<a href="http:\/\/www.bundesligatalk.com/hamburg-captain-van-der-vaart-transfers-to-real-madrid/49/rafael-van-der-vaart/" rel="attachment wp-att-50" title="Rafael van der Vaart"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="http:\/\/www.bundesligatalk.com/hamburg-captain-van-der-vaart-transfers-to-real-madrid/49/rafael-van-der-vaart/" rel="attachment wp-att-50" title="Rafael van der Vaart"></a></figure></div>It’s finally official, Rafael van der Vaart the Netherlands midfielder and Hamburg’s captain is on his way to Real Madrid pending the results of a medical. The Bundesliga’s own version of the Ronaldo affair has come an end. Although the clubs themselves have not released the details regarding the transfer fee, reports in the German media estimate it at an initial 13 million Euros. This fee would increase to 15 million depending on how successful the Spanish champions are over the next several seasons.
Hamburg’s website has a <a href="http:\/\/www3.hsv.de/index.php?id=24046" title="Rafael van der Vaart Interview in German" target="_blank">farewell interview</a> available. Unfortunately it’s only in German. Just in case the club does not provide an English version of its own the interview has been (quickly) translated* below:
Hsv.de: Rafael, last night Hamburg and Real Madrid agreed to your transfer. You will sign a five-year contract with the Spanish record champions. How are you feeling right now and how happy are you that things have finally cleared up?
Van der Vaart: I’m doing well. The transfer was agreed upon late in the night. It took a long time and was uncertain for quite a while, but now everything’s cleared up. I’m happy about that, but also a bit sad. It was a nice time. As I come back here, see everything once more and have to say my goodbyes, well, that’s a strange feeling.
Hsv.de: You always stressed that your dream was to play for a club like Real Madrid. What kind of expectations do you have of Spain?
Van der Vaart: I hope that everything works out like it did with the transfer to Hamburg. You have to realize that it’s a completely different team. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and the fulfillment of a dream of mine. I would like to play many games and be important to the team in Madrid. That naturally depends on both my own performance and the success of the club. I’m looking forward to it.
Hsv.de: You were quite stressed the past few days. Has that now changed?
Van der Vaart: I’m still stressed. So many new things are hitting me. I’m flying to Madrid this same day, tomorrow is the medical and official unveiling. These are all nice things, but naturally I’m anxious.
Hsv.de: Over the weekend at the Emirates Cup you were able to observe your new teammates up close. Had you already had contact with them, specifically with your Dutch colleagues and have they already begun clowning around with you in London?
Van der Vaart: Naturally I spoke often about [transferring] with Wesley Sneijder, for example, but it’s something else when you meet up in the stadium. They already had some fun: come over here or go into our dressing room. But I was still a Hamburg player and so behaved like one. I knew that the clubs were in negotiations.
Hsv.de: Bernd Hoffman proved himself to be an uncomprimising negotiator. How did you experience the back and forth over the last several days?
Van der Vaart: It was exciting. It was my absolute dream and a big career goal of mine to go to Real. Hoffman, naturally and like we all know, negotiated uncompromisingly. But Hamburg also earned its money.
Hsv.de: You weren’t in the starting lineup at the Emirates Cup. Many fans were angered by this decision. Can you explain this?
Van der Vaart: It was a joint decision with the trainer [Martin Jol]. I had so much going through my mind. In that condition you aren’t able to help the team. Naturally people will ask, “why does he want to go, why to Real?” But anyone looking in his heart [knows] it’s a dream to play for a club like that.
Hsv.de: You can look back on three wonderful and successful years at HSV. What are you going to take from this time?
Van der Vaart: It was, without question, a super time. It was the best decision of my footballing career to come to Hamburg. I experienced three wonderful years, received a lot of love, enjoyed many beautiful moments. There were highs and lows, but the fans were always there, that was the best. A single look into the stadium and you know that.
Hsv.de: Your wife felt quite comfortable in Hamburg as well. In addition, your son was born here. Are they both going with you to Madrid?
Van der Vaart: They both are coming along tonight. Sylvie will come back in a few days, because she has to return to work. But they’re both moving to Madrid in order to support me.
Hsv.de: Now it’s time to say farewell. Are you leaving with mixed feelings and is there anything else that you’d like to say to the fans?
Van der Vaart: It pains me to move away as well. Especially when I think of the fans. They always supported me even during the bad times, especially during the Valencia affair. I had goosebumps every time I played here. When you leave of course it’s easy to say, “Hamburg will always stay in my heart,” but it’s honestly so and will remain that way. I think Hamburg and I will meet again, maybe as a trainer or as a player, but in any case as a fan. I can only say thanks for everything!
Hsv.de: We would also like to thank you and wish you and your family good luck in your travels.
* – I replaced HSV with Hamburg throughout and made some other minor edits.

Hamburg Captain van der Vaart transfers to Real Madrid - World Soccer Talk

Hamburg Captain van der Vaart transfers to Real Madrid

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The Guardian’s Barney Ronay wrote an excellent <a href="http:\/\/blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/06/13/the_parasites_feasting_at_euro.html" target="_blank">article</a> this week about ticket scalpers at Euro 2008. While in Zurich, I didn’t see one scalper. But the minute I walked off the train in Bern on the day of the Holland against Italy match, there were scalpers everywhere.
That day, I probably saw about 20-30 different scalpers. As Ronay said in his article, none of the police bothered the scalpers so they were free to roam the street soliciting people for tickets. There was a dozen of them roaming around the train station. One of my favorites was the bloke wearing a “I Love Soccer Moms” T-Shirt.
Along the journey to the stadium, we walked past supporters haggling with scalpers regarding ticket prices. Several of the discussions became quite heated over the veracity of the tickets and whether they were legitimate tickets or not. I’m by no means an expert on ticket scalping, but I was curious about the scalpers who were handing their potential customers cellphones. I’m not sure whether this was for them to call to confirm that the tickets were real or not, but it seemed an unusual way to do business.
About three hours before the match was scheduled to begin, scalpers were offering 750 Swiss Francs (equivalent of $750) for tickets. The face value of the tickets was $130 (at least mine was). Goodness knows how much the $750 price increased by as it got closer to kick-off time.

Tales Of Euro 2008 Ticket Scalpers - World Soccer Talk

Tales Of Euro 2008 Ticket Scalpers

Here’s a brief video I shot of the <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/euro-2008-adventure-day-three-bern/2347" target="_blank">Dutch friends</a> we made in Bern. It’s one of those delightful football songs that’s almost impossible to get out of your head after you’ve heard it.
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Hup, Holland, Hup - World Soccer Talk

Hup, Holland, Hup

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It was a night to remember for the Dutch and neutral football fans, and a nightmare Italian supporters will hope to soon forget. For those of us who were there at the stadium, myself included, it was by far the most entertaining match of the tournament and an incredible experience.Of course, the topic that everyone is talking about is the controversial goal by Ruud van Nistelrooy. Sitting fifteen rows back from the touchline directly behind the assistant referee who deemed the goal to be onside, the whole incident unfolded in front of my eyes. To be fair, the Dutch attack happened so quickly and the ball moved with such speed that it was difficult to make the quick second decision whether the goal was offside or not.My first inclination was that the goal should have been deemed offside, but full credit should be given to the assistant referee for noticing that Panucci kept van Nistelrooy onside.The moment that the ball went into the net I leaped out of my seat but kept my eyes firmly affixed on the assistant referee convinced that he was going to raise his flag. But he kept it down and the referee raced back to the halfway line and the goal stood.The immediate reaction from the Italian fans who were directly behind the goal where van Nistelrooy scored was outrage. The Italians fans whistled at the referee. Then a minute later, the big screen TVs situated throughout the stadium showed a replay of the goal from a couple of different camera angles, which seemed to confirm in the eyes of the Italian fans the injustice their team had just experienced. The whistles and boos became louder, but the damage had been done.Interestingly at half time, the highlights of the first half were shown on the TVs inside the stadium again. But this time, the producers only showed one camera angle for the goal instead of several. Perhaps they didn’t want to infuriate the Italian supporters any more than they had already done.After the match was over and I sat on the train, I chatted with EPL Talk reader Oleg Zhovnir who joined me for the game. My impression was that I wasn’t so sure, as everyone else had been, that the goal was offside. I mentioned that I’d love to see the TV replay again to take a closer view. It was only later that night after going online did I read that the assistant referee had, in fact, made the correct decision.Again, full credit to the referee and assistant referee for making the correct decision under pressure. Let’s hope that the level of officiating remains as good as it has been thus far in the tournament.Stay tuned to EPL Talk over the next 12-24 hours for more coverage, photos and audio from EPL Talk’s trip to Euro 2008.

Holland Gives Ruud Awakening To Italy: First Person Account - World Soccer Talk

Holland Gives Ruud Awakening To Italy: First Person Account

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Euro 2008 hasn’t even started yet, but that hasn’t stopped so many pundits who have been writing off Holland’s chances of success in the tournament. The critics keep on pointing at the Dutch defense as a weakness, but what they’re forgetting is the Oranje’s power in midfield and up front.An integral part of that attack will be Dutch left winger Wesley Sneijder. Born in Utrecht, the 23-year-old midfielder plays his football week-in week-out for Real Madrid. The Dutch winger, who can also play on the right, was such a pivotal player in Real’s success this past season. So often Sneijder floated balls from the left wing into the box with inch-perfect crosses and passes to clinical finishers such as fellow Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy, Raul and Robinho — to name just a few.The Netherlands has the difficult task of getting out of their first round group, nicknamed the Group Of Death. Opponents that Sneijder and his teammates will be going up against are Italy, Romania and France.Over at <a href="http:\/\/www.Euro2008Statistics.com" target="_blank">Euro2008Statistics.com</a>, the web site rates “the left-footed strike of the Netherlands’ Wesley Sneijder” among the best of the best in the tournament. Capped by his country 43 times (with 8 goals), Sneijder has made 30 appearances for Real Madrid and scored an impressive 9 goals.Left footed players are a rare quality. Just ask England. While the Netherlands are arguably weak in the back, the Dutch should be able to counter that by maintaining more possession in midfield and scoring more goals. Wesley Sneijder, the Dutch winger, will be a key component of Holland’s success.

Debate: Who&#039;ll Be Your Player Of Euro &#039;08? - World Soccer Talk

Debate: Who'll Be Your Player Of Euro '08?

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>I have an extra ticket to the Italy vs Netherlands game at Euro 2008 scheduled for Monday, June 9th in Berne, Switzerland. If you’re interested, please email me privately at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com before midnight on Monday, June 2nd with your name, passport number and postal address (UEFA is asking for the details in order to issue the ticket).If you have frequent flyer miles to burn, or if you live in Europe and you want to make the trip to the Swiss capital to see two of the best teams in Europe, this could be the chance of a lifetime to watch a massive match in person with me, The Gaffer.

Free Ticket to Italy vs Holland At Euro &#039;08 - World Soccer Talk

Free Ticket to Italy vs Holland At Euro '08

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>EPL Talk will be at Euro 2008 bringing you a first-person account of what the atmosphere is like as well as the latest news and analysis. I’ll be there for three days and have a ticket to the Italy against Holland match on Monday, June 9 in Berne, the Swiss capital. Depending on availability, I’ll try to squeeze another game into my itinerary.
I may have an extra ticket to the Holland against Italy match. So if you’re serious and interested about going and would be able to confirm that you can go by tomorrow (Monday, May 25), send me an e-mail at thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com.
More news about EPL Talk coverage from Euro 2008 will definitely be revealed in the coming days. I can’t wait!

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Hamburger SV

Hamburg Captain van der Vaart transfers to Real Madrid

General

Tales Of Euro 2008 Ticket Scalpers

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Hup, Holland, Hup

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Holland Gives Ruud Awakening To Italy: First Person Account

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Debate: Who'll Be Your Player Of Euro '08?

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Free Ticket to Italy vs Holland At Euro '08

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Breaking News: EPL Talk Is Going To Euro 2008