Where are they now: Michael Reiziger

He started as a winger, in the Ajax youth, but when he came close to the Ajax 1 team, it became clear that he wasn’t good enough. Louis van Gaal told him, frankly. And also told him to go to another club on loan, to train to become a defender… Many players would scoff at that suggestion and have… Michael Reiziger took Van Gaal’s advice. He left for FC Groningen and came back a strong and fast full back. Instead of playing as a winger for a mid-tier club in Holland, Reiziger became a world class defender with a tremendous resume.

Michael Reiziger, 35 years old, played 72 international games and was present at four big tournaments. The defender played for Ajax, AC Milan, Barcelona among other clubs. This summer, he started the trainer coach course in Zeist.

PAST

“Listen, I won the Champions League with Ajax, reached the finals with Barca and I played for many top clubs in Europe… I won six national titles…it was all great and tremendous and one big dream, but… The biggest thing is playing for Oranje. There’s a big tournament every two years. That’s what you work for. You know the whole worlds soaks it up and you play against the best. I have worn the Oranje jersey 72 times and I am proud as can be, man…”

“My first international game was against Norway. It was a 1-1 draw,. I remember that the media talked about me being selected and I was so nervous. We were on a day out with the players and my coach Van Gaal got the call. I have only played three competition games for Ajax and one CL game. Amazing. I had just arrived and got to play for Oranje. From 1995 till 2004 I played almost all international games. Qualifications, friendlies, one WC in 1998 and three EC’s (1996, 2000 and 2004). The best game ever was the quarter finals against Argentina in France. That game had it all. Passion, good football and that dramatic end. We sent the Argentines home with 2-1. That late Bergkamp goal…goosebumps.”

“That WC was the high point in my career, without a doubt. A truly memorable tournament. We played well, the vibe was awesome, good weather and that hotel in Monaco was sweet. It’s just sad we missed the finals. Our last game ended 1-1 against Brazil but we should have had a late penalty. But, that’s all history now.”

PRESENT

“I retired in 2007 at PSV. I took some time off. Traveled a bit. Did nothing, basically. Not every player makes a good coach, it’s a totally different thing, but as a player you do have some advantages. It started itching after some time. I’d love to coach a team. I may not be a person that likes the attention, and as a coach, you will always have to face the press and all… But not liking it doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I’ve always been quiet but having played in Barcelona and England, I do know what it takes and I can handle it.”

They don’t make ‘m like this anymore… Stam and Reiziger

FUTURE

“We have a strong national team now. We’ve got so many talents. Van Persie and Sneijder can’t be called talents anymore. They’re the big boys at big clubs. They will still get better. I do regret Van Nistelrooy’s decision to retire. I think he’s still the best striker in the world. Huntelaar is terrific too, but Van Nistelrooy has so much experience. I read he may come back on his decision, that would be tremendous. How far we’ll come in South Africa…pff…hard to predict. The qualification is a cruise and I do think we’ll survive any group stage. We always have good teams and we are part of the world top… And people always say we don’t have the winners’ mentality, but I don’t agree. More than half of our internationals play abroad, at big clubs. You can’t do that if you lack the mentality. And some play under Van Gaal. I can tell you, you need some spirit to cope with that too hahahaa…”

“Another thing people say, is we don’t have the top class defense. That’s nonsense. When you play offensive football, your defense is always more exposed. It’s really much easier defending playing for, say, Italy. We want to play away from our goal, meaning that we’ll have lots of space to cover when we need to track back. That is very hard to do. So, look at the statistics, and take what I just said into account and maybe you’ll have to conclude that we actually have a very good defense.”

“My ambitions are modest. I want to get my license firist. That I’d love to work in Spain. I live in Spain, speak the language and love the culture. I don’t have any idea where and at what level I’d start. No idea. But whatever happens, I would never start at a big club. The manager’s role at those clubs is very complicated. I actually enjoy the study-phase I’m in now. We recently traveled to Zenit St Petersburg. Fascinating. I study with Ernest Faber and John Karelse and we highly enjoyed our time with Dick Advocaat. It’s hard to say what type of coach I’d be. I think I’m very flexible and I can use different styles. I can be tough and disciplined but I’m not authoritarian. I worked with many great ones. Louis van Gaal, Guus Hiddink and Steve McClaren. I wouldn’t copy any of them, but I’ve learned from all of these coaches. I will take these experiences with me in my future work.”