In 2023, Damián van der Vaart switched from the Danish Esbjerg fB to Ajax. The 18-year-old son of Rafael van der Vaart currently plays for Ajax under 19.
According to director of football affairs Marijn Beuker, Damián’s development is progressing as expected. “Damián has developed very well since coming to Ajax. The next step is to join Young Ajax,” says Beuker on the Ajax website.
Just like his father, Damián is an attacking midfielder with excellent kicking technique. The only difference from his father is that he is right-footed, while the senior was left-footed.
Rafael van der Vaart sees a lot of potential in his son. “I almost dare to say that his right leg is better than my left,” he said in conversation with ESPN. The former midfielder played a total of 156 games for Ajax between 2000 and 2005, scoring 61 times.