Rafael van der Vaart has been won over by Hans Vanaken, who has been a fixture for Club Brugge for years. "He is proving that I got it completely wrong," the Ziggo Sport analyst said before Tuesday's Champions League clash with Aston Villa.
A few years ago, around an international between the Netherlands and Belgium, Van der Vaart was brutally critical of Vanaken. "Everywhere I hear Vanaken, Vanaken, Vanaken... Well, he really can't do anything at all. A lump of wood."
Back then, Van der Vaart was far from convinced by the 34-year-old. "You can see that he looks a bit wooden. That put me off a bit at first," the former midfielder admitted in his assessment of the Belgian veteran.
Now, though, Van der Vaart has completely changed his view of the Club Brugge captain. "He is now proving that I saw it completely wrong," the North Hollander admitted as he revised his opinion of Vanaken.
"Every match he plays with so much control and footballing intelligence. And he also has good vision. I have become a huge fan of him," Van der Vaart added.
Since joining Club Brugge in 2015, Vanaken has made 571 appearances. The attacking midfielder has scored 152 goals for the Belgian giants and also provided 115 assists.
For Belgium, the Club Brugge captain has won 40 caps. Vanaken scored at the last World Cup in the round of 16 against the United States, a 4-1 win. Belgium's World Cup ended in the quarter-finals, where eventual world champions Spain proved too strong.