Cyriel Dessers has opened up about his transfer from KRC Genk to Feyenoord. The striker made the switch from Belgium to Rotterdam on the final day of the summer transfer period. In conversation with The Telegraph Dessers speaks of the ‘craziest’ day in his life. Early in the morning it looked like he was going to play for Leganés.
On Tuesday evening, August 31, around 10 p.m., Feyenoord announced the arrival of Dessers. He is rented from Genk for a season, with an option to buy. He had not yet foreseen that the Nigerian international would sign for Feyenoord that same morning. “That day was the craziest of my life. If there had been cameras at the time… That documentary could have won an Oscar”, says Dessers.
On the final day of the summer transfer window, Dessers left for Madrid at six in the morning. “With the idea of signing with Leganés,” said the ex-attacker of NAC Breda and Heracles Almelo, among others. “But at the gate we suddenly received a phone call from several clubs. Antwerp, Nottingham Forest, Feyenoord. In the end Stijn (Francis, his broker, ed.) and I got on the plane. During the flight you have no idea for 2.5 hours which team you will play for the next day. At that time, my fate was in the hands of the clubs.”
When Dessers and his agent landed in Madrid, all options were considered. “After landing, we sat down on a bench in front of the airport between the taxis. In the end, Genk reached an agreement with Feyenoord and I signed my contract in the lobby of a hotel in Madrid,” reveals 26-year-old Dessers, who will be in De Kuip until the end of the season.
“Everyone says you shouldn’t choose the money, but when those numbers are in front of you, it works a little differently. I once got an offer from Japan. Really a mega offer! Even my mama said, “Cyriel, wouldn’t you even think about this?” In the end I didn’t do it,” said Dessers, who has scored five goals in all competitions on behalf of Feyenoord this season.