Drifted Off and Awoke to...

Van der Vaart suggests that the striker seems incapable of playing football “eight out of ten times.”
The former Real Madrid player believes Haaland deserves recognition as “one of the best of all time,” despite his doubts.

Rafael van der Vaart, the former Netherlands international , has shared that he finds Erling Haaland both fascinating and perplexing, while also acknowledging his status among the elite strikers in football history.

Having played alongside numerous world-class athletes during his tenures at Real Madrid, Tottenham, and the Netherlands national team, Van der Vaart is uniquely positioned to judge some of the sport’s most esteemed players, having been recognized as one of the most technically adept midfielders of his time.

The way Van der Vaart speaks about Haaland highlights the contradictions that have characterized the Manchester City forward’s career. He is an athlete who consistently defies typical football logic, yet still manages to produce astonishing statistics and memorable moments that challenge all skepticism.

“I didn’t dream of this in my life” – Erling Haaland reacts to Norway’s stunning World Cup win over Brazil

Haaland’s remarkable FIFA World Cup journey with Norway has intensified the discourse surrounding his legacy in the sport, as he has netted seven goals throughout the tournament, including two against Brazil in the Round of 16—an outcome Van der Vaart candidly admits he did not anticipate based on the first half.

These observations come at a time when Haaland’s performances in North America have firmly established him within the dialogue about the greatest strikers of his generation and beyond, making Van der Vaart’s insights both timely and engaging.

Van der Vaart: “I went to sleep and woke up seeing he scored two goals”

In an interview with AceOdds.com, Van der Vaart expressed his difficulty in positioning Haaland within the realm of elite strikers, and his genuine uncertainty points to an issue that many analysts have refrained from discussing so directly.

“For me, it is very tough to say whether you are the best or one of the best strikers of all time when talking about Erling Haaland,” he reflected. “Also, it is so difficult to analyze a striker like him. I will explain to you why, because when I see him for a whole game, I am watching him and I think to myself 8 out of 10 times that the guy can’t play football at all.”

Van der Vaart then referenced Norway’s match against Brazil as an apt example of this phenomenon: “But all of a sudden, ‘boom, boom, boom’, he is there. For me, that is such a big quality. That is an unbelievable mental strength to have. When I watched the first half against Brazil, he didn’t touch the ball. I went to sleep, and I woke up seeing that he scored two goals. He didn’t touch one ball in the first half!”

Addressing whether he personally views Haaland as the finest striker in the world, he replied, “Will I personally say he is the best striker? No, because I like strikers who can do a lot of things with the ball, but his numbers, his mental strength and his power… Of course, you have to mention him as one of the best – also of all time – but it is difficult to explain when talking about a player like him.”

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He concluded with a personal anecdote that resonates with anyone who has struggled to reconcile what they observe with a player’s output: “When I watch him play when I am with my wife, I always say to her, ‘look at him, he lost the ball again,’ but then she says to me that he scored two times, and I just don’t know what to say. Of course, I am super jealous that he is not Dutch. He reminds me a bit of Roy Makaay. He was like that too; he did not really contribute to the game, but he was a crazy finisher. It is a big quality, and I respect him a lot.”

What does Van der Vaart’s assessment reveal about Haaland’s standing in football history?

The comparison to Roy Makaay provides insight from a player who has competed alongside and against some of the most exceptional strikers in European football, with the former Bayern Munich forward known for being one of the most natural finishers of his time, despite having a similarly understated impact on a match outside of his striking moments.

The fact that Van der Vaart references Makaay instead of a more renowned name highlights an essential aspect of Haaland’s genius—one that is less about finesse or involvement in the game and more about the almost mystical talent to arrive at pivotal moments with an ease and strength that trivializes any lack of activity on the field.

For Manchester City and Enzo Maresca, discussions surrounding Haaland’s identity as a footballer are well understood by fans and coaches alike, with the striker’s impressive goal-scoring record at the Etihad Stadium rendering the philosophical discussions about his game play secondary to the primary goal of winning.

Whether Haaland can quiet even the most articulate critics with a World Cup winner’s medal in North America remains to be seen, but Van der Vaart’s honest and nuanced analysis captures the unique enigma surrounding one of football’s most intriguing figures.