It all started when my parents had enough of me regularly breaking our neighbours windows or destroying their flower fields. Tired of placating them, they enrolled me in our local football club and that’s when my lifelong passion for football started. I was quite good at it, and first transferred to a bigger club until at some point I even got noticed by football scouts. I signed my first contract as a professional at 18.
After my football career ended, I kind of struggled at first. Life felt empty, and naturally, I started to search for something in life that would give me the same daily excitement and joy. For a few years I thought that this was an unachievable dream. But then I had an epiphany: it wasn’t the game itself that gave me such joy, it was the team. I realized that what made me happy was being able to rely on people who had the same goal I had. It was interacting with my team members, who accepted me for who I am, who came from all over the world and had different backgrounds, but shared the same experiences with me. As a professional footballer, being part of a team supported me in becoming the best I could be, gave me wings and helped me flourish. I am so glad that I feel the same about my current team. Because that’s how it feels to work here: Team Loyens & Loeff.