Arnuat Danjuma made his basic debut in the Dutch national team against Belgium at the end of 2018. The attacker, who was still playing for Club Brugge at the time, had just made his debut as a substitute against Germany. Former national coach Ronald Koeman did not receive an honest answer from Danjuma when he asked him how he felt, with a view to a starting place. Afterwards, the winger turned out to have a hairline crack in the bone of his ankle.
“Koeman said after my debut against Germany: I think you will start tomorrow, how do you feel?”, said the 24-year-old Villarreal winger in an interview with The Telegraph. “I had a lot of trouble with my ankle, there is also a photo where you can see me looking up: don’t show anything. I had a hard time walking. I said: trainer, I feel great. If I have to be there, I’m ready.”
By biting the pain and hiding his injury, Danjuma got his basic debut in the Dutch national team. “The next day I walk into the dressing room, see the shirt with number eleven: Danjuma. I was as proud as I could be, overjoyed, super focused. But mentally very worried,” Danjuma admits three years later. “I had my ankles taped very thick. ‘Are you feeling really well?’, I got back. I didn’t fit in my shoes anymore, didn’t feel my toes and thought: I won’t hit a ball today. During the warm-up, I went back in and took painkillers.”
“It was such a moment in your career where you do everything for,” said Danjuma, who says that as a small child he dreamed of playing in the Dutch. “I had to be on the match and score sheet. I scored and was overjoyed. Then I came back to Club Brugge. I quickly switched the next match: after examination I had a stress bill (a hairline crack in the bone, ed.). I was out for three months, but for me it was worth it, it was probably there anyway. Now I am three years older and wiser.”
Danjuma, who broke through at NEC and earned a transfer to Club Brugge, made his debut in the Dutch in October 2018. In the Nations League game against Germany, he came in after 68 minutes as a replacement for Ryan Babel. Three days later, the friendly against the Red Devils. After Dries Mertens had opened the score after five minutes, Danjuma determined the final score after 27 minutes of play. Danjuma’s counter now stands at three international matches. National coach Louis van Gaal has included him in the final the Dutch squad for the decisive World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro (November 13) and Norway (November 16).