Early Life
Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Dutch father and a Spanish mother from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz. Before joining AFC Ajax, he played for a local club called De Kennemers based in Beverwijk. He grew up on a caravan park living a "gypsy life" and often pretended to be Romário while playing football. He watched the English Premier League as a youth. It was at the caravan park that he learned how to play football and, at the age of 10, he joined the AFC Ajax Academy. Van der Vaart has said of his upbringing, "That was the way my family lived. My father was born there and it is a lifestyle. Maybe it is not a normal lifestyle but I always liked it. I always played football on the street. It was an easy life, then I was 10 years old and went to Ajax and played there for almost 12 years."
Read more about this topic: Rafael Van Der Vaart
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