The 30-year-old believes one of two other high profile candidates were more deserving winners, while claiming Bayern Munich’s second XI would win the Bundesliga
Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says Franck Ribery or Marco Reus should have been named Germany’s Footballer of the Year and not Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The Bayern Munich man was given the award last month, with the decision raising several eyebrows amid suggestions the 29-year-old had not done enough across the entire campaign to win the prize.
And Van der Vaart believes two other high profile candidates were far more deserving of the accolade on the back of their performances in 2012-13.
“Schweinsteiger is obviously a top player, but I would’ve chosen either Marco Reus or Franck Ribery. I like them both very much,” he told Bild.
The 30-year-old former Tottenham man added his belief that Bayern will retain their Bundesliga crown at a canter, claiming they could still lift the title even if they fielded a virtual second string side.
“Bayern Munich have a squad full of Galacticos,” Van der Vaart told Bild.
“I think that even the B-team of Bayern would have a great opportunity of winning the league.”
The Dutchman then spoke about the delight it would bring him if Hamburg were win their first German trophy in 26 years this season.
“If we won I would clean the entire trophy cabinet in the HSV museum and polish all the existing trophies to a high gloss,” he said.
“We might not be the best team in the country but why not win a trophy? Stuttgart reached the DFB-Pokal final last season and proved there is a chance.”
Van der Vaart joined Hamburg in 2012, having spent another spell there between 2005 and 2008.
At international level he has made 105 appearances for the Netherlands, scoring 23 times.