Dutch professional footballers can be found in all corners of the world, from the spotlights of the major European leagues to the more adventurous jobs on other continents. In the Over de Grens section, Voetbalzone speaks weekly with a player who is active outside the national borders. This time, attention is paid to Joey Lieshout, who made a switch from the German Wormatia Worms to Olympias Lympion during the winter transfer window, which plays at the second level of Cyprus.
By Jordi Tomasowa
“I just have one goal and there are several roads to Rome. Bert Esselink is also a friend of mine, he has the best story so far,” says Lieshout with a smile. The 22-year-old striker hopes to walk the same path as Esselink, who threatened to disappear to amateur football a year and a half ago. The centre-back took a risk by taking on the adventure at Cypriot PAEEK and earned a transfer to record champion APOEL Nicosia, where he signed a contract in January until mid-2024.
Lieshout in action on behalf of Olympias Lympion.
During the winter transfer window, a handful of Dutch football players again settled in Cyprus. One of them is Lieshout, and like many boys on the island, he has a history with De Graafschap. After a year in the Under 19, Lieshout moved on to the U23 team. “I thought it was a very good time,” says Lieshout. “I was able to do what I love to do, play football as much as possible. I went from Hollandia, where I trained three times a week, to twice a day at De Graafschap. In the Under 19 it took some getting used to, but once I got used to it I didn’t want anything else. You notice that you get better, because you simply train much more often. The level is just higher.”
After two seasons of Jong De Graafschap, Lieshout was told that he had to look for another club. He turned the switch and participated in the preparations for IJsselmeervogels in the summer of 2020, where his contribution in the short season was limited to just one substitute. “That was very difficult because of the corona pandemic. I had played some games in preparation, then we were four games on the road and the competition was stopped. So I had to make do with that one raid. I trained a lot for myself then so that I kept busy every day just like the real pros.”
In a period of uncertainty, Lieshout decided to embark on his first foreign adventure at Wormatia Worms. “Actually, I heard through the media that they needed a striker, so then I thought: why not just try it from the fifth level in Germany and just work my way up?” says Lieshout when asked about his choice. “Then I went there for a few training sessions. The trainer was actually very enthusiastic right away, he really wanted me to. The facilities were also just okay. We were also expected to compete for the championship, they are still at the top. That appealed to me, maybe I could score a lot and promote to the fourth level.”
“Such a transfer never actually took place, so it’s quite special”
Nick Kaaijmolen started the season with APEA Akrotiri, a fourth division team in Cyprus and made a switch during the winter transfer window to PAEEK, which is active in the top division
The striker had to get used to being alone abroad, but was well received by his teammates. “I was the only Dutchman, but there were also a Frenchman and a Brazilian who I spent a lot of time with. They also lived in Worms, so we often did things together.” Despite the fact that Lieshout had a good time at Wormatia Worms, it was not what he had hoped from a sporting point of view. “Before I came they had a very good striker, who went to the fourth level. Then there was a lot of pressure on me because I had to replace him,” he explains. “The first game we lost 1-0, then of course I was the bitten dog. They expected me to be right there. The second game I played a half and from the third game I was mostly on the bench. There was a little too much pressure on me.” Lieshout was judged on the first competition matches and then it started to run at the German fifth divisionist. “Then it is difficult to get back into the team. If they win every game and I come in in the last twenty minutes, then it is difficult to fight in the starting eleven. I did learn a lot from it. The people there were also just nice. It’s a shame I didn’t play that much.”
Lieshout doesn’t say a bad word about his time and life in Worms, which is known as the oldest city in Germany. “I lived on my own in an apartment, everything was actually well organized. I went to the gym every morning and in the afternoon I did an online real estate tutorial. Then I just had a kind of schedule every day so that I didn’t do nothing, because you trained there for four days in the evening. Then you have to get through the whole day. I thought: I’m just going to do a study, I’ll keep my head busy and it’s always good to have something on hand.”
Because Lieshout mainly had to make do with substitutes in Germany, he actively looked for a new club last winter. “Now that I am 22 years old, I have to play a lot. If you then sit on the couch, it’s a bit of a shame,” he realizes. “At Wormatia, my teammates didn’t understand that I didn’t start in the starting line-up. When I finally left, some people thought it was a shame. They expressed confidence that I would definitely make it.”
“I just wanted to go to a club where I would play everything”, Lieshout continues. “Then I heard this from Cyprus and I heard many good stories from Bert Esselink, Nick Kaaijmolen, Piet Halman, Mohammed Rida Azzouz and more boys with a past at De Graafschap who play here. They said it’s just good here and you can play yourself up. The transfer to Olympias Lympion was eventually made through his agent Thanasi Ntinoudis, who is happy to have a boy again chance to sign a professional contract.
At Olympias Lympion, which was promoted to the second level in Cyprus last year, Lieshout is currently waiting for a battle to keep herself alive. “That’s why they brought in quite a lot of players in the winter. The level of training is good and so are the facilities. It may be slightly less than in Germany, but just fine.” The striker currently lives in Lympia, a village located between Nicosia and Larnaca. “I am now in a house with three other teammates. They welcomed me well, so I didn’t really need a lot of time to get used to it. It is nicer that you are now in a house with teammates if I compare it with Germany, where I was all alone in an apartment. We do something every day. I have a car and it’s not all that far away.”
“I was sent away from Jong De Graafschap and now I play at such a big club”
Bert Esselink earned a transfer from PAEEK to Cypriot record champion APOEL Nicosia in January.
Where Lieshout had a rough start at Wormatia Worms, the pressure for ambitious attacker at Olympias Lympion is immediately off. “I think I arrived on a Wednesday and they immediately wanted me to be in the selection on Sunday,” he recalls. “The first game I came on for half an hour and the second game I was in the starting line and I also scored right away. I feel a lot of confidence here from the coach and from the players, then you immediately start playing better football. The trainer just talks Greek, but a few guys then translate it. The selection consists mainly of Greeks and Cypriots. I think there are seven foreigners in the selection.”
Now that Lieshout has settled in Lympia, he is looking forward to a reunion with other boys who play in Cyprus and have a history with De Graafschap. “I have a lot of contact with Nick Kaaijmolen and Bert Esselink, so we will soon be doing something with all the boys. Seeing each other again, that’s funny.” Have they warned Lieshout about the warm temperatures in the summer months? “Yes, I heard that it is very hot then. I understood that in the summer we train here at five o’clock in the morning.”
Despite the fact that Lieshout made a transfer to Olympias Lympion only a month and a half ago, he does not hide his ambition. “I would prefer to play at the highest level in Cyprus after this season or the season after. That this is a kind of springboard, but first of all I want to play nice, score goals and have fun again. Then I want to go to the highest level, just like Bert Esselink. That is a dream transfer he has made. He was really the greatest talent in the youth of De Graafschap and then he got two injuries to his knee. Now you see that he survived after all, that’s a really nice story.” And does Lieshout ever see herself return to the Netherlands as a footballer? “I would certainly like to, yes, playing football close to home at a high level. However, now I am abroad and want to work my way up here. Just perform well and then we’ll see.”