Marco Asensio played his last international match for the national team of Spain on June 10, 2019. After the 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Santiago Bernabéu, a period of seventeen months followed in which he was out of circulation for a long time due to a serious knee injury. The attacking midfielder of Real Madrid can make his return as an A-international on Wednesday against the Netherlands. He has a special bond with the Netherlands.

Asensio is the son of a Spanish father and a Dutch mother. He did not like a career as an Orange international, but he can often be found in the Netherlands. “The Netherlands is my second country”, Asensio emphasized the day before the meeting. “Half of my family is from the Netherlands. I have great memories of this country and I think a lot about my Dutch family. I have Dutch blood, a good relationship with my Dutch relatives and I try to come to the Netherlands every year. ”

Asensio has come a long way: in July 2019, the Spaniard suffered a serious knee injury in a friendly game with Arsenal. Partly due to corona, he was only able to make his return much later than expected. On June 18 of this year, he came in against Valencia and with a goal and an assist he played an important part in the 3-0 victory. “I’ve come a long way. I think things are getting better and better. I still have to work hard to get to where I am aiming for. How many percent am I still away from that? I cannot say that exactly. Patience must be shown. I know this path is the right one. ”

For Asensio, who was selected by Luis Enrique as a replacement for Ansu Fati, the meeting with the Netherlands is not really a friendly game. “I experience it more as an official competition. Because of the stadium, because of the rival. And that’s how we live towards it. ” Luis Enrique thinks it is an honor that he can compete against Orange in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, partly because of his past with Barcelona. “The name of the stadium represents the idea of ​​the Dutch school, playing good football, and says it all. I have had Dutch coaches and colleagues who have become friends. ”

“I like to come back here because it makes for good memories.” Luis Enrique knows Frank de Boer from their joint period at Barcelona. “I was Frank’s teammate for many years and we have a great relationship. His football idea is in line with that of Dutch football and I hope he will be very successful after the game against us. ”