White Hart Lane playmaker is excited about return to the Bernabeu.
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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart admits facing his former club Real Madrid is exactly the draw he wanted.
The 28-year-old endured a frustrating two years at the Bernabeu before moving to Spurs last summer for £8million.
The Dutch international has been an instant favourite this season helping the club into the Champions League quarter-finals in their debut season in the tournament.
Van der Vaart looks forward to taking his new team-mates to his former club and seeing some old friends.
“I was happy when the draw was made,” he told the club’s website.
“I had hoped this would happen because it will be fantastic to go back to Madrid.
“I have a lot of friends there and it will be great to see them all. It’s a big game, first leg away which is good for us, so I’m happy.
“For me, it’s the biggest club in the world. Of course Barcelona are the best team in the world at this moment, but you can feel the history and how big the club is when you arrive at the stadium.
“The Bernabeu is fantastic. It’s a great pitch, the stadium holds 90,000 and it’s a fantastic feeling to play there. I played there for two years and had a great time there, so it’s a dream to be going back.”