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The Fan
Oranje supporter Pepijn de Boer explains how he learned to become a Van der Vaart fan
“Yessssssssssss, Raffiiiiiiiieee!!!!”
It’s Saturday evening, 8 October 2005. I cry out his name like never before and I mean it. Rafael’s superb goal, to give Holland a 1-0 lead in Prague against the Czech Republic has just guaranteed my eternal admiration.
I’m sitting in a small kitchen in the east of Amsterdam, surrounded by friends who mostly aren't as fanatical as I am – the only one who is supports the Czechs, in fact. My outburst of emotion is about a lot more than just that one goal. Of course I’m excited by the fact it’s taken the Oranje to the brink of the 2006 World Cup finals; and it’s sweet revenge for the 3-2 defeat to the Czechs at Euro 2004. But most of all I’m happy because I’m allowing into my heart a player who I’d previously wondered about. I was no longer looking at a mercurial talent but a world-class footballer. The redemption of a great promise for Dutch football’s future.
When I first started watching Rafael closely, I used to get annoyed by his tendency to get involved in rows. By the summer of 2005, he was a key player for Holland and could have gone anywhere he wanted, including his beloved Spain. He picked SV Hamburg. I still don’t know why, but I do know I’ll always be grateful for it.
The Bundesliga turned out to be exactly what he needed. The standard’s lot higher compared to the Eredivisie, the duels are harder and they run a lot more. Above all, there’s discipline. You see the captains telling their young teammates off when they threaten to misbehave. That night in Prague he confirmed what I call his second breakthrough: becoming a rounded and energetic playmaker. What a shame his sublime lob in the second half didn’t go in. Since that day I’ve always prayed that Rafael stays free of injury and is in the Oranje starting XI.
For the last few years at HSV he’s been scoring one fabulous goal after another. Even when things don’t work out or when he’s not making the headlines, you know that, sooner or later, he’ll be back. His calm almost carefree seeming demeanour makes me believe he knows perfectly what he's doing. Fully focused; passionate but at the same time unflappable. That's how a top footballer should be.
Some players make a virtue of being two-footed. Raf doesn’t need to. Why should he when his left foot is such a lethal weapon?
Decisive goals like his winner for HSV away at Bayern Munich last season, or genius ones like his strike for Holland against Andorra when he turned 180 degrees before releasing a tauntingly slow lob that crept inside the far post. And then there are the passes… like the one to Van Bronckhorst that set up the magical counter attack for our second goal against Italy at Euro2008.
One of Raf’s favourite lines when asked to talk us through these moments of genius is “I can’t really explain it…” Dear Raf, I can explain: it’s because you are Holland’s best ‘lefty’ ever. Please let us enjoy your genius for a long time to come. Especially now, when even your stamina is becoming one of your weapons, nothing can stop you from becoming a legend. I believe in you!
It’s Saturday evening, 8 October 2005. I cry out his name like never before and I mean it. Rafael’s superb goal, to give Holland a 1-0 lead in Prague against the Czech Republic has just guaranteed my eternal admiration.
I’m sitting in a small kitchen in the east of Amsterdam, surrounded by friends who mostly aren't as fanatical as I am – the only one who is supports the Czechs, in fact. My outburst of emotion is about a lot more than just that one goal. Of course I’m excited by the fact it’s taken the Oranje to the brink of the 2006 World Cup finals; and it’s sweet revenge for the 3-2 defeat to the Czechs at Euro 2004. But most of all I’m happy because I’m allowing into my heart a player who I’d previously wondered about. I was no longer looking at a mercurial talent but a world-class footballer. The redemption of a great promise for Dutch football’s future.
When I first started watching Rafael closely, I used to get annoyed by his tendency to get involved in rows. By the summer of 2005, he was a key player for Holland and could have gone anywhere he wanted, including his beloved Spain. He picked SV Hamburg. I still don’t know why, but I do know I’ll always be grateful for it.
The Bundesliga turned out to be exactly what he needed. The standard’s lot higher compared to the Eredivisie, the duels are harder and they run a lot more. Above all, there’s discipline. You see the captains telling their young teammates off when they threaten to misbehave. That night in Prague he confirmed what I call his second breakthrough: becoming a rounded and energetic playmaker. What a shame his sublime lob in the second half didn’t go in. Since that day I’ve always prayed that Rafael stays free of injury and is in the Oranje starting XI.
For the last few years at HSV he’s been scoring one fabulous goal after another. Even when things don’t work out or when he’s not making the headlines, you know that, sooner or later, he’ll be back. His calm almost carefree seeming demeanour makes me believe he knows perfectly what he's doing. Fully focused; passionate but at the same time unflappable. That's how a top footballer should be.
Some players make a virtue of being two-footed. Raf doesn’t need to. Why should he when his left foot is such a lethal weapon?
Decisive goals like his winner for HSV away at Bayern Munich last season, or genius ones like his strike for Holland against Andorra when he turned 180 degrees before releasing a tauntingly slow lob that crept inside the far post. And then there are the passes… like the one to Van Bronckhorst that set up the magical counter attack for our second goal against Italy at Euro2008.
One of Raf’s favourite lines when asked to talk us through these moments of genius is “I can’t really explain it…” Dear Raf, I can explain: it’s because you are Holland’s best ‘lefty’ ever. Please let us enjoy your genius for a long time to come. Especially now, when even your stamina is becoming one of your weapons, nothing can stop you from becoming a legend. I believe in you!
