Where are they now: Ferdi Vierklau

Ferdi Vierklau (36) only played two official internationals for Oranje. The former Vitesse, Utrecht and Ajax player warmed the bench ten times, but missed the WC1998 due to injuries. In this article, we question the speedy defender about past, present and future.

PAST

“I made my debut in the Wales away game in 1996. I was a tad nervous but mostly I felt priviliged. I did join Oranje earlier but only sat on the bench. I played a good game, if I might say so, but Hiddink brought Van Hooijdonk for me in the 75th minute. We trailed 1-0 and we needed a win to qualify so Hiddink sacrificed a defender for a striker. I appeared to be a golden lucky Guus replacement. Pierre scored the equalizer after one minute and scored the winner in the last minutes. Ronald de Boer even scored the 3-1.”

“I tore my hamstring right before the WC1998. Bad luck. I was part of the group, although I wasn’t a starter. I played a good friendly against South Africa that year and I think I’d made it into the final selection. My hamstring was my weak spot. I knew it was over when it happened. They did shoot a WC poster with me on it, but Hiddink also shot another one with Ooijer in my place. Andre finally took my spot and went to France. I watched the tournament in Portugal but everytime Hiddink brought a new defender, I had to swallow… I knew that could have been me.”

NOW

“In the 2001/02 season I only played six games for Ajax. I constantly got injured. First my hamstring again, then my knee. I got so fed up. When I tore my hamstring again, I had had it. Leo Beenhakker was the technical director back then and a great motivator. He kept on talking to me, not to give up
but it was clear to me that that was it. I was actually relieved that I could retire. I started assisting my manager Henk van Ginkel but eventually I started my own transport company. I don’t miss the football world. Some people think I’d make a good coach, but I don’t have the ambition. I still play football at amateur level and that’s that.”

FUTURE

“I am a loyal Oranje supporter. I always watch the games. In particular Sneijder is my favorite. What a joy to watch him. And Van der Vaart. I played with them at Ajax. Wesley is such a gem. He has pace, a great turn and he sees the game like no other. These lads are in their prime and in top form. I think a remarkable thing could happen in South Africa. I think our team is world top at the moment.

“Van Marwijk is a very consistent man and you can tell when Oranje plays. No frills. They do play well, but some games are not spectacular enough to my liking. But, I guess that’s how you win prizes. It’s solid. Van Basten tried to play more business-like, but his teams always looked vulnerable. We played games under Marco that were really close. We won them, but for all I know, we could have lost these games too. With Van Marwijk it’s different. We may not always be sure to win, but we most certainly won’t lose…”