Former Tottenham and
Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has retired, aged 35.
The former Netherlands international, who played
in the 2010 World Cup final defeat by Spain, enjoyed an 18-year career that
began with Ajax.
He joined Danish side Esbjerg in August, but
injury restricted him to three appearances.
"It wasn't an easy decision to say goodbye to
the game I love the most," he said on
Twitter.
"But words can't express how grateful I am
for those 18 wonderful years of professional football. Thank you all."
Van der Vaart accompanied the post with a montage
of his playing career, to an instrumental version of Frank Sinatra's My Way.
He made his debut for Ajax at 17, making 117
appearances and winning the Eredivisie title twice, before moving to Hamburg in
2005.
The Dutchman then joined Real Madrid in 2008,
before leaving for Spurs two years later, where he played 67 times, scoring 24
goals, and then rejoined
Hamburg in 2012.
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