Dutch midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart was a joy to watch during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, as his wand of a left foot provided assists and goals in stadiums up and down the Premier League.
Since he left London, Van Der Vaart has struggled to recapture the form he enjoyed, and he was even voted the most disappointing player in the Bundesliga last season as voted for by the other players in the league. Ouch.
Hamburg barely avoided relegation last season by managing to win a ridiculously close relegation playoff, but Rafael was always going to move on, and upon signing for his new club Real Betis, he has revealed the biggest regret of his career, and took a pop at AVB in the process:
It was a stupid decision, the most stupid in my career to leave Tottenham. I absolutely regret it because it was the best two years in my football life.
It was a little to do with everything, it was private things, but also when what's his name [Villas-Boas] came and said to me 'you're not my number one' and I had played two years, unbelievable. So for me it was really strange that he said that to me. So then I said, 'well, it's better to leave' and that is what happened.
"What's his name", a nickname we had previously not heard for Andre Villas-Boas.
Van Der Vaart will look to have an impact in La Liga next season with Betis, but you rarely hear players admit they have regrets in their careers, especially as adamantly as the former Dutch international.
via Sky Sports News.
