It’s all over between former Tottenham Hotspur footballer and Dutch international Rafael Van Der Vaart and his wife Sylvie, after the midfield linchpin admitted hitting her once during an argument.

German publication Bild is carrying the story, that although Sylvie – a well-known TV personality across in Germany where Van Der Vaart now plies his trade – apparently forgave the footballer for the incident, it wasn’t enough for the pair to fully make amends and, only a few days after they pictured themselves on Twitter enjoying the festive holidays with their son Damian. It’s believed that Van Der Vaart struck his wife in front of guests at a New Year’s Eve party.

According to Bild, Van Der Vaart admitted that "It was very foolish of me. I'm an idiot. I'm very sorry. It should never have happened." He added "I am very sad that it did not work with us. We are the culprits. Sylvie alone and I have to answer for it, that our marriage does not work." The sports star – who now plays for Hamburg – said that the strike was wrong, but according to Sylvie their problems had lasted longer than that. She said, "We have unfortunately drifted apart over time. It was an ongoing process that was not easy to stop.”