Rafael van der Vaart is adamant he still has a lot to contribute to Netherlands after stating that he still believes in his own ability ahead of Euro 2012.
The 29-year-old has been a regular in the Dutch national team since his breakthrough in 2001, amassing 93 caps along the way, including a World Cup final appearance in South Africa two years ago.
However, Wesley Sneijder's rise to prominence with Inter coupled with the continued excellence of Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have cast doubt over the player's role in Poland and Ukraine.
Van der Vaart told Algemeen Dagblad: "I've heard it so long now. Since I came through at Ajax, 'can Wesley [Sneijder] and Rafael play together or not'.
"Sometimes it does cross your mind, but I have now played almost 100 matches [for Netherlands].
"I know what I can do, and I will do everything to play, but I will not lose myself in all the speculation, there's no point. The boss [Bert van Marwijk] will pick 11 players, so I'll either play or I won't.
"I can be deployed in several different positions, on the left, on the right, as a No.10 or somewhere deeper. Regardless of where I play, I will do what is best for the team."
Netherlands have been drawn in Group B for Euro 2012 alongside Denmark, Portugal and Germany.
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Rank | Team | W/D/L | Pts |
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Cities & Stadiums
The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments
Year | Winners | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Spain | Germany | Russia / Turkey |
2004 | Greece | Portugal | Netherlands / Czech Republic |
2000 | France | Italy | Netherlands / Portugal |
1996 | Germany | Czech Republic | France / England |
1992 | Denmark | Germany | Netherlands / Sweden |
1988 | Netherlands | Soviet Union | Italy / West Germany |
1984 | France | Spain | Denmark / Portugal |
1980 | West Germany | Belgium | Czechoslovakia |
1976 | Czechoslovakia | West Germany | Netherlands |
1972 | West Germany | Soviet Union | Belgium |
1968 | Italy | Yugoslavia | England |
1964 | Spain | Soviet Union | Hungary |
1960 | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Czechoslovakia |