The Dutchman opened up on his targets for the 2023-24 season, advice for young footballers, his childhood sporting hero, favourite films and more.
Read the Q&A below…
Who in the squad have you got the closest friendship with?
Yeah, obviously Virgil. I’m really close to him, [he is] helping me a lot. [Ibrahima Konate walks into the room] Ibou Konate, my friend as well!
Do you play video games? If so, what is your favourite? And can you beat Jota?
I do not play video games and I know Jota is very good. So I don’t know if anyone in the team can beat him. But I know he’s good at it.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Yeah, I think as a team we are hungry to show who we are and what we can do, to win prizes and to give our best.
Which place do you want to travel to for a holiday?
I would like to travel to Japan. Actually last summer I went for the first time to Africa, that was something I wanted to do for a long time but I did it now. So yeah, Japan I would say.
How would you motivate beginners to football?
Have a lot of fun, I think that’s a really important thing: to do what you love and like. Have a lot of fun. If you just do your best and have a lot of fun then everything will be fine for sure.
If you weren’t a professional footballer, what career do you think you would have pursued?
I’m like a guy who tries to do everything on my own, so maybe start a business or something. But I really don’t know.
Who was your sporting hero growing up?
I have to say Messi. My dad always showed me clips of Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff, a little bit the older generation. But for me personally growing up, it was Messi.
What is your favourite movie?
The best movie and series I watched: The Godfather and Interstellar. Interstellar is quite an interesting movie. The series I watched that was really good was The Chosen. It’s about the life of Jesus on Earth, it was really interesting for me. Yeah, I liked it a lot.