I could be Old Firm hero if I’d lived life right
Kevin van Veen believes he’d have been good enough to score goals for the Old Firm if he’d lived his life better.
The 31-year-old Dutch striker is a key player for Motherwell after signing last summer from Scunthorpe United.
He was a highly-rated young talent in Holland but van Veen has revealed that a gambling addiction and mental health issues derailed his career.
He’s full of admiration for the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kyogo Furuhashi. But he gets frustrated at the thought of what he might have achieved if he’d got a crack at the top level.
Van Veen said: “People have said to me that as a No.9 at Rangers, I’d have scored 20-plus because of the amount of chances they create.
“I don’t want to disrespect Morelos or Kemar Roofe because they’re top strikers.
“They’re there for a reason because they’ve got huge ability but also because they’ve done everything right in life.
“It’s the same with Kyogo at Celtic, who I rate as the best striker in the league. His movement is so good.
“It’s hard for me to say if I could have played for one of those big clubs.
“I don’t want to sound over-confident but I’m a good finisher so I’d definitely score for them.
“I’m here for a reason and they are where they are for a reason.”
When van Veen left Dutch club FC Oss in 2015, several clubs in Europe and beyond were after him.
A move to Millwall fell through and he ended up at Scunthorpe, who later reportedly turned down a £4million bid from China for the frontman.
Van Veen said: “I had Bundesliga sides interested. I was supposed to sign for Millwall until I fell out with the manager Ian Holloway over the phone.
“I had offers from
Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. But I wanted a good platform and thought England was the right place.
“I had 19 clubs wanting me when I left the Netherlands, including the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry and others – but I signed for Scunthorpe.
“They had a wealthy owner who offered me a big contract. When I was there, I had calls from clubs higher up.
“Blackburn had a concrete offer and there was a bid from the Chinese Super League.
“But the owner was so rich that he could afford to play around.
“The Chinese club had a Dutch director and wanted me. But the Scunthorpe owner wanted double the money which offended the Chinese.
“It would have been life-changing money for me but it didn’t work out.
“I feel like I’m trying to make up for lost time now. When you don’t have that urge from addiction any more, your body becomes free.
“I’m 31 but I’m still so hungry to do better. In my mind I’m only 20 when I get the ball.
“I still want to do stepovers on the pitch. I don’t want to become a boring old man who lays the ball off. I want to do special things and give fans the value of their ticket by exciting them.”