According to English media outlet sportwitness, Rafael van der Vaart admitted that leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Hamburger SV in 2012 was not the right choice.

The former attacking midfielder's illustrious professional career spanned 18 years, from 2000 to 2018, which included two stints with the German club and two years at Tottenham.

During his first spell with the Bundesliga side, he made 113 appearances between 2005 and 2008, scoring 48 goals and providing 32 assists.

The Dutchman's performances earned him a move to Real Madrid, where he played 73 matches for the La Liga club, contributing 12 goals and 13 assists.

Van der Vaart represented the Netherlands at the 2010 World Cup, where the team lost to Spain in the final. After the tournament, Real Madrid sold him to the Premier League side.

Harry Redknapp was Tottenham's manager at the time, and Rafael van der Vaart played under him during his entire spell in England.

The former Ajax player was a fan favorite in London. In 2012, he left Tottenham Hotspur to return to Hamburger SV, who had finished 15th in the Bundesliga during the 2011/12 season.

Although it wasn't the right decision from a sporting perspective, he was determined to return to the German club.

Rafael van der Vaart appeared on the podcast "Phrasenmächer," with his statements reported in Tuesday's print edition of Bild.

When asked which transfer he would reverse now, he said: "It sounds strange now, but I don't think going back to Hamburger SV was sensible. I was at my peak at Tottenham. I wanted to help Hamburger SV, and I was thinking: they won't get relegated. My heart has always been with Hamburger SV, but from a sporting perspective, it wasn't the best decision."

Van der Vaart's second spell at Hamburger SV lasted three years. In 2015, he moved to Real Betis, having contributed 18 goals and 23 assists during this period.

When asked to grade his performance during his second stint at Hamburger SV, Van der Vaart explained: "I would give the first year a 1. The team was always at the bottom of the table, and in my opinion, the quality at the start of the season wasn't good enough."

"Later, we completely turned things around. Players like Adler, Diekmeier, and Jansen were in the team. The second half of the season was also good, but the last 18 months were tough."

"As captain of such a club, with the team almost getting relegated — I can only give myself a 6."

Bild uses the German school grading system: 1 means very good, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, 4 is adequate but with deficiencies, 5 is inadequate, and 6 is poor.

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