Van der Vaart gave up joining Liverpool because of his mother's great cooking

Former Netherlands international Rafael Van der Vaart has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join Liverpool as a teenager.

The ex-Premier League star, who shone for Tottenham Hotspur after joining from Real Madrid, started his career at Ajax and it was here that then Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier attempted to lure him to Anfield after the youngster impressed during a tournament in Amsterdam.

But speaking to Ziggo Sport after Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg, the 39-year-old said that he turned down the advance, citing his mother's cooking as reason to stay at home.

Van de Vaart said: “Gerard Houllier was there when I was eighteen. He called me.

“However, a transfer to Liverpool was never a serious option. I liked my mother's frikandeltjes too much, so I said: 'no no no, I don't want to. Please, leave me at Ajax!'

“Houllier was really disappointed, but I immediately said in the conversation: 'it's nice but I definitely don't want to go to Liverpool.'”

A frikandel is a skinless deep-fried sausage made of chicken, pork and beef.

Despite turning down the advances of Liverpool, Van de Vaart would eventually arrive in England, signing for Tottenham on transfer deadline day in August 2010.

He would go on to make 63 Premier League appearances for Spurs, scoring 24 goals and was firmly established as a fans favourite.

Van der Vaart was working as a a television pundit for Ziggo sport at Anfield when he made the admission.

Although Liverpool lost 1-0 to Inter Milan on the night, the Merseyside club held a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in the San Siro and advance to the quarterfinal stage 2-1 on aggregate.