Rafael van der Vaart has revealed that Jose Mourinho’s honest assessment helped him make the decision to leave Real Madrid for Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs signed the Dutch attacking midfielder in 2010 and he was a fan favourite at White Hart Lane during his two-year stint before he left for Hamburg in 2012.
The Dutchman also spent two seasons at Real Madrid, but Mourinho sold him to Tottenham during his first summer transfer window as manager at the Bernabeu.
Van der Vaart has no hard feelings towards the former Real Madrid boss and insisted that he liked the honesty with which the Portuguese dealt with the situation.
The Dutchman revealed that Mourinho was straightforward about his position in the squad and made it clear that he should leave the Spanish giants in order to play more.
Speaking about Mourinho, Van der Vaart told Spanish daily Marca: “I like him a lot because of how he is. He is very direct.
“In Holland, we like people who are direct. He can tell you, ‘you won’t play’.”
He continued: “Yes, he was [honest with me].
“He told me, ‘Rafa, you have to leave as we have Kaka and other players. The best thing is you leave and play more in another team’.
“And that’s why I went to Tottenham.”
Van der Vaart called time on his playing career in November last year following a short stint at Danish club Esbjerg.
