Rafael van der Vaart obliterates 'useless' England star as Dutch media erupt after Spain inflict Euro heartbreak

Van der Vaart stuck the boot in after England lost the final in heartbreaking fashion

Dutch pundit Rafael van der Vaart can't believe 'useless' Declan Rice cost Arsenal nearly £100m as he rubbed it in after the Euro 2024 final.

England went down 2-1 to Spain in heartbreaking fashion in Berlin and the Dutch media have been covering it extensively. One, because it's right next door in Germany, and two, because they came so close to the final themselves, only for Ollie Watkins' late winner in the semi-final to set up an England vs Spain showdown.

There as a note of smugness about Van der Vaart on Dutch TV channel NOS, then, as he discussed the English performance in the final. And he singled out Rice, who was shown up in the midfield battle against the likes of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Martin Zubamendi. Rice, who Arsenal paid around £100m to sign from West Ham a year ago, wasn't the best.

And Van der Vaart, a legend at Arsenal's rivals Spurs, reckons he's 'useless.' He said: "€100M for Declan Rice. What does he do? He comes to collect a ball only to pass it back to John Stones. He is useless. If you are truly worth €100M, then you should be able to play a ball forward."

Broadcaste NOS published 6 different articles on Spain's victory over the night while their TV coverage went on to close to 11pm local time. Van der Vaart was also quizzed on Jude Bellingham, but had a more sympathetic verdict for the Real Madrid megastar.

He said: "Jude Bellingham is not someone who's there for the smooth touches, he's just a strong lad who keeps going 90 mins long. The number 10 on his back is debatable. Sure, he can wear a number 10, but for me he is not a number 10."