For Marvin Zeegelaar, the match between Sporting Portugal and Ajax next Wednesday in the group stage of the Champions League is a more than special match. The versatile left leg, 31 years old, of Udinese has played for both clubs in the past. In Amsterdam, Zeegelaar got stuck on six duels in the main force and in a year and a half in Lisbon, the defender-cum-midfielder played 39 duels. “These are two clubs that I have had a lot of fun with, it will be fun to see later,” he tells Ajax Showtime.
Zeegelaar describes playing for Ajax as a dream, but states that Sporting has also been a big step in his career. “I really learned football from Sporting, as it were. I really got a taste of football there. By that I mean I found out what it’s like to play for a really big club, what it’s like to play in the Champions League and what it’s like to fight for the title. At Ajax we also went for the title of course, but I was even more of a youth player then.”
Zeegelaar eventually came to Sporting in January 2016 via Excelsior, Elazigspor, Blackpool and Rio Ave. That was also the club where he made his debut in the Champions League. “It was always a wish of mine to be there. To play against all those stars. I was able to experience that at Sporting and that is a great feeling. Playing in the Champions League is a childhood dream.” Zeegelaar participated in five of Sporting’s six group matches in the European billion dollar in 2016/17, including ninety minutes in the four duels with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Zeegelaar expects a difficult duel for Ajax. “They play in an aggressive way. That’s in their DNA. They also always want to attack, but that is no different with Ajax”, says the left leg, who warns for minor violations. “That’s kind of the street mentality they have there. They also have that very much at Sporting and that can be difficult for Ajax. But I think Ajax has a team that is good enough. It should work, right? You also have to be a little smart with those minor infractions. And maybe you should do it before Sporting itself, haha.’
It is difficult to make predictions about a group with Borussia Dortmund, Besiktas, Ajax and Sporting. “I played against Dortmund with Sporting. Ajax, Sporting and Dortmund are clubs that give young players the opportunity and prepare them for the big work. That’s nice to see. Besiktas does it differently. They also have good players, but they focus more on established players. I think Ajax certainly has a chance to continue, although the level is close to each other.”