Neuropsychologist: Oranje is like Muhammed Ali!

Neuropsychologist Erik Matser wrote a book called “Character” in 2006 and in that he discussed - among other things - the brilliance of Marco van Basten. The fastest problem solver. “We look at those actions and call them unfathomable.”

And that’s exactly what we experience now. The whole world is astonished by what some call the incomprehensible substitues of Van Basten. Former German football wizard Gunter Netzer: “The man is a genius. We don’t get what he’s doing, but it all works out.”

Matser is not surprised. He used a plethora of scientific material for his reseach. Not with Van Basten personally, but with several international top players. “It’s also called the MQ, or the IQ of the body-brain dynamic. Top players can digest and process visual information quicker, and that enables them to act faster, both motorically and mentally. It’s a typical saying about Cruyff too: he can do with his feet what his brain wants his feet to do… Some players see the solution but can’t get there with their feet. Other players just don’t see it. Top players, and I am talking the level of Cruyff, Van Basten, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi and so on, have that special ability. For them, what they do isn’t even special.”

According to the in London stationed neuropsychologist, these players can also process things from the past quicker. He calls it the operational memory. People with top performances in sports or ballet can digest visually and hang on to the impulses in their memory. “If a players perfects a certain move on the training, he can automatically use it in situations on the pitch. Call it automatisms, if you want. A neural programming method that works through the actual activity (training) and the processing of it.”

Matser: “As a coach, Van Basten is onorthodox because he was a top player. Like Cruyff, Van Hanegem, Rijkaard…they tend to work in a different way than lesser talented players who become coach. The current Oranje selection harbours a couple of players with the same skills. Take that Robben goal against France. If you look at the footage, you’ll see that the ref reacts much later than normal. Why? Because he needs time to realize that the player has done the impossible. Something totally unexpected. Like Van Basten’s volley in the 1988 final.

But, there’s more factors that come into play. The neurological qualities need to be paired with a highly dominant personality (Cruyff, Van Hanegem) which wants to control every situation. Most of the times, these players can analyse situations as no other (cue Cruyff’s incomprehensible post-match monologues) and are extremely driven. They also find it hard to work according to somebody else’s rules. These type of players typically clash with authority: Cruyff - Michels, Van Hanegem - Happel, Van Basten - Cruyff, Rijkaard - Cruyff, Cruyff - KNVB…

If the squad would be selected on this characteristics, the chance on success is huge. Not only in sports, also in business. The personalities Van Basten has selected for this tournament are rare. “Players like Van Persie, Kuyt, Robben, Sneijder, Van Nistelrooy, Van der Sar… They all seem to share this mentality. Van Basten selects with his brain and he selects on brains as well. His demands are high and most of these players love that. That’s why a player like Van Persie allows himself to be benched. Hopefully the next team manager will work according to the same rules. Van Marwijk was gifted and headstrong left winger, so chances are that will work. Someone like Advocaat was less gifted as a player and the combination Advocaat - Van Hanegem in a master-servant dynamics was bound to fail.

Matser is the author of several breakthrough scientific papers but also passionate about sports. “The most important example of all this is Muhammed Ali. He wasn’t very buffed up, he danced in the ring and didn’t comply to the image of a heavy weight. People thought he was a fluke. But he kept winning and demonstrated his superiority. People didn’t get it. He was the perfect sportsman-specimen like Marco. His speed, his efficiency and his personality. Lethal. And that’s what I see with Oranje now. Oranje wins by knock outs. The French still don’t know what hit them. Van Basten knows it exactly. It’s like mathematics. Visual speed and special personalities. That’s what top football is about.”