Van Der Vaart will take on former World Cup runner-up Per Laursen in the Masters
Thursday 2 May 2019 17:43, UK
Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is set to make his BDO debut in the Denmark Open and Denmark Masters this weekend.
Van der Vaart's name appears on the entry list for the events in Esbjerg, where he lives with partner Estavana Polman, a local handball star.
His brother Fernando is also entered for the tournaments, which take place on May 4 and 5, along with BDO leading lights including Scott Mitchell, Dean Winstanley and Andy Hamilton.
Van der Vaart has taken part in celebrity events before, teaming up with fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in January at the Celebrity Darts Championship where they were beaten in the final.
The 37-year-old called time on his professional football career last November after only four months playing for Esbjerg's Danish Superliga club, citing recurring injuries for his decision to retire.
Van der Vaart played more than 500 senior games in a career that saw him represent Ajax, Hamburg, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Real Betis and FC Midtjylland.
He was also part of the Spurs Legends side which took part in the second test event at Tottenham's new stadium against Inter Forever last month.
Van Der Vaart, who played 109 times for his country, will take on Thomas Andersen in the Open and former World Cup runner-up Per Laursen in the Masters.
