Maverick Mario Been is back!

Mario Been and new signing Sekou Cisse

“No sorry, you’re speaking to the burglar” was what I heard when I asked the person on the phone whether I spoke to Mario Been… I worked for Talk Radio in 1998 when I tried to phone Mario Been for an interview. Mario was always good for a good anecdote but he was holidaying in Spain and his dad was housesitting for him. His sense of humor didn’t come from a stranger.

In the football book “A bunch of rebels” of 2000 author Mark Schalekamp describes different enfant terribles. Talented and colorful players who for some reason never were able to live up to their status as wunderkind.

Rene van der Gijp has a chapter, as does Mario Been. He was part of the generation Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Vanenburg and was chosen over these players as the Talent of the Year in 1984.

When Oranje Under 17 played their WC in Mexico – and reached to the finals – Mario Been was called the White Maradona by the South American press. The Feyenoord playmaker was key in Oranje’s success, with efficient and entertaining football.

Mario could play ball. He saw the game, had a tremendous pass, could score goals and had that typical Ajax-pizzazz in his attitude and game. When Johan Cruyff came to Feyenoord, the players in Rotterdam were amazed with the way the Legendary Number 14 knew everything better. Whenever someone used a difficult word, JC would explain exactly what that meant. Mario decided to fool the master and invented a difficult word, to ask JC what the meaning was. The whole team was in on the joke and they pissed their pants when JC started to explain in his guru-voice what that word exactly meant.

But the player Mario Been was never able to show his skill at the proper level in Feyenoord or Oranje. Sure, he was the local hero in Rotterdam but first it was playmaker Johan Cruyff who kept Mario on the bench and in the years after his lack of real work ethic on the pitch always made coaches decide to play another player centrally for balance reasons. At Oranje, Mario was overtaken by the development of the Ajax youth. Ruud Gullit had moved on to PSV – something Been would never consider – and Van Basten, Wouters, Koeman, Rijkaard and Gullit were the top dogs in Oranje. Even Gerald Vanenburg and Erwin Koeman – important players at their clubs – were relegated to workhorse-status in Oranje.

When Feyenoord icon Been clashed with another icon – coach Rinus Israel – the White Maradona left. Not to Napoli or AS Roma who wanted his signature before, but to Pisa in the Serie A.

The chapter on Been gives many a laughable anecdote, but stops at the year 1998. At that time, Been is assistant coach to Leo Beenhakker at Feyenoord. And in that crucial moment in history, Been looked in the mirror and pledged to do it differently as a coach.

Mario was that hero of the people, always good for a joke. That Mario Been matured. He went on to win the title with Excelsior in the Jupiler League. Moved to NEC where he pushed the financially challenged club to never before reached heights in three years with good football.

So, will we ever see Mario Been being cheered on the balcony of the Rotterdam City Hall, with millions of fans at his feet?

Funnily enough, I think we will….

( Article written in www.AD.nl )