The Kitchen Champion Division has been a breeding ground for domestic and foreign talents for decades and this season again there are many potential footballers at the second level. Soccer Zone, the official media partner of the Keuken Kampioen Division, highlights one of these talents every week, this time with attention for Lorenzo van Kleef, who, as a rental player of ADO Den Haag, immediately asserts himself emphatically at FC Eindhoven.

By Thijs Verhaar

Many fans of FC Eindhoven will have scratched their ears on the first matchday when nineteen-year-old Van Kleef stepped forward to take the penalty in the seventieth minute against Jong FC Utrecht. That new striker Hugo Botermans had just fallen in and weren’t there any experienced men who could stand up for this crucial moment in a 1-1 position? “I can imagine they thought so, yes”, the midfielder chuckles two weeks later. “Only it was decided in advance that I would do it, so I went for it and luckily it hit. I think it’s important to dare to take my responsibility and it’s nice to be able to move the team forward”.

He sits relaxed on the Henk Bloemers stand and lets his thoughts go back to his debut match in the Kitchen Champion Division. His team won the game with 1-2, so ADO’s mercenary immediately became matchwinner. “That’s very nice of course. Ruud Swinkels had already asked in advance who might want to take a penalty kick and I immediately raised my hand. I was the only one, so the choice was quickly made. My buddy Hugo (also hired from ADO, ed.) hadn’t touched a ball after his innings, so he wasn’t difficult and was very happy for me that I shot him in”.

Botermans, who scored his first goal against Telstar a week later, and Van Kleef were both ineligible for a lot of playing time in the Eredivisie this season, so they decided to take up a lease in the Jan Louwers Stadium. “Afterwards, it turned out to be a kind of trade-off with Samy Bourard, who was moved to ADO, but I didn’t know anything about that at the time. I only got the question if I wanted to come to Eindhoven to play soccer and here I got plenty of perspective to play in the base”, said Van Kleef. “At ADO I didn’t have that feeling, because the club wanted to use more experienced forces. That’s why I made this choice and so far I don’t regret it at all. The fact that Hugo then also said ‘yes’ makes it extra fun. It’s very nice to be able to experience this adventure together with a friend”.

The two got an apartment together in the city centre, where they stand on their own two feet for the first time. “It wasn’t planned to live on my own when I was nineteen, but it’s actually going pretty well,” nods Van Kleef. They do their own shopping, cook their own food, wash and keep the house neat and tidy, the midfielder assures me. “It does help to grow up quickly and I hope to benefit from that on the field as well. Anyway, I was raised very independently and I am grateful to my parents for that too. For example, my mother taught me to cook very well.” The club hasn’t set up a special feeding schedule, but the youngster cooks as healthy as possible on his own. “I would be lying if I said that there is never a takeaway meal on the table at all, but nine times out of ten we prepare it ourselves and it is healthy. That’s our own responsibility and I realize very well that I have to do everything I can for my career”.

Van Kleef has a contract that expires at the end of this season, so this is already the year of truth for him. “So you can say it’s gonna be a little exciting. I want to show ADO that I have it in me and at the same time I want to help the team as best I can”, he says, pointing to a couple of players who are doing a finishing exercise after practice. “Everyone here has taken good care of me and is nice to me. I notice that in Brabant anyway and that’s nice. We have a good mix of a few older guests and some young players. I think it’s a very good combination. That’s why I’m sure my transfer here was the right choice. The match rhythm will do me good.”

Van Kleef made his debut at the start of the season last year in the ADO main force with a raid against PSV. A few months later, a second performance followed as a substitute against Ajax and after that, the cake was in for the time being. The club brought in an English trainer in the winter with Alan Pardew, who in turn brought in a dozen new players. “That didn’t help me”, knows the midfielder, who describes himself as a ‘real box-to-box player’. “I read the game well, have a lot of running power, a good kick and dueling power. I want to develop that even further in the Kitchen Champion Division. At the same time, I want to work on my abilities in the small space and my left leg needs to improve so that I can open up more easily on two sides”.

These points were also discussed beforehand with Martin Jol, the technical director of ADO The Hague, and the club management of FC Eindhoven. “Fortunately, things are going in the right direction,” said an optimistic Van Kleef. He played in the youth until the age of twelve as central defender and then made the switch to midfield at amateur club VELO. “We became unbeaten champions the following year and suddenly I scored a lot. That’s why ADO captured me and I’ve never been in a different position again,” remembers the midfielder, who last season mainly made his minutes with Jong ADO Den Haag and now hopes to play a long series in the Keuken Kampioen Division. “I never say goals about how many times I have to score or anything, but it is my intention to play everything here and be important as often as possible”.

Van Kleef suddenly played rightback after two midfield appearances against Helmond Sport. “That was born out of necessity. Luckily it went well, but I’d rather be in midfield, haha.”

FC Eindhoven’s goal this season is to finish in the left row and aims for a ticket for the play-offs. Although Van Kleef still finds it hard to estimate how strong all other teams are, he still believes in that mission. “I think you can fill in the top six of the league reasonably well and underneath it seems to be close together”, analyzes the midfielder. He takes into account that in some duels he’ll play at the top of the league, while he also has to chase his opponent for ninety minutes. “I don’t know what better suits my game. I’m sure I can fight for the points, but it’s also nice to get more into football. I can handle both scenarios, so it should be okay, huh?”

His big dream is to play soccer in Germany someday. “England is beautiful too, of course, but in the Bundesliga the players work really hard and they play good football. If I may think really big, Borussia Dortmund is the ultimate goal”, Van Kleef muses with a view of the field in the Jan Louwers Stadium. “But first I have to do very well here and then at ADO, haha. In any case, I’m very pleased that after my first goal I immediately received messages from Martin Jol and some players there. They want to stay informed about what I’m doing here and the other way around I follow the club as much as possible”, Van Kleef assures. “I was at a practice match between ADO and AZ the other day, but I don’t watch much football in my spare time. I also follow an online study Fitness trainer B and it takes some getting used to having to do the housework and everything. It’s a big change from my normal life in The Hague, but I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to miss this adventure with FC Eindhoven. We’re going to make it a very nice year”.

Name: Lorenzo from Kleve
Date of birth: 26 January 2001
Club: FC Eindhoven (rented from ADO)
Position: central midfielder
Strengths: play insight, running ability, dueling power

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