Van de Beek: “I wanted to leave football but I believe in myself”

“Girona is an interesting club and we have a fantastic team”

BARCELONA, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Girona FC player Donny van de Beek said this Tuesday before the match against Feyenoord in the Champions League that in the past, when he went through bad moments of not playing, especially in the final stage at Manchester United, he thought about leave football but assures that now, with the help of family and friends, he believes in himself and in being able to improve and grow at the Montilivi club.

“I feel better and better physically and I want to continue improving. In the past I have wanted to quit, yes, but you talk to my family and they have encouraged me to keep going. They have supported me a lot. I like to play, I like football and I believe in myself. I continue working,” the player said at a press conference.

The 27-year-old Dutch midfielder acknowledged that it is “difficult” from a mental point of view not to be able to play. “I have had several setbacks. But I am starting a new stage in a very interesting club, in a fantastic team. It seems to me that they have a strategy that I believe in, we play very well and it is a new mental challenge,” he said.

“I want to do as well as I can for Girona. It will be a great experience, a very special game for the club as it will be the first time it has played at home in the Champions League. We all want to get a good result and it is important, but we have You have to enjoy it because if you enjoy it, it’s easier to win. The Champions League is the best thing there is and everyone has to enjoy this game,” he said.

For Van de Beek this is “a new stage” that he wants to take advantage of. “There are several reasons why I have started a new stage and I don’t want to talk about the past. Now I am very good, starting the season, and I know that I had to activate myself during the preseason to get in well and I have been looking good for weeks, in good form. There is a very warm atmosphere in Girona, it is like a family, and at the club level there is a good plan. I like it,” he said.

At a game level, he believes that he still needs to improve and, to do so, he sees it as key to reach an optimal point of physical fitness again. “I have to improve in several things, it is important to be in good physical shape and I think I have it. But I have to continue improving to be able to continue growing at a football level,” he said.

“I always like to play against Feyenoord, it’s been a long time since I played against a team from the Netherlands. With Ajax we played against them several times and they were interesting games. It will be good for me to be able to play against a Dutch team again,” he acknowledged.