in Pellegrini. “The coach told me I will play. Maybe not everything, and maybe not everything as a starter, but probably enough to stay in rhythm. And if not, there’s always January…”, Van der Vaart said.

“With Wesley and Arjen gone, we lost quite some creative players. My leaving wasn’t necessary anymore. I know it sounds weird to the outside world, but this is football. You have to accept that. Because if you don’t, you need to move. It’s that simple. Now it’s my time to show them wrong. They told me that I’d get my chances and that they do need creativity in midfield. I will give them the benefit of the doubt. And if I grab my chance, than I’m happy. I still think it’s great to play at Madrid. We’ll have so many games to play, it feels right for me.”

“And I really didn’t want to go to the clubs that put offers in. I still have nine months to go before the WC starts. I’m confident I’ll stay in shape and I can see a future for myself at Madrid.”