AZ midfielder Dani de Wit expressly expresses the ambition to one day play for the Dutch national team. “My ultimate goal remains the Dutch. That is the next and last step and that’s what I’m going for,” said the 23-year-old former youth international Football International.
De Wit admits that it ‘might sound a bit crazy now that AZ is not currently participating at the top’, but the midfielder is convinced that a call for the Dutch is possible. The recent return of Feyenoord midfielder Guus Til to the Dutch national team makes him hopeful. “After having hardly played for a year and a half and a short series of good matches at Feyenoord, Til was selected again in September. If you show that you are ready, even if that is a relatively short period, then you can get the chance with the Dutch national team, which is nice to see,” said De Wit.
In 2019, De Wit was brought in at AZ as the successor of Til, who left for Spartak Moscow. In his own words, the attacking midfielder did not have to leave Amsterdam. “Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars wanted me to stay, I thought that was a very nice compliment. But as beautiful as the European campaign was in the last season, I experienced it mainly as a bench seat.” Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018/19 season, when Tottenham Hotspur turned out to be too strong in the return match (2-3).
As a young player, De Wit wanted to be able to count on a lot of playing time, so he explains his choice for AZ. “In the twilight of your career you may be able to accept such a role at a big club. But as a young footballer I wanted to play weekly. When AZ offered me that opportunity, I didn’t have to think twice.” De Wit is having a good season in the AFAS Stadium, scoring five times in eight Eredivisie matches, including two last Sunday against FC Utrecht (5-1).
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