Rafael Van Der Vaart Had A Bizarre Contract Clause That Stopped Him Wearing Red Boots

Rafael van der Vaart had a bizarre clause in his Real Betis contract that meant he was paid €114,429 for not wearing red boots.

Van der Vaart was best known for his spells at Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, the latter where he became a cult hero for the team, despite staying for just two years.

After leaving north London he moved back to Hamburg and then in 2015 joined newly promoted Real Betis, for their return to La Liga, on a free transfer.

It was certainly considered a coup for Los Verdiblancos at the time, and the Dutchman signed to a pretty lucrative deal, with a weird twist.

According to theversed.com, the midfielder was banned from wearing red boots and earned 14 separate payments for following the rules meaning he pocketed €1,602,006 overall.

The report claimed that the reason for the clause was due to Betis' rivals with Sevilla, who are associated with the colour, and because Van der Vaart often changed the colour of his boots they felt the need to include the clause.

Van der Vaart wearing red boots for Real Madrid. Image: PA Images

The midfielder's weird clause wasn't exactly the first odd part of a footballer's contract, with Ronaldinho only signing for Flamengo in 2011 because he was allowed to go clubbing twice a week.

Van der Vaart's dream move back to Spain was disappointing as he made just seven appearances for Betis before moving to Danish side FC Midtjylland in 2016.

After two seasons for the Danish Superliga side, in which he only played 20 games, he moved to their Danish rivals Esbjerg fB in 2018.

The move suited his life as his partner Estavana Polman plays for the handball team Team Esbjerg in the same area of the country.

He played just a few games there before retiring, and is now making his name as a pundit.

Van der Vaart with his handball Dutch national team playing partner. Image: PA Images

The 39-year-old has become pretty outspoken as a pundit, previously ripping into Harry Maguire over his performances for Manchester United.

Van der Vaart also criticised Lionel Messi earlier in the season, saying the seven time Ballon d'Or winner should be 'ashamed' of his performances for PSG.

Topics: La Liga, Rafael van der Vaart, Real Betis

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28