My first season at FC Groningen wasn't easy. I arrived with expectations, but I had to deal with injuries. I played, I worked hard, but it still wasn't going as I wanted. Thirteen goals might not sound bad, but I felt there was more in it. Much more. I knew: this isn't the level I want to reach yet.
My second season at FC Groningen therefore became an important year. Not because I had suddenly reached ‘the top’ then, but because I was getting closer. Closer to the level where you feel: now the real work begins. That season taught me a lot. About becoming professional. About believing in yourself. About playing against big European clubs. About pride. But also about failure, pain, and responsibility. And perhaps most importantly: that as a player, you never grow alone. You need belief in yourself, but also a team, a coach, and an environment that can pull you to a higher level.
A new trainer, a new step
After my first season, a new head coach arrived: Han Berger. He took over from Theo Verlangen, the coach under whom FC Groningen had qualified for European football. That was an achievement in itself. But Han Berger brought a clear vision with him once again.
The basic principle remained the same: attacking football. FC Groningen wanted to play forwards. Put pressure on. Show courage. Not wait and see, but take the initiative themselves. That suited me. I was an attacker. I wanted to be dangerous, score, work, engage in duels and show what I could do.
But something important changed. Han Berger realised that FC Groningen, as a club, needed to take the next step. The team had to slowly grow from a squad of semi-professional players into a selection with an increasing number of full professionals. That wasn't a small change. It wasn't just about training, but about mentality. About how you live. How you recover. How you deal with pressure. How seriously you take your profession.
In my second season, I was one of the full professionals. In the third season, the squad would almost entirely consist of full professionals. That was a strategic choice by Han Berger to elevate FC Groningen to a higher level.
And you felt that.
Don't get me wrong: in my first season there were also good players and good performances. It wasn't as if there was nothing there before. Quite the opposite. FC Groningen had already qualified for European football. But in my second season, you felt the club wanted to move forward. More professional. Stronger. More consistent.
That was exactly the environment I needed.
New players, same attacking spirit
We got some new players. Harry Schellekens came as a keeper.
Adri van Tiggelen came into defence.
On the midfield, we had the Englishman Paul Mason.
At the front came, among others Bud Brocken and Fandi Ahmad, our Singaporean top performer.
The squad gained more strength, more quality and more depth.
Ronald Koeman moved to Ajax. Yet the soul of the team remained the same. FC Groningen was not a team that wanted to hide. Certainly not in the Oosterpark. There you felt the energy of the crowd. That stadium could churn. When it was full and the supporters got behind it, something happened to you as a player.
You felt: we're not just FC Groningen.
We can hurt opponents.
For me personally, the second season went better than the first. My body cooperated more. The injuries were less of a hindrance. I got into my rhythm more and that season I 15 goals. Later, in my third season, there would be 17 become.
You felt: we're not just FC Groningen.
We can hurt opponents
But numbers never tell the whole story. Because that second season wasn't just about goals. It was about growth. About maturing as a professional. About the question: can I also perform when things get bigger? When the opponent gets bigger? When the pressure gets bigger?
The questions came quickly.
In Europe, we got a big club.
We got Atlético Madrid.
Atlético Madrid: no fear, just enjoyment
The draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup was clear: Atlético Madrid. A big club. A name. A stadium. An opponent with history. When we went to Madrid, I felt no fear. Of course, you knew you were playing against a top club. Of course, you felt this was bigger than a regular league match. But for me, it was mostly a feeling of enjoyment.
Bring it on!
And there you stand. As a boy who once stood with a broom in his hands as an intern at FC Hull. A boy who had also known disappointment and frustration in England. I literally broke a broom there out of pure frustration, because things weren't going my way and I felt I had more to give. And now I stood here: European football. Atlético Madrid. FC Groningen. That does something to you. In that match, I proudly scored the first European goal for FC Groningen.
I'll never forget that moment. Not just because it was a goal. But because it felt like confirmation. Of all those years of hard work. Of carrying on when things got tough. Of continuing to believe that more was possible.
I'll never forget that moment. Not just because it was a goal. But because it felt like confirmation. Of all those years of hard work. Of carrying on when things got tough. Of continuing to believe that more was possible.
Atlético Madrid then scored two goals. One of them was an own goal by Walter, Wally, Waalderbos. We lost away 2-1. But 2-1 away was not a bad starting position. At home in the Oosterpark, everything was still open.
A full Oosterpark against Atlético Madrid
The return match against Atlético Madrid was played in a packed Oosterpark Stadium.
That stadium might have seemed small from the outside, but it felt big when you were inside. Especially on European nights. The crowd was right on top of you. You didn't hear individual noises anymore, just one wall of sound.
And that audience gave us something extra.
We believed in it.
Not a little. Really.
We went into the match with the feeling that we could do it. Not hoping that Atlético would have an off day, but that we could take the match ourselves. Put pressure on ourselves. Dare to play our own game.
And we did that.
We won using 3-0.
The goals came from Ron Jans, Erwin Koeman and Jan van Dijk.
These are matches you never forget. Not just because of the result, but because of the feeling. The pride. The bond between players and supporters. You felt that we were doing something together that was bigger than one match.
FC Groningen knocked Atlético Madrid out.
That's worth its weight in gold for a young player.
You learn that names don't matter. Shirt colours don't matter. History doesn't matter. On the pitch, it's about courage, organisation, quality and belief.
And after Atlético came the next big name. Inter Milan.
Inter Milan: another top club, another full house
As if Atlético Madrid wasn't enough, then Inter Milan came along.
Another top European club. Another name that you as a football fan have respect for. But here too, the rule applied: respect yes, fear no.
We played our first match at home.
Full house again.
That atmosphere again.
That Oosterpark feeling.
And again we had the right mindset. We weren't going to admire Inter. We were going to take them on.
That's an important difference.
Many young players make the mistake of making bigger opponents seem even bigger in their heads. Of course, you need to respect quality. But if you are too impressed, you are already making yourself smaller.
We didn't do that.
We won at home with 2-0.
The goals came from Ron Jans and Fandi Ahmad.
A great starting position. European football. Inter Milan defeated in Groningen. Belief was high.
But then you still have to go out.
And playing European football against an Italian top club is something else entirely.
Bari instead of San Siro
The away match against Inter Milan wasn't played at San Siro, but in Bari. This was due to previous problems with supporters. Naturally, that was a shame. Every footballer wants to play at San Siro. Such a stadium, such a name, such a football temple — that's what you dream of. But Bari might also have worked in our favour. A smaller stadium. Different circumstances. Perhaps less impressive than San Siro. At least, that's what we thought.
Until we went outside for the warm-up.
We were met exactly what our own Oosterpark crowd normally did for us, but then thrown back at us even harder. The noise, the pressure, the hostility, the energy of the stadium – that all came at us.
That's European football.
That's busy.
That's growing up.
The first half we held our own: 0-0.
That was good. We were still in the game. With the 2-0 home win, we had it all in our own hands.
But in the second half, it became very difficult.
Inter arrived 3-0.
Then everything changes. You feel the pressure mounting. You sense the opponent smelling that more is possible. You feel the stadium roaring even louder. You have to stay clear-headed, but that's precisely what becomes difficult at such moments.
With about eight minutes left, I made the 3-1.
Thanks to that away goal, we were back in front at that moment.
It's almost impossible to explain. You're under pressure. You're 3-0 down. You make it 3-1. And suddenly you're virtually through.
But then you have to hold it.
And that didn't work.
Inter launched another enormous attack on our goal. The pressure became gigantic. Eventually, we lost by 5-1.
End of UEFA Cup.
Success and failure are sometimes eight minutes apart
The match against Inter Milan taught me a lot.
Not just about football, but about dealing with stress.
We were close. Very close, in fact. With my goal, we were back on track. But under immense pressure, you have to act even better as a team. Stay calm. Communicate. Keep doing your jobs. Not just survive on grit, but continue to play with clarity.
That's easier said than done.
On paper, you can explain anything. In a discussion, you can point anything out. But when the stadium is roaring, the opposition keeps coming and you feel the match slipping away, that's when mental strength counts.
I learned a lot from that.
And yet, I also look back with pride.
I scored two goals against two top European clubs: Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan. That's something no one can take away from me. There was even interest from both clubs. But FC Groningen didn't want to sell me at that time.
That's part of football, too.
Sometimes there's interest. Sometimes there's an opportunity. And sometimes the club decides you have to stay. As a player, you have to deal with that. You can be upset, but you also have to move on. Do your job. Help your team. Keep developing yourself.
For me the most important thing was: I felt I was getting closer.
The boy with the broom, who once almost exploded with frustration because things weren't going his way, was now the subject of interest from top European clubs.
That was satisfying.
Not because I thought I had arrived. But because I felt: It was worth carrying on.
On paper, you can explain anything. In a discussion, you can point anything out. But when the stadium is roaring, the opposition keeps coming and you feel the match slipping away, that's when mental strength counts.
The cup tie that kept on hurting…
In Europe, we also had a good run in the KNVB Cup that season. We got quite far. But in the semi-final, we were eliminated by Fortuna Sittard. And honestly: that match hurt. A lot.
It's not just because we lost. Losing is part of football. You can lose a match because the opponent is better. Because things don't quite go your way. Because details go wrong. But this match felt different.
For me, this was one of the worst matches in terms of commitment and desire to win. And that hit me hard. I don't often cry about football, but the fact that you throw away a cup final, I found that very upsetting. You might not play in a final often in your life. And when you feel you haven't given everything you had, that stays with you.
That's a different pain to a shot against the post or a missed chance. This goes deeper. This is about the question: did we really do everything?
There's a lesson in that for me too. Talent is nice. A good team is important. A good coach helps. But in the end, the will to win has to be there every match. Especially at moments when there's something special to be won. Because some opportunities don't come around again.
What young players can learn from this
If there's one thing I want to impress upon the young players this season, it's this:
Always believe in yourself, but never think you can do it alone.
You need self-belief. Absolutely. Without belief, you won't make it. Definitely not if you get injuries. Definitely not if your first season is disappointing. Definitely not if others doubt you or if you feel you haven't reached where you want to be yet.
But believing in yourself doesn't mean you have to do everything alone. You need a good team. A coach with vision. Teammates who make you better. A professional environment. People who are honest with you. People who challenge you, but also give you confidence.
For me, it was to my advantage that Han Berger wanted to take FC Groningen to a higher professional level. That step from semi-professional to increasingly full professional was important. This brought a different standard. A different rhythm. A different way of thinking. And as a player, you grow along with the standard around you.
That's why I tell young players: choose your environment carefully. Don't just look at where you can play now, but also at where you can improve. Who challenges you? Who helps shape your character? Who teaches you to deal with pressure?
Because at a certain level it's no longer just about playing football.
Everyone can play football well then.
Everyone has talent.
Everyone wants to play.
But who keeps working when things get tough?
Who keeps believing after injuries?
Who stays calm under pressure?
Who gives everything in a semi-final?
Who continues to develop themselves when interest comes from bigger clubs?
Those are the questions that ultimately determine how far you'll get..!
You don’t always win. You don’t always get the chance you want straight away. You are sometimes held back, sometimes tested, sometimes disappointed. But if you keep believing, keep working and have the right people around you, you can take steps you once thought impossible.
Watch The Next Goal
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In this series, I will be discussing football, character, choices, mental strength, adversity, and the lessons you take from the pitch into life.
And think about your next step.
As a player.
As a parent.
As a trainer.
As a coach.
Or simply as a human.
Because everyone has a next match to play.
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