Rafael Van der Vaart has revealed that it was made clear to him as soon as he signed for Tottenham what the North London Derby meant to Spurs fans and that his legacy would live on forever if he played well against Arsenal.
Despite having spent just two years at White Hart Lane, Van der Vaart is afforded a legendary status at Tottenham by some fans.
While that was mainly down to the passion that he showed for the shirt, it can be argued that his performances in the North London derby helped solidify his status at the club.
The Dutchman always turned up against the Old Enemy, scoring four goals in three starts against the Gunners, and he has now admitted that he was extremely up for the game, having quickly understood what the game meant in this part of the world.
Rafael Van der Vaart opens up on the North London Derby
Van der Vaart told Tottenham’s official website: “I always said to every player who comes to a club, ‘you need to understand what’s important for the club’.
“I was told, ‘Rafa, there is one game, and this is it, if you do well in this game, you’ll live forever here’. I kept that in my mind. At the end of the day, I didn’t grow up here, but then you notice on the streets how it means so much.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“I always said to every player who comes to a club, ‘you need to understand what’s important for the club’… I was told, ‘Rafa, there is one game, and this is it, if you do well in this game, you’ll live forever here’. I kept that in my mind. At the end of the day, I didn’t grow up here, but then you notice on the streets how it means so much.”
Perhaps the enduring memory of Van der Vaart in a Spurs shirt for many fans is him wheeling away in celebration after scoring a penalty at the Emirates and shushing the home crowd.
That penalty came in Tottenham’s memorable 3-2 win at Arsenal’s home ground in 2010, which still remains the last time the Lilywhites won at the venue in the Premier League.
Spurs found themselves 2-0 down at half-time but scored three in the second period to stun Arsene Wenger’s men, with Van der Vaart scoring one and setting up the other two.
Speaking about that fixture, the 41-year-old said: “Winning there 3-2 after not winning there for so long. That was so special. I remember the first half, it was maybe my worst game ever! I was so bad. At half-time, we were losing 2-0. Harry (Redknapp) came in, told us to sit down and listen, he made one substitution, and everything changed. It was like two different games in one day, and we won.
“Taking the penalty… the pressure I felt at that moment, knowing we hadn’t won there for almost 20 years, was incredible. After taking the penalty, I was so relieved because, to be honest, I was so nervous. After the third goal, I thought, ‘wow’. To see how much it meant for the fans… I knew it was a big game, but I never realised it was so deep.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Van der Vaart’s best performance against Arsenal was not in that game but in the 3-3 draw at White Hart Lane the subsequent season, where the Dutchman netted a brace. He was nearly unplayable that evening, looking dangerous whenever he got on the ball.
The former Netherlands international was like a man possessed every single time a North London derby came along and you could tell by the way he celebrated those strikes just how special they were to him.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
