Tom Rofekamp
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Tommy St. Jago has still not put the Dutch national team out of his mind. The 24-year-old defender, who leads Willem II in the Kitchen Champion Division, has already declined an invitation to Curaçao several times for this reason. This was also the case recently, when his old trainer Dick Advocaat called him. “I told him that I now want to focus on Willem II,” St. Jago says Brabants Dagblad.
St. Jago settled in Tilburg at the beginning of this season, after ending up sidetracked at FC Utrecht. That was partly due to St. Jago's knee problems, which kept him out for a total of more than a year and a half between 2021 and 2023.
He is now regaining his passion for football at Willem II. St. Jago has already played 21 games this season and is heading for promotion with the club.
However, at the beginning he was 'still a bit searching', he says. “I still had to find my place, later I started looking for what my contribution could be.” His agent Christopher Coffie helped him find a behavioral coach in that regard. “With him I have come to the conclusion that I want to inspire and help others, in a positive way. This means: providing solutions, instead of just pointing out problems.”
St. Jago's efforts appear to be having an effect. The Utrecht looks its old self again, which has not gone unnoticed by Advocaat. The former coach of St. Jago in the cathedral city already sounded out his ex-pupil before the current international match of Curaçao. St. Jago kindly declined the offer.
“I explained to him that I now want to focus on Willem II,” says the defender. “I definitely didn't want to miss two league matches at this stage of the season. He understood that.” St. Jago, however, had another, 'boyish' motive.
He still dreams of an international career with the Dutch team. “Once you finally choose a country, you can't go back. And to be honest: Oranje is still a dream for me. I have had many setbacks, which is partly why I am where I am now. But that does not mean that that dream is gone,” said St. Jago.
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