Van der Vaart remains loyal to Spurs

Tottenham’s Rafael van der Vaart has insisted he will not leave White Hart Lane if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Spurs have occupied a top-three position for much of the season but an untimely blip has put their qualification for the Europe’s elite club competition in doubt.

If Harry Redknapp’s side do fall short, there is a risk their top players like Luka Modric, Gareth Bale could leave North London in the off-season.

But van der Vaart said he has fulfilled most of his football goals and is happy with life in the English capital.

He told The Sun: “Even if we don’t manage to get into the Champions League that is no reason for me to leave.

“Any young player wants to play for Barcelona, Manchester United or Real Madrid. But that is something I’ve done, and I am now happy at Spurs.”

The former Real Madrid man also revealed he came close to walking off the pitch during their game with Stoke, which they lost.

“During our game at Stoke I really thought I was going to walk off after 25 minutes,” he said.

“They did nothing but batter us, tackle and hit long balls. It is totally not my style, although they got a result with it.”