“All my bones hurt. I can hardly move anymore.”
That was Rafael van der Vaart (41)’s first assessment the day after the sensational charity match between the legendary teams of Liverpool and Ajax Amsterdam (4:2) at Anfield Stadium.
The former HSV captain put on football boots again five and a half years after his last league appearance for Esbjerg fB (Denmark): “I was even in the starting line-up and lasted 30 minutes. Despite all the love, it couldn’t have been any longer.”
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The legendary home of Liverpool FC even electrified the 2010 World Cup runner-up. The Dutchman: “It was really a great experience. Around 60,000 spectators came to the stadium for this encounter. Simply world class.”
Goosebumps too, as the legendary Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp (56) fulfilled a big dream for his terminally ill ex-colleague Sven-Göran Eriksson (76), who is suffering from pancreatic cancer, and had him coach the Reds for the 90 minutes . “I cried,” said the former England coach. “I think everyone was a winner today and it was beautiful, absolutely fantastic, unbelievable.” And van der Vaart added: “A great thing and gesture from Liverpool FC.”
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Foto: Getty Images
Eriksson looked after a selection of former Liverpool players at Anfield, including Jerzy Dudek (51), Sami Hyypiä (50) and Dirk Kuyt (43). The proceeds from the charity game will be donated to local institutions that are primarily committed to education and social issues.
NO ONE expects that! Brilliant HSV free kick
Source: Image17.03.2024
Van der Vaart, who currently lives in the Romanian capital Bucharest because his partner Estavana Polman plays handball there for Rapid Bucharest and otherwise works as a TV expert for Dutch television, always has good memories of the Liverpool stadium.
The left-footer scored for Tottenham in a 2-0 win on May 15, 2011, adding a right-footed shot to give them a 1-0 lead: “When I think about that, I still get a shiver of joy down my spine today. A great moment in my career.”
2024-03-24 16:11:25
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