Rafael van der Vaart admitted he has reached "the absolute low point" of his career after not making Real Betis' squad for Tuesday's 4-0 Copa del Rey defeat to local rivals Sevilla.
Van der Vaart's second stint at Bundesliga club Hamburg came to an end last summer when they chose not to offer the Netherlands international a new contract. He then returned to Spain, where he had previously played for Real Madrid, and signed for newly-promoted Betis on a three-year deal.
However, partly due to injury, Van der Vaart has found regular first-team football hard to come by, having made just nine competitive appearances since his arrival.
Speaking to Bild following his omission from the squad for the cup tie against Sevilla, the former Tottenham midfielder conceded that his career has hit rock bottom.
"I have to say that I have reached the absolute low point of my career," Van der Vaart told the German newspaper, which reported that Betis interim coach Juan Merino's decision to omit the player had also "surprised" the rest of the squad and left the Dutchman "shocked."
"I want to play," Van der Vaart added, while leaving open his future at Betis.