You know that when a Brazilian guy prefers the Dutch Oranje over the Seleção Canarinho, you have a really cool and special dude in your tribe!
I have been speaking with him for months and it was clear to me he was and is the ideal guy to take over from me.
I mean: you try and find a Brazilian guy who would admit Cruyff was better than Pele, right?
Here is a first interview with our new playmaker.
So, Tarcisio, welcome! Tell us a bit about yourself?
Tarcisio: “I was born and live in Recife, the capital of Pernambuco, a state located in the northeast of Brazil and which has a very particular history with the Netherlands. Between the years 1630 to 1654, our state was colonized by the Dutch and Maurício de Nassau was the governor of our state during that period. He brought many improvements to our state, but “unfortunately”, the people managed to expel the Dutch from here. And I say that it is unfortunately, because when the Dutch left Pernambuco, they went to the United States and colonized New York. I believe that having the Dutch here would be better than the Portuguese who came to steal our riches and did not think about developing our region, as Maurício de Nassau did while he was here. In Recife, I live with my sister and mother. I’m 27 years old and since I was 16 I’ve been following Dutch football and I started to fall in love with it. Initially, I liked the country. I liked the things I read about the Netherlands, the culture, the history and that’s when I got deeper into football. I love Holland, I really do and don’t ask me why, things just happened and the next thing I know, I was completely in love with the country. But I’ve never been to Holland. My life goal is to live in Holland.”
This is Tarcisio’s Oranje Office, where the blogging-magic will be happening
Did you play football yourself?
“When I was younger, I played football for Sport Recife, one of the big clubs in my region. Today, I don’t like to play, I just like to watch.”
But you probably do adore Pele? Like we do Cruyff?
“For many, Pelé was the best and greatest player in the history of football, but for me, nobody has ever surpassed Johan Cruijff. What he did and what he left for football was much greater than any other athlete. Alongside Rinus Michels and many other legends, he revolutionized football. To this day, we see his legacy being upheld by Josep Guardiola. Pelé was a great player, but he didn’t leave the legacy for the sport that Johan Cruijff did. And I’m scared how the Dutch don’t appreciate Johan Cruijff. He was simply a genius and greater than anyone else.”
Do you follow the Oranje only, or also the Dutch clubs?
“I follow all Eredivisie and Keuken Kampioen Divisie matches. Every weekend I watch Dutch league games. I just don’t watch amateur division games, because they aren’t broadcast here in Brazil. I don’t speak Dutch, it’s one of the languages I want to learn.”
Which tournament stands out for you, re: the Dutch National Team?
“In my opinion, the 1974 World Cup was the Dutch team that impressed me the most. I didn’t have the opportunity to watch it, but from everything I’ve read and watched on videos, it was supernatural. But if you only analyze the competitions you watch, the 2014 World Cup was the coolest. We didn’t win the title, but we arrived discredited and reached the semifinal.”
This is where he lives and where we will all gather once we win the World Cup!
Do you support a particular Dutch club?
“I support Ajax, but whenever a Dutch team is on the field against any club from another country, I will support the Dutch club, because I want to see our football prosper. It’s not good that only Ajax can play the Champions League frequently. I want to see PSV and Feyenoord playing in these tournaments and showing the strength everyone has, just like the main teams in Portugal can do.”
Any favorite players?
“My list of favorite players starts with Johan Cruijff (it couldn’t be different), Ruud Krol, Wim Suurbier, Wim van Hanegem, Johan Neeskens, Rob Rensenbrink, Piet Keizer and Johnny Rep. Players like Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben are also on that list.”
How did you find out about the Dutchsoccersite?
“I found the site through Google. I was looking for Dutch football stories and reviews and Google introduced me to DutchSoccer. When I started reading, I fell in love with the content and tried to get in touch with you, to praise the high quality of the reviews. You were very humble and always open to help, and that made me even happier. I met a Dutchman who told me that people in Holland are not that friendly, but so far, the Dutch people I’ve met, I have nothing to complain about.”
Do you have any particular plans with the blog?
“I won’t be able to bring the quality and special touch that you’ve built over all these years to the site, but my idea would be to bring the daily updated news about Dutch football, from the top clubs to the clubs in the second division. . I want everyone to be able to get to know and follow the Dutch club by heart.”
And somewhere down there is a pub where we will get drunk on the success of our World Cup win!
How do you see the future of Dutch football?
“My perspective on Dutch football is that we can see clubs growing more and more. I hope that the directors understand once and for all that it is necessary to assemble competitive teams and compete strongly in European competitions, after all, they are what will bring money to our football. One thing I’ve learned over the years following football in the Netherlands is that the Dutch really see football as fun, unlike here in Brazil, for example. I think that’s the big difference and that’s why we can’t see Dutch football grow more than it can.”
Guys, it’s official now. The blog is in his able hands.
Say hello below and maybe also introduce yourselves? Say something about your age, where you live, how you came to become a fan of Oranje, and anything else you like to share.
Greetings Tarcisio. My name is Nicolaas and I have been an occasional contributor to this blog when possible. I was born in the Hague and am probably slightly older than most of your current readers – I’m currently 75. I have some experience with Dutch football both as a football player and manager. ADO Den Haag was my first club as a player, where I played for about 7 years. Then I played for several other clubs in Holland and had a few stints in America as well. When I retired as a player, I got into coaching and over the course of my career I have managed 14 clubs in 6 nations, and have also been the head man for 7 different national teams, including the Netherlands 3 times.
I have now been the manager at ADO Den Haag for just over a month and we have just achieved our second victory, this time against MVV by a scoreline of 2-1, which was our first goal conceded since my opening match in charge. We are still working out a proper formation and seeking additional reinforcements in our squad, so if any of your readers are between the ages of 18 and 36, please let me know if they are interested in a position with the Ooievaars and which is your dominant foot. I have a keen eye for latent talent and diamonds in the rough – Paul Bosvelt comes to mind as a great example.
On a personal level, football is really my life and has been so for so long. I am well acquainted with Aloysius, who is a more frequent contributor to this site, and we have occasionally posed for pictures together with women covered only with body paint (Aloysius was game to be painted himself but I was a little hesitant). Hendrik, another contributor, and I have somewhat of an uneasy truce, and he has sometimes offered faint praise of my managerial efforts in a sort of backhanded way. And, after a bit of a rocky start, I am now also excellent friends with Ruud, who not only has coached with me, but has also introduced me to the international club scene and taught me lots of new dance moves and pickup lines. I am forever indebted to him for all of these valuable services.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Dutch football, particularly from a Brazilian perspective.
Thank you for your willingness to take the reins and run with this blog! Veel geluk!
happy 2023 guys and Olá Tarcisio. just few updates.
cody’s gakpos situation at liverpool is not looking good and questions are starting to pop up now if he made the right move.
danjuma all of a sudden also looks to be out of favour at Villarreal and is up for loan move.
weghorst move to United is only good news for 2023 it seems.
elsewhere in eredivisie, simons takes over the reign from gakpo as the top goal scorer.
ajax and PSV seems to be fading away and the title could be take a new course this week with dE Klassieker. I remember when schruder took over at brugge, he made several changes before coming back to win the title. it looks like he is doing the same thing at ajax but is facing alot of criticism. PSV after the depature of gakpo seems to be have lost spark. Twente has been a surprise package this season.
look out for Feyenoord’s new dutch new kids as well.
It’s looking like Gakpo is in the short term the Bobby Firmino replacement(and possibly Diogo Jota short-term).
I hope will make the right move. Does that mean a return to Bournemouth? Will see.
Perr schuurs also has been getting good reviews at Torino. some body to to look out for in Serie A now.
Huntelaar came out in an interview saying Blind left Ajax because he was benched and criticised by the fans.
Blind came back to say: that is absolutely not true. I will come out with my side of the story soon.
Gerald Vanenburg spoke on TV about Ihattaren: He is late, he lies, he doesn’t do what he needs to do in order to get it… he just can’t stand pain. He thinks it will come by itself. Until he flicks that switch in his head, he is doomed.
Midfielder Mats Wieffer is finding his groove at Feyenoord, at Timber’s position: 2 assists and 1 goal in 2 matches.
Funny: PSV is sloppy and undisciplined: Van Nistelrooy is beyond criticism. Ajax drops a point v Twente after a Rensch red-card: Schreuder gets death threats…
Apparently, Inter is keen to sign Per Schuurs. Went to Torino for 10Mio. Might now be worth twice that amount.
Watched the Real v. Barcelona and the Manchester Derby this weekend. De Jong played in tandem with Busquets, a double pivot if you will, he was the more adventurous of the two. The formation suited him, good performance. But its been several years now, and no one has developed to play next to him. Wonder how Koeman will use him.
In the Manchester match, Malacia had a strong game defensively. Game in, game out, Ake plays at a high level—sustained excellence.