“I always look back on my home matches”

World Cup final with Jeroen Elshov but without Orange or World Cup final without Jeroen Elshov but with Orange?

With Orange Without Me. I hope we can become world champions one day.

Not long before the final game the NOS decides who can comment. It would be the ultimate dream if I could make it happen if Holland was in it, but that is still unknown. I already know that this World Cup I’m going to go through all the other Orange matches.

Never before has a single commenter done that. At first I was also going to divide them with Jeroen Groeter, but due to special circumstances he cannot travel to Qatar. It’s such an honor that I can now do the whole job, but because of Jeroen’s condition I didn’t jump for joy.

Four years ago I fell out of my hotel bed when I heard I could play the final, France v Croatia. I was blown away: I thought Frank Snox was the right person for this. “You’re doing the final leg,” said the lead, “we think you’re ready.”

“The first time I commented on the World Cup was in 2010. After the round of 16, the tournament was over for me. I watched the final in an Amsterdam pub, it was so crowded in Museumplein. I still think it’s kind of a shock that Arjen Robben fired Shot on Casillas’ toe.

Andres Iniesta or Arjen Robben?

Then Iniesta scored the winning goal in stoppage time. However, I choose him, I owe almost everything to him.

In 2009, a friend of mine owned an apartment in Barcelona. If Barcelona reach the Champions League final, I said to them then let’s watch it at your place and make it this weekend.

In the semi-final against Chelsea, they appeared to be out, until Iniesta volleyed the ball into the top corner in the last minute. That same evening I booked the tickets. As I was watching the final in a café in Barcelona, ​​I started talking to a Dutch woman. That was very nice, and now she is my wife. This Iniesta goal made my life turn right, so to speak.

Jeroen Grotter or Frank Snox?

Frank Snox. in our area The NOS Football Podcast I often get into fights with Jeroen anyway, so this can be added as well. Besides, he knows I’m crazy about him.

“Frank is one of the best commentators in the history of Dutch football. He can make beautiful-sounding sentences that you and I will never come up with in his long life. When Arjen Robben walked off the field injured at FC Groningen, he said: ‘It’s just like night watch From the Rijksmuseum. Then I lie unconscious under the table of jealousy.

“Frank is very good at telling stories, even in a coffee shop or during a meeting. I think I have some good stories myself, I just can’t tell them very well. That’s why I mainly follow the ball when commenting. Some people find that boring.

(His phone rings, he calls Gruen Grueter). “I’m here for an interview De Volkskrant, you know what they came up with: Frank Snox or Jeroen Grotter. Grotter: Yeah, that’s a piece of cake. Pike of course.

Qatar or Ecuador?

These are the next competitors for Orange. I chose Ecuador, because this country still has some football history.

“But it’s difficult to prepare for both games because there are a lot of unknown players. Of course I look a lot on the internet. I buy magazines like world football And the Four Four Two. I have an access code for a scouting system, where all matches can be viewed. Soon I will download two games in Qatar, which I will watch later. I am part of an app community of fifty football journalists from all over the world. Everyone gives everything to the other, which is great. There is a boy who lives in Saudi Arabia and follows football in the region. Contact him about Qatar.

“There’s no end to setting up, and I don’t enjoy getting out of it either, it’s almost satisfying. I start with 26 diameter, it takes 15 minutes, then move on to 25, and so on. I write down all the info—left or right foot, club, which players they’re being compared to , interesting stories – (Shows a full notebook.) I’m doing this out of insecurity, I need it to work.

Alkmaar or Amsterdam?

Amsterdam. I’ve always had a craving for big cities. I need conversations with people around me, I just love it.

I was born in Alkmaar. My father was a member of the boards of directors of psychiatric institutions, and my mother was a nurse. So at our table it has always been about health care.

When I was a boy I used to go a lot to see AZ. I also wanted to become a professional football player, but it soon became clear that at the age of about 10 I was not good enough for this.

Until then I found the commentary cool. I Can Dream of European Championships 1988: Evert Ten Nabil, Eddie Pullman, Theo Ritsma. I don’t remember wanting to do anything else. In games like Reasonable football As I commented myself.

Radio or TV commentary?

Radio commentator, that’s where I started. Since we often do it there with the two of us, you also interact and can pull a joke. This makes it easier than on TV, where you have to announce and finish yourself off.

Also for summaries Sports studio, which lasts about 8 minutes, we give 90 minutes in NOS, live commentary. this is difficult. I always compare it to doing a book report while reading the book. Because at the end of the game, you must have a commentary that covers the burden of the game. So if there’s a high chance that you know it’s going to go with the summary, you have to deal with the moment first, and then you can say during the replay: ‘AZ have been the better team for twenty minutes, attack and this is their first possibility’. Commenting on a live match, such as the World Cup, is much more fun.

“After coming home I always look back at my matches. Sometimes I come home at 1am which puts me in bed around 3am. Only then can I shut it down. I feel the need to see for myself if I did it right or not.” no.

San Francisco 49ers (American football) or San Francisco Giants (baseball)?

Giants. Sometimes people ask me: What do you think is the most beautiful sport in the world? As a football commentator, of course, I have to say football. But football also often works for me. Moreover, you sometimes hear the most disgusting things in Dutch football stadiums, while in America you drink Budweiser for three hours next to an opposing fan, eat a hot dog and applaud his club.

When I first came to Giants, it was with my wife, I immediately thought it was cool. Maybe it was about my honeymoon, which made me sit on a pink cloud. Last summer we went there again, with our children of 8 and 4 years old. The fact that they thought it was so cool in a place I would love to visit also brought me to tears.