Former Ajax midfielder reveals he turned down move to Liverpool

Former Ajax midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to sign for Liverpool.

The 39-year-old, who represented Ajax's first-team between 2000-05, claimed that Gerard Houllier (Liverpool manager at the time) wanted to sign him when he was a youngster.

However, as you can read below, Van der Vaart had no desire to join the Reds.

The Dutchman told Ziggo Sport the following: “Gerard Houllier was there (at Liverpool) when I was eighteen. He called me.

“However, a transfer to Liverpool was never a serious option. I liked my mother’s frikandeltjes too much, so I said: ‘no no no no no, I don’t want to. Please, leave me at Ajax!’

“Houllier was really disappointed. But I immediately said in the conversation: ‘I like (the offer), it’s nice but I definitely don’t want to go to Liverpool.’”

Anfield Watch Verdict

Van der Vaart did go on to play for Tottenham Hotspur between 2010-12. The midfielder found the back of the net 28 times and registered 18 assists in 77 appearances, which highlights that he was more than good enough to play for a big club in England.

Therefore, Van der Vaart could have proven to be a decent player for Liverpool. However, it wasn't to be.

Besides, if Van der Vaart was not fully invested in signing for the club, we are glad that he did not join.

It is common knowledge that players don't tend to perform too well if they are not 100 percent happy in their environment. Going by Van der Vaart's comments, he wasn't ready to leave home.

The Dutchman was only 18 years of age at the time, so we can understand why he didn't end up joining the club.

Van der Vaart retired from professional football back in 2018.