“This Barcelona stopped with courage and heart”

Merel van Dongen (Amsterdam, 1993) is one of the most important players in Atletico Madrid. He arrived at the rojiblanco club in 2020 from Betis, after starting his career in his native Netherlands (as he calls it) and passing through the United States before returning to his country. He took drawings on the mattress team. Because of her football and her personality, which she exports off the pitch to fight for women’s football and a better world. He is not silent about his thoughts. And he enters the MD before receiving Barcelona in the Metropolitan. It’s his first time at the stadium, and he’s ticking down the clock for the ball to start rolling in hopes of stopping the leader.

You started playing basketball. When did you decide on soccer?

“I play both. At the age of 5 I started soccer and at 7 basketball. At 16, he had to choose, because he had two training sessions a day, two games at the weekend. I see that women’s football is growing a lot and it can reach a high level there. And look where I am now, in the Metropolitan. I think I made a good choice.”

He passed through the United States, returned to the Netherlands, although it is now called the Netherlands…

“Holland, I said Holland.”

Okay, Holland. And in 2018 the opportunity to go to Spain presents itself. How about that step?

“I got the long pass, be strong, but technically in Spain the players have a very high level. I’ve been here for four years and I can already notice the technical differences, when it comes to getting the ball from the back, when -passes filter… That helped me to go to the World Cup or some Games with the national team. I have more than if I stayed in Holland. I hope more players from my country will come.”

And then came the offer from Atlético…

“I didn’t even think about it for five minutes. Two years have passed with good moments and other very difficult ones. First, we played without fans, which is one of Atleti’s best, then we won the Super Cup, played everything. It’s very special, my first trophy in Spain. But now we are out of Europe for a while and we all want to be there. This is the best team I have played with but the Champions League is missing, I want to hear the anthem.

What happened that left Atlético in the last two years?

“There are a lot of things. We tried to look at ourselves in the mirror and these are the things we talk to ourselves about. We know where there have been problems and I think we are on the right track.”

Did the group accuse the captains Amanda, Meseguer and Laia of leaving?

“This is a big change. In my first year there were also a lot of changes, new players who had to get used to a different style, it was very difficult. This is one of the things I told you we talked about. Now we are trying to build a project where there are not seven or eight new players every year”.

And how is the team now?

“We are pretty good. We know that last year we left a lot of points away from home and now we are getting them. The goal is to be in Europe again, we want to be with the best in the world, we fight every game for it. So far we are okay, we need to improve, but the team is plugged in, we are focused on training and looking forward to Sunday’s game”.

Barcelona is coming. How did this group stop?

“He stops with a lot of courage and heart, with a very clear game plan and brave. If you wait for Barça the whole game in your field, they have a lot of quality to score. And we need fans. Imagine 30,000 or 40,000 people are coming. That changes everything. We’re going to play twelve.”

Ludmila is in a sweet moment…

“Today is amazing. It’s fun to play with him. I come from a less demanding period but I don’t know what he did in the summer he came with enthusiasm, purpose, speed… He infected us. It’s a bit of a plan we have, but with Ludmila alone we won’t beat Barcelona. We should all be plugged in.”

Do you think playing the Champions League on Thursday could have hurt the leader?

“We can’t think about that, then they take off like planes and… Even if they are at 50%, they are a good team. We should be at 200%, at 100% you can’t beat Barça”.

What happened that the difference between them has increased so much in recent years?

“These are the million questions. We are trying to get to his level. We want to have that answer, but also City, Bayern, Juventus, Lyon, Chelsea… Not only have they made a leap in Spain, but also in Europe. They beat Arsenal, with a great team. Not only Atleti, all of us. They have great players, a clear idea of ​​playing, they do it perfectly. To grow at Atleti it is necessary let’s see what other teams are doing well”.

Which Barça player is he staying with?

“It’s difficult. Aitana, who attacks my place. It’s in front of me, I see its quality, its appearance all the time, it’s so beautiful”.

It was played at the Metropolitan. All seem to have benefits, but are there any drawbacks?

“Nothing, everything is okay. When you play at the age of six or seven, you dream of playing in big stadiums. I hope we play in front of 30,000 people every weekend, because we will always play here, the club’s money too. I hope they come to support us, because we’re going to give it our all. If you don’t want to play here because of the change of scenery or whatever, you’re not meant for it.”

This is his first time in this stadium.

“I have waited a long time to play here. Finally I will. But I have experience playing in big stadiums, before more than 60,000 spectators. My first time at Atleti”.

What about the national team, he didn’t have much participation in the last Euro Cup.

“No, zero minutes. I thought I would never play, but there was a change of coach and with the new one I felt that I did. I am in a good moment and for the next World Cup I have more options”.

Your contract ends in 2024. Can you imagine it?

“I’m very everyday. In football you have to be”.

How do you see the men’s World Cup? Do you follow him?

“It’s difficult because of the Qatar issue, it’s difficult for me. I’m a woman, I have a girlfriend, I’m gay, and everything that happens… Belgium’s shirt, that they can’t even wear the word ‘love’ around the neck. It’s hard for me to watch, but eventually I watch the games. I will not celebrate it like I celebrate other World Cups”.

The contradiction of man…

“And that’s how that happened. Imagine if the Women’s World Cup was there. I’m a lesbian, I can’t be like me. My girlfriend came over and I wanted to kiss her after the game and I couldn’t?”

In Spain, a lot of progress has been made in this regard, do you agree?

“Yes, it’s better. There are still things that I say ‘my goodness’. I’m happy with everything we’ve achieved, but we need to achieve more equality, for me it’s a good match, I’m glad, to leave women’s football better than when I was ten years old”.

You don’t keep quiet…

“I don’t see myself as an activist, but I have a bigger platform than other people, and I try to use it in the right way.”

I have to ask him about the situation of the Spanish team, he shares a dressing room with some.

“First I look at my team, which is Atleti, and I’m from the Netherlands. If you see it that way, I have nothing to do with it, I am super out. I’m going to the World Cup and here we have a great team. But as a lover of women’s football, seeing so many players of this quality not called up to their team for something avoidable hurts me”.