Van der Vaart slams Dutch critics of Atletico Madrid striker Depay: First one blamed is always Memphis

Rafael van der Vaart has jumped to the defence of Atletico Madrid striker Memphis Depay.

Depay missed a penalty in Holland's thrashing by France in their opening Euro qualifier.

But Van der Vaart said: "Of course he misses penalties, but it's also sad that there's no one else willing or able to take them.

"Look, I think the same with Messi. He is the best player of all time, but he also missed a lot of penalties. He gets behind the ball every time, but there is no one who says: 'let me shoot it'. I don't compare Memphis with Messi, but he's a bit like our Messi.

"It is true that he had a bad game on Friday, but he is still our best player. And I believe one thing: if it had been Dirk Kuijt, he would have received very different comments in the Netherlands. With him it is a bit: you like him or you don't like him.

"I want to say that when he plays badly, he immediately takes a beating from everyone. The first one who is always blamed is Memphis."