Harry wanted a car, he got a van
Posted Sunday, January 30, 2011 by The Sun
RAFAEL VAN DER VAART has poked fun at high-flying Tottenham's amateurish training facilities and their old-fashioned traditions.
And in his most revealing interview ever, the Dutch star also tells all about:
Harry Redknapp's shock at his arrival.
The crazy money in football.
His sexy wife Sylvie.
And the handsome David Beckham.
Van der Vaart kicked off this remarkable insight into his private world by joking about the very basic set-up of Spurs' Chase Lodge training camp.
He grinned: "The locker rooms here - they remind me of my old amateur football club.
"There are wobbly wooden benches and you have to stand with your back pressed against the shower pipe or you don't have any warm water after three seconds.
"But I love all of it.
"And I know there are plans to build a new hyper-modern training ground, but they don't have to if it is up to me."
The £8million summer signing is also amazed that Tottenham's young prospects are forced to clean the boots of the big stars.
He revealed: "The young guys here still polish the boots of the players who play regularly.
"When I was a reserve at Ajax that was never ever an option for me.
"Just imagine if Aron Winter was asking me to polish his boots!
"I would ask him if he had lost his mind.
"But here it is still a tradition."
Van der Vaart is clearly delighted to be at White Hart Lane, even if his transfer deadline-day switch from Real Madrid came as a huge shock to boss Redknapp.
The Dutchman explained: "Tottenham played it smart.
"Real Madrid wanted £20m for me but, when the transfer period was coming to an end, the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy managed to cut that transfer fee in half. But Harry Redknapp didn't know anything about it.
"Levy called Redknapp afterwards to tell him he had a gift waiting for him.
"Harry told me afterwards he thought he was getting a new car or something like that - until I turned out to be the gift."
The 27-year-old then got serious for a moment as he addressed the issue of the incredible salaries paid to footballers.
He insists his motivation has never been money. And the Spurs star even went on to question the huge wages paid by some clubs to average players.
Van der Vaart said: "In the locker room we never talk about money, but we know a normal person has less money.
"And I know what normal people earn because I'm an ordinary guy and I know how hard my brother has to work for a normal salary.
"And sometimes I watch what other players can do and see how good they are and then you hear what they earn - well, it is a shame. Then you hear that their clubs are in the red!
"Yet they are still signing new players - now that's crazy.
"I can imagine that the supporters can't understand such things.
"Now I like to earn a lot of money, that's normal.
"But if I played only for money then I'd have to go to Qatar.
"So it is not the most important thing in the world.
"The most important thing is to be happy with my wife."
Van der Vaart is very proud of his wife Sylvie, who is a huge TV star in Germany.
And he tells how he is often ignored by fans who only want to speak to his missus.
He said: "My wife is the face of Microsoft, Gillette and L'Oreal.
"And in a little while I'll be just the husband of Sylvie because she is more important than I am. She is so famous in Germany - you just can't imagine how popular she is there.
"Last week, we went to the theatre in London and, when we arrived, there was a coach full of German tourists there.
"I went to sit down and have a cup of tea and just watched as every German wanted to have a picture taken with Sylvie.
"And I remember once I went to a TV studio in Germany where she had the show Supertalent.
"Amazing. She is a massive star in a country with 80million people.
"Me, I can walk whistling through every street in Germany when I'm alone.
"But I can't walk on the street with Sylvie."
The famous couple have been compared in Holland to the Beckhams - but Van der Vaart dismisses such a notion.
He said: "When you play football and have a famous wife everyone calls you 'The New Beckhams'."
And it just so happens he is rubbing shoulders most days with one half of the famous Beckham partnership - David.
The former England captain is training at Spurs before rejoining LA Galaxy for the new MLS season.
Van der Vaart declared: "David Beckham is class, no one has a right foot like Beckham.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has everything but Beckham is a world star who's greater than anyone.
"Messi will never be as big as Beckham, even though he is one of the best players at this time.
"Beckham is more than football. He is handsome, a good businessman and he has all the glamour.
"Yet when he sits next to you in the dressing room he's just an ordinary guy. He's very kind, very normal and a lovely chap."
Photos
More»
Eugenie Bouchard sends fans wild in barely-there bikini
Friday April 19 2024
Paige Spiranac shows off underboob in new racy snap
Friday April 19 2024
Ex-Barcelona WAG strips completely naked
Thursday April 18 2024
Your Say