The Kitchen Champion Division has been a breeding ground for national and international talents for decades and this season there are again many footballers with potential at the second level. Football zone, the official media partner of the Kitchen Champion Division, highlights one of these talents every week, this time focusing on Brian De Keersmaecker, the Belgian playmaker of FC Eindhoven.
By Chris Meijer
In addition to being a professional football player, Brian De Keersmaecker also goes through life as half of the DJ duo Scra. When he is not on the football field, he can often be found behind his turntable. “That’s what I do in my spare time. During the lockdown I had to have an activity. Then I thought: let me try something. Things are going well at the moment ”, 20-year-old De Keersmaecker nods. It is an understatement to say that he has not exactly gotten Eindhoven to be vibrant. Now that the city is slowly but surely opening up cautiously, his rental period at FC Eindhoven is coming to an end. “It’s a shame that I can’t do much in the city because of corona. I have heard from my teammates that it is a pleasant city, but I have not experienced much of that. Well, I’m having a good time. I have few problems with making my own plan. ”
De Keersmaecker ended up in Club Brugge’s youth academy at the age of thirteen, after he was taken away from Beerschot. It meant that he left the parental home in Bornem, close to Antwerp, to go to a boarding school in Bruges and later in student room, as he calls it, to live. “As a result, I am used to being alone,” explains De Keersmaecker. He played a total of five years in the youth academy of Club Brugge and became an international of Belgium Under-16, but the closer he got to the first team, the less he got to play. “At one point I didn’t play much anymore, didn’t even belong to the match selection anymore. That has made me mentally stronger. But also motivated to prove otherwise. I think it worked, I broke through and not many people can say that. In that respect, I am proud of the willpower I have shown. ”
De Keersmaecker has just scored his first goal for Beerschot, two minutes after his substitution against KAS Eupen.
Beerschot literally brought De Keersmaecker home. In his first season, he made a dream debut in the main squad, scoring directly two minutes after his substitution against KAS Eupen. “You hope for more after that. But they always say: ‘You are still young, your opportunities will come and when the time comes, you have to seize them’. Well, I waited, but the chance didn’t come, ”he says in a soft voice. De Keersmaecker eventually played a total of seventeen games for Beerschot and celebrated the championship in the First Division B last season, returning the club to the highest level. “The championship is a nice bonus. Beerschot was in my heart, I started there as a little boy. So yes, if you experience the promotion, that’s great. There has always been hope. We graduated and I thought: let me take my chance. I did a reasonable preparation, but then the trainer (at the time Hernan Losada, ed.) Came with the message that they would hardly use me in the selection. Then I thought: a year of training alone is of no use, then I will not take any steps. That’s why I started looking for another club. ”
At that time, a switch to the Netherlands was already in his head. “Because they like to work here with young guests,” explains De Keersmaecker. “I think more youth players get a chance here, boys can develop a lot more because of that. That was a motivation to go to the Netherlands, you can see that boys make a nice transfer from here. So that was the deciding factor. There is a lot of experience in Belgium, the big earners actually always play. That is different from here. It’s hard to explain, actually. The chances of breaking through are smaller unless you are a great talent. I played with Loïs Openda and Cyril Ngonge, they now play at Vitesse and RKC. But really made a breakthrough? There are very few from my class. ” As a result, the choice for FC Eindhoven was quickly made after a conversation with his parents and agent. He knew the city of Eindhoven a little bit, but he knew almost nothing about the club.
“Actually, I came here without any expectations. The goal was to play and that worked out reasonably well ”, smiles De Keersmaecker. From the third league match against Young AZ (3-0 win), he basically had a basic place, provided he was fit. For the time being, De Keersmaecker has 25 matches for FC Eindhoven to his name, in which he scored 3 goals and 1 assist. “I am satisfied in terms of playing time, but the statistics could be even better. I am critical of myself, you are judged on goals and assists. The reason for coming here was the playing time and development. I have learned a lot this year. You can only gain experience by playing. It is difficult to say whether I have learned different things than in Belgium. At Beerschot I mainly sat on the couch and only got a few minutes. ”
For the time being, De Keersmaecker scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 26 official matches for FC Eindhoven.
De Keersmaecker describes himself as one eight, who can do his thing in midfield both offensively and defensively and whose game fits well in Dutch football. “I like it when the trainer says: ‘Today we are going to play football’. My qualities do fit in with that view. Pass the ball quickly, not defend it constantly. I prefer the ball. Nice one-two. I think football in Belgium is a bit more tactical. From Monday you are already busy with the opponent, that will come a little later in the Netherlands. The competitions are very physical, many duels are played. In my opinion, the Dutch are also a bit more direct. In Belgium there is a little more talk behind your back, while they just say it here. I like that, actually. ”
It is quite possible that he will remain active on the Dutch fields after the summer. His contract with Beerschot expires and the number nine of the Jupiler Pro League has not exercised the option to extend the cooperation. “So I will be transfer-free next summer. I don’t really have a preference, we’ll see what comes my way. Then I go and look with my family and the agent to see what is best. Don’t make hasty decisions, I guess. I hope that next season I can play more games, deliver more goals and assists and thus take the next step in my career ”, says De Keersmaecker. Perhaps his first gig as a DJ will also be waiting after the summer, when the nightclubs reopen. With a smile: “Only if I’m free the next day. Otherwise, my partner may go and run alone. Because yes, I will not run if I have to train. ”
Name: Brian De Keersmaecker
Date of birth: May 6, 2000
Club: FC Eindhoven (rented from Beerschot)
Position: midfielder
Strengths: fit, technique, speed
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