Speaking as a pundit for MagentaTV ahead of the Netherlands’ World Cup clash with Sweden, Klopp dismissed the comments directed at his former Liverpool captain.
The German insisted the 34-year-old remains one of the game’s elite defenders while questioning Van der Vaart’s assessment, suggesting the criticism lacked substance and was designed more to attract attention than provide meaningful analysis.
“I'm not entirely sure if it's worth mentioning Rafael van der Vaart,” Klopp said.
“But if he ever says something positive about any player at some point, then I'll be happy to take him seriously again.
“You get the feeling he sees something, and then it has to be formulated in a flowery way, and then he's really against it. But that way it's really not important.”