“I have a mirror at home, do you?”


Monday, November 14, 2022 at 08:35• Tom Rofekamp • Last update: 08:41

Rafael van der Vaart is not aware of any harm in the ‘Jasper Cillessen issue’. Now that Cillessen is not part of the final World Cup selection of the Dutch, the rumor is increasingly circulating that the critical words of the analyst from a few weeks ago played a role in this. Van der Vaart talks about this Studio Football however, expresses his disbelief, and argues that the NEC goalie was often not undisputed both at club and country.

At the beginning of October, Van der Vaart called Cillessen a ‘nasty little man’. It kickstarted a major media storm around the 33-year-old goalkeeper, in which Wesley Sneijder also had his say. Cillessen couldn’t do much with that, he said on Sunday after the game with RKC Waalwijk (6-1 win). “Of course that does something to you. You don’t mind that. Anyway, as long as no arguments are used … Have you heard arguments? I’m still waiting for the argument,” said de Groesbeker opposite the NOS.

Seeing the interview, Van der Vaart underlines his earlier words once again. “I said: it is a nasty man. If you see this now”, he tells his table companions, “how do you feel about that? As a human being. He is very uncollegial. You cannot say that about yourself. Van Gaal has probably said that to him. Surely no one thinks that because Wesley and I said something, Van Gaal thought: I’m not taking him?Van der Vaart said.

Table mate Jeroen Stekelenburg is less sure. “Something happened after that,” he refers to the media storm and subsequent media boycott of Cillessen. “All of that may have played a role.” Van der Vaart adds: “Was he the first keeper at Barcelona? Was he the first keeper at Valencia? And then he goes to NEC to join the Dutch national team. He has never been undisputed there? reason. Ultimately it is about performance. We are not talking about Van der Sar who is not selected?”

Finally, the table discusses whether Cillessen may not know that he is not a team player, as former national coach Frank de Boer agreed on last weekend. viaplay. “I have never heard that from anyone. Not even from Frank de Boer. He has never told me that,” said the goalie himself on Sunday. Such ignorance may well be blamed on Cillessen, says Van der Vaart. “I have a mirror at home, do you?” it sounds.