"I don't know what it is" - Van der Vaart claims every player in the world including ones from Barcelona want to play for Real Madrid

Former Real Madrid attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart recently made the revelation that most players in the world want to play for the LaLiga giants. While he admitted that he does not know the reason behind it, even players from Real's arch-rivals Barcelona wish to play wearing the white kit.

The Dutchman spent two seasons at Madrid and scored 12 goals in 73 appearances. He also provided 13 assists during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 41-year-old also played for Tottenham Hotspur in his stellar career and scored 28 goals in 77 appearances.

"Real Madrid is the club everyone wants to play for, I don't know what it is about them, but it's much more than Barcelona. Every player in the world, also the players from FC Barcelona, want to play for Real Madrid. I am 100% sure," said van der Vaar to TalkSport.

Van der Vaart won the Supercopa da Espana with Real Madrid but missed out on winning a LaLiga title. However, he won the Eredivisie on two occasions with Ajax as well as the Danish Superliga with FC Midtjylland.

To add to this, Van der Vaart has a FIFA World Cup runner-up medal with the Netherlands in 2010.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are tackling each other for the 2024-25 LaLiga title

Real Madrid and Barcelona, as has been the case historically, are tackling each other for the 2024-25 LaLiga title. At the time of writing, Barcelona are ranked right at the top of the standings with 37 points to their name, while Madrid are perched upon the second spot with 33 points inside their kitty.

The two teams will be keen on battling against each other till the very end. The first El Clasico of the season was won by Barcelona 2-1, while the second is scheduled for May 11, 2025, towards the end of the Spanish season.

About the author

Mohul is a senior football, cricket and Olympic Sports writer at Sportskeeda, and has been in the organisation for more than 7 years. Some of his best work includes over a hundred exclusive interviews with famous sports personalities, insider talk and transfer speculations. He has also covered the entirety of the 2023-24 ISL season, Kalinga Super Cup and 2023-24 Pro Kabaddi League from the ground.

An MBA degree holder in Finance, Mohul is also a professional cricketer and is currently in the reserves for Hyderabad’s Ranji Trophy team. He’s also played league football in Hyderabad.

His football interest sparked after watching countless Rahim League matches at the Gymkhana and supporting the State Bank of Hyderabad. He grew up hearing stories about the legendary Syed Abdul Rahim and his incredible football team of the 1960s, which had a big influence on him. He has admired Manchester United’s dominance in English and European football as well.

Tennis star Leander Paes, Olympic gold-medalist Abhinav Bindra, cricketing legend Rahul Dravid and football star Chinglensana Singh are Mohul’s favorite athletes. He is a staunch Hyderabad FC supporter, and Sahil Tavora’s 88th-minute equalizer in the 2021-22 ISL Cup final against Kerala Blasters is one of his favorite footballing moments. Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Olympics also had a huge impact on Mohul.

In his work, he strives to write relevant, accurate and unbiased stories by conducting thorough research. When not working, Mohul enjoys reading books and listening to heavy metal and rock music.

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Edited by Ankush Das