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Damián van der Vaart
Dutch footballer (born 2006) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Damián van der Vaart (born 28 May 2006) is a Dutch footballer currently playing as a winger for Jong Ajax.
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Early life
Van der Vaart was born in the Dutch municipality of Zaanstad to former Dutch international footballer Rafael van der Vaart and Dutch television personality and model Sylvie Meis.[2] He is of Dutch and Spanish descent through his father, and Dutch, Indonesian and Belgian descent through his mother.[3][4] Following his parent's separation in 2013, he remained in Germany with his mother.[5]
Club career
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Following his father's move from London-based club Tottenham Hotspur to German side Hamburger SV in 2012, van der Vaart joined the academy of fellow Hamburg-based club SC Victoria.[6] During his time with SC Victoria, the club was sponsored by his mother's company, Meis Enterprise.[7]
In July 2020, van der Vaart moved to Denmark to live with his father, joining the academy of Esbjerg - the last club his father had played for, and the club his father's new partner, Estavana Polman, played handball for.[8][9] A year after joining the Danish 1st Division side, on his fifteenth birthday in May 2021, he signed a new contract, keeping him with the club until 2023.[10] He made his unofficial debut for the club in February 2022, while his father was a member of the coaching staff.[11]
On 6 September 2023, van der Vaart joined another of his father's former clubs, returning to the Netherlands to join Ajax on a free transfer, with a compensation fee being agreed between Ajax and Esbjerg.[2][12][13] He had trialled with the Eredivisie side three months prior, and on signing a one-year deal, he stated: "I am very happy. It was always a dream of mine to play for Ajax."[14] On 7 January 2025, Van der vaart extended his contract with Ajax until 2029 with a plan to integrate him to Ajax's U23s.[15] On 8 August 2025, he made his professional debut with Jong Ajax as a substitute in a 2–0 Eerste Divisie loss to FC Den Bosch.[16]
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International career
Born in the Netherlands, Van der Vaart is eligible to represent the Netherlands and Indonesia at international level, due to his mother's Dutch East Indies heritage.[17] He made his debut for the Netherlands under-17 Futures side, composed of players not yet eligible to represent the full under-17 squad, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Luxembourg in February 2023, before going on to also feature in a 2–0 loss to Belgium.[18][19]
References
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