Rafael van Der Vaart Has "A Special Love" for Real Madrid

Since the playmaking Dutchman made his move from the Bernabeu to White Heart Lane last summer van der Vaart is considered to be the bargain of the season. His creativity and vision along with his all out attacking mentality have greatly reinforced Tottenham’s image as one of Europe’s most exciting teams. 

Although all is not well at the van der Vaart household as he explains to the London Metro paper.

'Little Damian (his son) is the best thing in my life. He speaks Spanish and English but is always saying to me '"why don't we have a pool here? There's no sun here. It's not the same as in Madrid."

"We have a special love for Madrid. Going back to play at the Bernabeu is a dream for me. It's going to be special." He continues in reference to the upcoming Champions League fixture between Tottenham and Real Madrid.

These comments will raise the odd Tottenham fan’s eyebrow, especially as it follows recent speculation that the midfielder had clashed with manager Harry Redknapp over being substituted continually before the international break. It is worth to note that there have been reports rubbishing these claims and that van der Vaart has stated on numerous occasions that he is very happy at Tottenham.

It will be interesting to see how his love for the Spanish giants will affect his performance next Tuesday. Perhaps it will inspire him to show Real manager Jose Mourinho what he gave away instead of an under performing Kaka. But the mystery for Tottenham fans and even the Tottenham back room staff, is whether he is playing to burn his bridge with Real Madrid or to build a new one. Only time and more exciting football will tell.