Facts: - caps: 117 74 58 63 78 0 - nationalyears: 1998 2001 -- -- 1999 1999 -- 2000 2000 -- 2001 - youthclubs: de kennemers ajax - ntupdate: 19 november 2013 - birth date: 11 february 1983 - clubs: de betis kennemers ajax real madrid tottenham hotspur hamburger sv - nationalcaps: 13 8 4 109 - currentclub: betis - caption: van . der vaart at practice with hsv in 2014 - height: 1.76 m on - nationalgoals: 5 2 2 25 - name: rafael van der vaart - nationalteam: netherlands u17 netherlands u19 netherlands u21 netherlands - birth place: heemskerk , netherlands - position: attacking midfielder - fullname: rafael ferdinand van der vaart - years: 1987 2010 -- 2012 2012 -- 2015 2015 -- -- 1993 1993 -- 2000 2008 -- 2010 - clubnumber: 23 - youthyears: 1987 -- 1993 1993 -- 2000 - pcupdate: 4 june 2015 - image: rafael van der vaart 2014.jpg - goals: 52 30 11 24 16 0 Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of rafael van der vaart .
A:
rafael ferdinand van der vaart -lrb- ; born 11 february 1983 -rrb- is a dutch footballer who plays for spanish club real betis and the netherlands national team as an attacking midfielder .van der vaart began his career at afc ajax 's youth academy and worked his way into the first team , debuting as a 17-year-old .his impact was so stunning that he was hailed as the new johan cruyff .he was named dutch football talent of the year and became the first recipient of the golden boy award while at the club .he moved to bundesliga club hamburger sv , then to real madrid , then on to tottenham hotspur before returning to hamburg in 2012 .van der vaart is well known for his passing and long range shots , and the capacity to use both feet well .following his performances in the premier league in the 2010 -- 11 season with tottenham hotspur , van der vaart was nominated for the pfa players ' player of the year award , along with team-mate and eventual winner , gareth bale .