Rafael van der Vaart

I love to play big games, it makes you a bigger player.

— Rafael van der Vaart

At home, I make the decisions.

— Rafael van der Vaart

I can imagine playing in America.

— Rafael van der Vaart

I think the Premier League is the best league in the world.

— Rafael van der Vaart

Andre Villas-Boas wasn't the ideal coach for me.

— Rafael van der Vaart

When I lose the fun in football, it's better to quit.

— Rafael van der Vaart

I didn't want to be the next version of any player - I wanted to establish my own name.

— Rafael van der Vaart

Leaving Tottenham was not by best choice but, apart from that, there haven't been too many regrets in my career.

— Rafael van der Vaart

Twenty-seven is a great age to play. There is so much ahead of you.

— Rafael van der Vaart

When you put something on Instagram, the English people are always so positive. As a player, you need that.

— Rafael van der Vaart

I like to relax and watch TV and play with my little boy. I like to play some tennis as well.

— Rafael van der Vaart

Best football player I played against? I think Messi. He killed us.

— Rafael van der Vaart

The way I played, Tottenham was the best phase of my career. It's always a warm feeling when I think back.

— Rafael van der Vaart

Football is important but it's not the most important thing.

— Rafael van der Vaart

You have to believe in yourself. Belief is one of the biggest things in football. If you believe you can win the…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I think it's important to know what you're going to do with the ball before it comes to you. So you're always…

— Rafael van der Vaart

But Tottenham is pure football and pure people... nice, warm people. That's why I like Tottenham. And everybody who comes to the…

— Rafael van der Vaart

Holland I think is the best school to learn football. I think its a great league for that because it's not the…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I never had anything against Arsenal, but when I joined Spurs I tried to learn about the club's traditions and I soon…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I like to play football, and of course I like to play for Tottenham, but I try to enjoy every game because…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I've always said the one change that would've been nice is if I'd been a bit faster - like fast enough to…

— Rafael van der Vaart

Every time I walked into White Hart Lane, I got goosebumps. I felt so privileged to play there, to make the people…

— Rafael van der Vaart

My idol was always Romario. He was playing in Holland at the time and I loved him. His skills, technique, I loved…

— Rafael van der Vaart

When I was younger, I always knew I was a pretty good player, but it was impossible to foresee how far I'd…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I'm not a player any more, I'm a fan, and I want to see somebody who wants to win and wants to…

— Rafael van der Vaart

Andre Villas-Boas wasn't the ideal coach for me. He bought Gylfi Sigurdsson and then told me he would be his new No.10.

— Rafael van der Vaart

One of my biggest role models was David Beckham because of how he performed on and off the pitch.

— Rafael van der Vaart

I think it's a good match, Dutch players playing in England.

— Rafael van der Vaart

The play-maker is the most difficult position because you have to always know where everyone is on the pitch.

— Rafael van der Vaart

When your relationship is good, you can tell somebody the truth.

— Rafael van der Vaart

If you start thinking about stats it can get too complicated and you just have to go out there and play your…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I think you have to play your own game and sometimes people don't realise that the play-maker runs the most kilometres on…

— Rafael van der Vaart

I always try to enjoy the game. It is easy to say but it's true. Every game is different, sometimes you feel…

— Rafael van der Vaart

It's really important that when you come to a club, you know the history. My dream was always Real Madrid or Barcelona,…

— Rafael van der Vaart

When I was young, the best moment came when I was 10 and I got invited to the academy. I remember getting…

— Rafael van der Vaart