Van Der Vaart ‘not here selling shirts’

Rafael Van Der Vaart disputes he is at Real Betis only to sell shirts and says Pepe Mel ‘thinks like a Dutch Coach.’

Van Der Vaart returned to La Liga in the summer, signing for newly-promoted Betis as they are one of the clubs nearest the home of his Spanish grandmother, who was present at his unveiling.

“I feel at home. The fans treat me with love and Seville is a bit like Hamburg. The town is very nice…the heat is the only difference!” he said in an interview with AS.

“Football is the best job in the world. Few people get to live out their childhood dreams, as I’ve done.”

It was put to the former Real Madrid midfielder that Betis signed him in part for publicity, a claim he strongly rejects.

“I might seem friendly but I’m more competitive than most. I want to win, score goals and get back in the Netherlands team,” he argued.

“For that, you have to do more than sell shirts.”

Asked for his impressions of Mel, his Coach at Benito Vilamarin, Van Der Vaart was complimentary and offered an insight into training.

“At Hamburg I was running 12km a game. I don’t mind sacrificing but I’m a player who needs the ball,” he noted.

“I’ve been training as a second striker, yes. That’s where I’ve played most of my career. I’m very happy.

“I played a few months at Hamburg as a ‘No 6’ and on the right for Tottenham.

“I don’t know what Mel has planned for me but as a No 10 I almost always score goals and play final passes.

“Mel thinks like a Dutch Coach, getting a lot of players ahead of the ball. He talks with the players a lot and I feel good with him.

“I like to live in the present. Play for Cadiz? Maybe in the future. My family is from Chiclana and now I’m living in Seville.”

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