Rafael van der Vaart Anticipates Kees Smit’s Call-Up to Dutch National Team

Rafael van der Vaart is confident that Kees Smit will soon receive a call-up to the Dutch national team. The AZ midfielder is considered a ‘gem’ by the analyst, although Pierre van Hooijdonk also expressed some critical remarks following the match between AZ and PSV.

During the Studio Voetbal program, a compilation was shown highlighting Smit’s actions during the AZ-PSV encounter. Van der Vaart initially made a lighthearted comment, suggesting, “In his situation, I would have focused more on the scoreboard.” PSV ultimately triumphed with a score of 1-5, leading Van der Vaart to take a more serious tone. He stated, “If you are truly good, you naturally keep an eye on your surroundings as a midfielder. He is simply the biggest talent in the Netherlands.”