If there was one position in the Netherlands that before the Euro Cup was a mystery, it was none other than the goalkeeper. Since June 2021, a total of eight goalkeepers have tried to consolidate a position without an owner until the emergence of the young man. Bart Verbruggen that with his performance against Turkey he closed a debate that lasted too long in the national team.
In a second, the one who took an epic hand in a point-blank shot in the 92nd minute of Semih Kiliçsoy, concluded the experiments of the last three years in the Netherlands. In his intervention, men ruled Ronald Koeman They were saved from an overtime with an uncertain result and met England in the semifinals of the Euro Cup (2-1).
Be decisive in the shadows
Verbruggen He did not receive much applause. The purpose of Stefan de Vrij that helped his team tie; or the good times of Memphis Depay, who provided his midfield partner with an accurate centre; or even Cody Gakpo, who with his insistence caused Turkey’s own goal, the final 2-1, the work of Mert Müldür. The Brighton goalkeeper received hugs from his teammates after his stretch, but little else.
What is certain is that that moment will come Ronald Koeman. He decided to take a risk to make a clean break in the goalkeeper’s dance and it turned out well. The data under the sticks of the Netherlands showed an alarming instability: since June 2021 they have passed the goal of the Netherlands Tim Krul (a match), Maarten Stekelenburg (5), Justin Bijlow (8), Jasper Cillessen (5), Mark Flekken (7), Remko Pasveer (2), Andries Noppert (5) and finally the same Bart Verbruggen.
Only Iríbar was superior to him
Koeman He trusts his goalkeeper so much that he doesn’t care about his age, 21 years old. In fact, Verbruggen He is the second youngest goalkeeper in history to participate in a European Championship. It is only surpassed by such a myth Jose Angel Iribarwho in 1964 played for Spain against Hungary in a match in the final stage of the tournament at the age of 21 years, three months and 17 days compared to the Dutch goalkeeper’s 21 years, 9 months and 30 days when he made his Germany debut against Poland.
It was before the Euro Cup, on the eve of the Netherlands’ first friendly, when Koeman all bets are off. On June 5 there was still no guaranteed starting goalkeeper, it was all speculation, and he appeared at a press conference sitting on the sidelines Verbruggen. A journalist did not hesitate to ask about the opportunity for the two of them to attend the media together. “It’s not a coincidence, is it?” “Didn’t answer Koeman. “We have already decided on that Bart be the first goalkeeper,” he said.
Since, Verbruggen He played everything and well. Those times Louis van Gaal He ordered his entire coaching staff to comb his country to find the perfect goalkeeper for the World Cup in Qatar, they were done. They chose Andries Noppert, then to Go Ahead Eagles and has only 20 games of Eredivisie experience. He now plays for Heerenveen, where he also did not enjoy stability after finishing the season with just 22 games.
“The good remains”
Quite the opposite of Verbruggen, like a rocket up. During the World Cup in Qatar, he was Anderlecht’s substitute. Midway through the 2022-23 campaign he moved the captain to the bench Hendrik Van Combrugge and his performances were so convincing that Brighton paid 20 million euros in the summer. In the English team, he did not need much time to move Jason Steele until he became an undisputed player in the Italian coach’s plans Roberto De Zerbi.
Koeman, Without a doubt, he got it right and now he is enjoying it: “He has a bright future. If he maintains his level and stays fit, he could become a goalkeeper permanently. With this you can plan the goal for many years. The good remains,” said the former Barcelona coach before the tournament began.
It is not affected by pressure
The professionals to work with Verbruggen They confirmed that he has the makings of a great goalkeeper in the future. For example, his former assistant coach at Anderlecht Willem Weijs, who highlighted that he has a very important quality to govern a goal: “He doesn’t feel stress or pressure and is also a very motivated player,” he noted.
And that’s not all. In addition to having amazing agility despite his size and being very good at flying high, he has excellent ball handling with his feet. In fact, in the Premier League, only the goalkeeper of Manchester City Ederson has a higher pass percentage than Verbruggen (85.9 percent of 85.6). His teammate at Brighton, the German Pascal Gross, also full of praise. “He is a top-level goalkeeper who is very mature and very good. We will be hearing a lot more from him in the future,” he said last year.
His prophecy, as in Koeman, has been fulfilled. After three years of goalkeeping that passed without pain or glory in the Netherlands, Verbruggen, With his imperial performance against Turkey, he ended his team’s goal chaos. His name, as predicted gross, It is already being heard in the most football-loving circles and the Netherlands goalkeeper’s future has only just begun. His stop in Türkiye will mark a before and after.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
