Football
ESPN staff 9y

Real Betis' Rafael van der Vaart: Leaving Tottenham was stupid

Rafael van der Vaart has said he would have returned to Tottenham this summer had they made an approach, telling the Daily Mirror that leaving White Hart Lane was the "most stupid" decision of his career.

Van der Vaart, 32, joined Real Betis on a three-year deal last month after his contract at Hamburg expired.

The Dutch midfielder had left Spurs to return to the German side, where he excelled between 2005 and 2008, but he failed to live up to expectations as HSV spent the last two seasons battling relegation.

The former Real Madrid man said he now firmly regrets the decision to leave North London in 2012.

"It was a stupid decision, the most stupid in my career, to leave Tottenham," he said. "I absolutely regret it because it was the best two years in my football life.

"When you see that team -- when you have [Gareth] Bale, [Luka] Modric, me, [Aaron] Lennon -- it was an unbelievable team. I think every game we played we were the better side. We had a lot of possession and a lot of fun with each other."

He also praised former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who left the club shortly before Van der Vaart.

"He was like your dad," the midfielder said. "I would give everything for that man -- I was really sad when he left. I think the England job would have been the best job for him and also for England."

He said he made the decision to leave after Redknapp's successor, Andre Villas-Boas, told him he would not be a key player.

"It was a little to do with everything," he said. "It was private things, but also when what's his name [Villas-Boas] came he said to me, 'You're not my number one,' and I had played two years, like, 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."

Van der Vaart, who was voted the most disappointing player in the Bundesliga last season, made the decision to return to La Liga with Betis when his HSV contract expired this summer.

He has family ties to Betis and said he had little hesitation over the move, but would have re-joined Tottenham had they expressed an interest.

"Because I didn't have a contract, I almost tried to come back," he said. "Then Betis came and I decided to come to Betis, but Tottenham was always special.

"But if [Spurs] had wanted me, I would have gone. But Betis came and the decision was quite quick: Betis."

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