At noon on Friday, shortly before the announcement of national coach Ronald Koeman’s first selection, Luuk de Jong announced that he would be ending his international career with the Netherlands national team. A choice that not everyone understands. “You don’t say thank you for the orange,” says Pierre van Hooijdonk at Studio Voetbal.
“The honor is too big for that,” the former Dutch national team striker continued. “Isn’t it nice to be among the best players in your country? I thought it was great.”
“Then you should stop, it’s a wise decision”
De Jong cited his physical condition, the time he wanted to spend with his two growing children, and his vivid memory of a European Championship and a World Cup. “If I was a goalkeeper it would be a different story, of course that also plays a role,” the PSV forward admitted.
Arno Vermeulen understands the choice: “This is very personal. He sees more cons than pros. Then you should stop. A wise decision.”
FC Twente coach Ron Jans also understands De Jong, especially in terms of fitness: “With this decision, he can extend his career by two years.”
“Luke thinks he is better than he is”
Rafael van der Vaart is more in line with Van Hooijdonk and compares de Jong’s role to that of Van Hooijdonk in the past. Role of the pinch hitter. From 1994 to 2004, Van Hooijdonk played 46 international matches, 41 of which were substitutes. He scored 14 goals. De Jong made 39 appearances from 2011 to 2022, of which 31 were substitutes. He scored 8 goals.
“Pierre was a little behind Van Nistelrooij, Kluivert and Makaay, he knew his role,” Van der Vaart said. “He was the best pinch shooter we’ve ever had. Luuk thinks he is better than her. He’s not ahead of Van Nistelrooij and Kluivert and he wants to play more. Things go wrong here. Because he does it for the best in his role as Pierre.”
Van Hooijdonk: “You have to know your place. This is important. I was honored to sit on the podium for these tyrants.”
Check out the regular articles at Studio Voetbal below: Frank Heinen shares a personal memory of Peter Ressel in Final Signal and Hugo Borst talks about ‘poverty in Dutch football’ in De Muurligger. Keep watching the trailers about the Orange goalkeepers and Ron Jans leaving FC Twente.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
