Van de Beek spotted by Bergkamp aged just 12
AND UNITED’S £40M RECRUIT’S GIRLFRIEND IS DENNIS’ DAUGHTER
GIVEN that his girlfriend is Estelle Bergkamp, the daughter of Arsenal legend Dennis, Donny van de Beek has joked there is sure to be an expectation for any children to excel at football, considering the genes.
For now, though, the expectancy is all on Van de Beek, the 23-yearold soon to be Manchester United’s new £40million midfielder. He has long since shouldered such pressure. It was, of all people, Bergkamp who identified the potential of the boy who could yet become his son-in-law (right).
That was in 2010 when Van de Beek — who had his medical while on Holland duty yesterday — played for Bergkamp’s under-12s at Ajax’s academy. The former Holland forward saw himself in the blond- haired hopeful, who would drift between midfield and attack and, like Bergkamp, was not afraid of an audacious finish or blind pass. He even earned the nickname ‘Maradonny’ among his peers.
While Bergkamp’s faith was a source of great pride for Van de Beek’s father, Andre, it did not compare to the comments of his idol Johan Cruyff, who mentioned to him one day that he was already well aware of his son’s talent.
Van de Beek would go on to score 41 times from 175 matches for the Dutch club, emerging as a star during their run to the semifinals of the Champions League in 2019. But he will arrive at Old Trafford with much still to prove.
Van de Beek’s back story suggests he will not want for mental resilience, for despite his relatively tender years, he has been through much already.
HE was sat on the bench during a pre-season friendly in Austria in 2017 when his best friend Abdelhak ‘Appie’ Nouri collapsed on the field. Born two weeks apart and together in Ajax’s academy for nearly a decade, the pair had realised their dream of playing alongside one another in the first team.
The footage from that day in Austria is chilling, Van de Beek clutching a bottle of water as he stands among his team-mates on the touchline, watching speechless as a medical tent is assembled around his stricken friend. Appie, then aged 20, had suffered a cardiac arrest. He was left with permanent brain damage. Van de Beek later described himself as ‘ broken’ and admits there are periods where he cannot visit Appie, for what follows is weeks of upset and loss of sleep.
But communication with Appie’s family is daily and, in tribute, it is likely he will take the No 34 jersey at United, the shirt worn by his friend for Ajax.
It was Appie who had helped Van de Beek when his younger brother, Rody, developed a tumour against his spine and spent months in hospital. After one match, Appie revealed a T- shirt with Rody’s picture on it. Rody made a full recovery and he cried during an ininterview with NU
Sport S earlier this year when describing their bond.
‘Those moments I saw Donny again after the operation, then yyou know that he rreally has always been tthere for you. He is sstrong, but it also hhurt him,’ he said. The family, in an interview with Ajax Showtime, revealed there were mornings when letters arrived from both the hospital and Ajax; one brother fighting for his life, the other chasing his dream.
The boys were raised on a chicken farm in Nijkerkerveen, a rural village of just 1,500 inhabitants 35 miles south of Amsterdam. Donny would spend more time climbing trees than playing football.
But Andre was also a coach at Veensche Boys, the village club where Donny played before and beyond signing for Ajax aged 10.
After training, he would swap his boots for a hairnet and help package chicken fillets, since admitting that, without football, he would probably still be on the production line at the family business.
His father said yesterday: ‘This is a dream come true. It’s the perfect moment for him to make this step to such a beautiful club. Many clubs were interested, but Donny took this decision himself.’
His mother, Gerdina, has previously spoken of her son’s humility. It is said he would never wear his Ajax tracksuit when returning to Veensche as a youngster. Later, after his Ajax debut, he bought a Mercedes car but always swapped it for the family van when driving around the village.
Even now he spends Saturdays watching Rody play for Veensche Boys senior team — which also includes Appie’s brother, Mo — and has been seen wheeling the kit trolley into the dressing room.
That modesty is sure to be tested at United, however, especially if he goes on to become the superstar his mentor Bergkamp expects him to be.