Promoted Betis sign Van der Vaart on three-year deal

MADRID (Reuters) - Promoted Real Betis have signed Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart on a three-year contract to bolster their top-flight ambitions next season.

Promoted Betis sign Van der Vaart on three-year deal

(Reuters)





The Seville-based club secured a return to La Liga last month after one campaign in the second division and the 32-year-old, who joins on a free transfer from Hamburg SV, is their first acquisition of the close season.

A product of the Ajax Amsterdam youth academy, Van der Vaart has made 109 appearances for Netherlands, taking part in two World Cups and three European Championships and scoring 25 goals but he was not included in their most recent squad.

After leaving Ajax in 2005 he joined Hamburg before moving on to Real Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur and then returning to the German club that narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Van der Vaart told a news conference on Tuesday he was aiming to put a disappointing spell at Hamburg behind him and that he wanted his place back in the Dutch team.

"Betis is a great club and I am happy to come to the best league in the world," said the midfielder whose maternal family hail from Andalusia.

"I have had two poor years at Hamburg but I still believe I am a good player. I was talking to the coach and we want to win the league."

Betis finished 11 points adrift at the bottom of La Liga in 2013-14 before coach Pepe Mel returned in December for a second stint in charge following a troubled spell at English club West Bromwich Albion.





(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Tony Jimenez)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world