Cocu back on the pitch!

Would Phillip Cocu accept another challenge after PSV? The answer was: if it starts to itch in my holiday….maybe.

Yesterday we got the confirmation that Cocu has had quite an itch… He signed a 1 year contract with Aj-Jazeera in Abu Dhabi. After AZ, Vitesse, PSV, Barcelona, again PSV and the Dutch team there appears to be another chapter in Cocu’s huge football book.

Most people thought the 36 year old would go for a season in the sun in Australia. But Sydney FC, managed by Jason Culina’s dad, came a tad too early. The USA was an option too, but eventually it became the Middle East.

“These people approached me at the right time. Sometimes you need some time to find the right pieces of the puzzle, and that has happened.

Cocu will join his new club in Munich, this week, where Al-Jazeera is working on the season prep. The 101-capped player researched his new employer on the internet. “It’s only six hours away. That was a plus compared to Australia. The weather is hot now, but in the next months it will be much nicer. Only two hours time difference…these are all things that mattered to me. Another thing we like, is the fact that it is totally new culturally. With the US and Australia, it’s a bit closer to home. We like this challenge. In terms of foreign experiences, I only played in Spain. I am very pleased to be able to add these experiences to my life.”

Al-Jazeera is managed by Rumanian coach Boloni, who coached Sporting Lissabon before he made the move to Abu Dhabi. And former Feyenoord goalie and Vitesse-keepers trainer Abe Knoop is responsible for the goalkeepers.

At the end of August, the season will start. “I’m not match fit. It did do a lot of running and solo training but real duelling is different. So I’ve got to catch up. Other than that, I want to enjoy this with my family and show the fans in Abu Dhabi what I’m made of.”