Real Betis sign Rafael van der Vaart for next 3 seasons
Well, nobody saw this coming.
Bulking up for their return to La Liga, newly promoted Real Betis signed Rafael van der Vaart to a three-year contract on Monday, a deal that will keep the well travelled midfielder at the Estadio Benito Villamarin until he's 35 years old.
El Real Betis firma a Rafael van der Vaart para las tres próximas temporadas #BienvenidoVanDerVaart
http://t.co/hGq6n3NIMw
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis) June 15, 2015
A great deal of speculation had surrounded Van der Vaart's future after Hamburger SV CEO Dietmar Beiersdorfer announced in March that Van der Vaart would not receive a contract extension at the end of the season, bringing an end to one of the most prolific careers ever witnessed at the Volksparkstadion.
Van der Vaart is a shell of the player he was five years ago, but Betis will obviously be hoping he can find a shade of the form that made him so devastating at Real Madrid.
111 - Rafael van der Vaart recorded a goal (11) or assist (13) every 111 minutes when he played in La Liga (2008-2010). Comeback?
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) June 11, 2015
Here's video of Van der Vaart putting pen to paper on his new contract: