Willem Janssen will end his football career after this season, he announced via the official club channels. The 35-year-old defender of FC Utrecht, who played his four hundredth game in the Eredivisie against SC Cambuur (3-2) last weekend, is no longer assured of a permanent base place at the Domstedelingen. Janssen is the most experienced Eredivisie player who is currently active at the highest level in the Netherlands.
Janssen explains his choice to stop on the club’s website. “Slowly a feeling came to the surface of me: ‘Is this still something I get a lot of satisfaction from? Is this still something I enjoy every day?’ Gradually I realized that I have the feeling that it will be good after this season”, says Janssen about how he came to the decision to end his career. “I think this is a good time to stop. Knowing that my situation has changed and that I am now a certain age.”
Janssen made his professional football debut in 2004 at VVV-Venlo. He came to FC Utrecht in 2013 via Roda JC and FC Twente. First on a rental basis, a year later definitively. “I have noticed in myself that all these years as a professional I have gone full throttle, all in. The situation as it is now and how I think it would remain in the future made me realize that I There’s no other way than going all-in. Once I made the decision, I felt relieved.”
Technical director Jordy Zuidam admires the way Janssen fought back last year after a serious knee injury. “So deep is our respect now for the fact that he himself indicates that the moment has come to stop as a professional football player at the end of this season,” said Zuidam. “Willem is a beautiful person and an exceptionally powerful captain. “He does everything as a professional at full power, without concessions. That requires a lot from a person. Especially if you have been doing that for years. We are extremely grateful for all 247 matches Willem has already played for FC Utrecht and for the matches that are still to come come Go.”
FC Utrecht is looking at the possibility of keeping Janssen in another position for the club. “We have already had discussions about this and we will follow up on this in the coming period,” continues Zuidam. Janssen, who is originally a midfielder, was turned into a central defender by Erik ten Hag. In that role he was undisputed for years, until he was on the bench under René Hake this season. This season he played 16 times in the Eredivisie, 14 times as a basic player. Janssen (400 duels) is in fifteenth place on the list of most Eredivisie duels and has Patrick Pothuizen (402) and Peter Wisgerhof (404) in his sights.