Friday 25 November 2016 08:35, UK
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has given us his #One2Eleven of stars he has played with.
Van der Vaart was a product of the Ajax academy and having established himself at the Dutch giants, was named captain by Ronald Koeman in 2004 in a team with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
A No 10 for the Dutch national team, Van der Vaart was signed by Real Madrid in 2008 following a successful spell at Hamburg and made 58 La Liga appearances over two seasons.
Tottenham brought Van der Vaart to the Premier League in 2010, where he was part of what he describes as "one of the best teams in Europe", playing alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.
The 33-year-old is now with Danish side Midtjylland following a second spell at Hamburg and a season with Real Betis.
Van der Vaart, who picks a "Dutch 4-3-3", tells us who makes his XI...
Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar
He has everything. He was good with his feet, he was tall, he was a leader in the dressing room. In training I was looking at the goal and thinking wow, where do I have to shoot it?
Right-back: Sergio Ramos
It's not his best position, but when I played for Madrid he was there. At that time he was 21, 22, and I can remember I was impressed about his positive arrogance. He knew how good he was. At that time he made many mistakes, but was very strong and a good captain. When you see what he has won, World Cups, Champions Leagues, he deserves the place.
Centre-back: Jaap Stam
I've never met someone that down to earth. He was not the biggest talent, but he was so strong, like a machine. Everyone was scared of him. It was a privilege that you knew he was at the back because even Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a little bit scared of him. I was always happy to be on the same team as him because he was so strong and so clever.
Centre-back: Cristian Chivu
I played with him at Ajax and at that time we were both young players, had really good contact. He was a really nice guy, always asking about your family. He had a fantastic left foot. It was a pity when he had to quit football.
Left-back: Maxwell
Marcelo, the way he plays, is a lot like Roberto Carlos, but in the end I chose Maxwell because he is probably the nicest guy you've ever met. He didn't say much, but how he played, when you looked at him football was easy. He was quick but also light-footed, it was amazing to watch.
Centre-midfielder: Luka Modric
I played with him at Tottenham and at the time, we had one of the best teams in Europe. He was playing behind me and it was so easy to play football because he was a player who knew how to play between the lines. He always tried to find me with the outside of his foot. We had some great games together and he is one of my favourite midfielders. When he left for Madrid he asked me how it is, and I said it is very difficult. But when you look at him now I think he is the most important player at Madrid.
Centre-midfielder: Guti
He was not always in the starting XI, but when I think I have good vision in the game, to see passes that no one sees, for me he was the king of doing that. He was so talented.
Centre-midfielder: Rafael van der Vaart
I have to put myself at No 10 when I see this team.
Right-winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
He's a really nice guy. A lot of people hate him when they see him playing football. It's an attitude, he needs that to be a great player. I had a great relationship with him. He wanted to play with me. What he's doing at Madrid, scoring so many goals and so important, it's amazing.
Left-winger: Arjen Robben
Gareth Bale? I have to keep the fans in Holland happy! Robben is an amazing player, really down to earth. In Holland, we say like a farmer. It's unbelievable what he is still showing at his age. He deserves the place on the right wing.
Striker: Patrick Kluivert
I played with so many great strikers, Zlatan, Raul, [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, Peter Crouch was amazing! Patrick Kluivert was, for me, absolutely the best striker in Holland. His skill, his natural talent, of course off the pitch you could say he was not the biggest professional, but as a striker I know how difficult it is to keep the ball, to score the goals. For the national team I scored four or five goals because he has the eye of a No 10.
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