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Real Madrid's star player Rafael van der Vaart honed his soccer skills in a caravan park
Rafael van der Vaart
Born: February 11, 1983
Chinese horoscope: Pig
Nationality: Netherlands
Club: Real Madrid
Previous clubs: Ajax, Hamburger SV and De Kennemers
Position: Attacking midfielder
Squad number: 23
Speciality: free-kicks, all-round skills
10 things you need to know about him.
1 His nickname is Raffie but his fans prefer to call him 'Little Angel'.
2 He lived in a caravan until he was 17.  He practised football tricks in the caravan park. 'It felt more like a house,' he says.
3 His mother Lolita comes from Spain, so he could play for the Spanish national team. His  grandparents still live in Andalucia.
4 Brazilian Romario is his favourite soccer player. Van der Vaart is also a fan  of  Dutch  journalist,  Peter Rudolph de Vries.
5 Van der Vaart changed his squad number from 19 to 23 after teammate Wesley Sneijder took the number 10 jersey of former teammate Robinho. Robinho left Real Madrid for Manchester City in the English Premier League.
6 Van der Vaart has set up a charity  called Villa Pardoes. It's a holiday home for seriously ill children. Check out www.villapardoes.nl.
7 He is a keen tennis fan. Pete Sampras is his tennis hero.
8 Orange, the colour of the Netherlands' national team, is his favourite colour. He also loves the TV series 24 and sushi.
9 Van der Vaart married Sylvie Meis in 2005. She is a leading Dutch actress, model and TV presenter. His first birthday present to Sylvie was an Ajax shirt with his name on the back.
10 He scored his first hat-trick for Real Madrid  on  September 24 this year.  To watch the match go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=OigErfASMnw.



Just call me 'Little Angel'