About seventy times a year, Marcel Drent takes a plane to another football event or match. Drent works for 433, a social media platform that has tens of millions of followers.
As a presenter he can be seen in many videos. More than a journalistic report or interview, the videos revolve around passion and football culture.
“It was instilled in me from a young age,” says Drent. “My cousins, my uncle, my father… Everyone, including my mother: absolutely crazy about football. So that was already in the family.”
On the field, Drent becomes captain of the first team of SV Tynaarlo. But he is already enthusiastic about the football culture there.
“In a village like Tynaarlo, there were a hundred or a hundred and fifty people standing on the sidelines on a sunny day. While that was fifth class,” Drent says.
He continues: “Then you had one of the old guard who held a kind of tactical discussion about what could be improved on the field. Isn’t that genius, that people can live like that in such a small village? That is really what makes football beautiful.”
Marcel started at 433 Netherlands four years ago, but quickly made the step to the international variant. His Instagram reel is an overview of all the famous football stars in the world.
He continuously interviews famous athletes such as David Beckham and Kylian Mbappé. He also regularly attends top matches such as El Clásico in Spain or the Champions League final.
And he will probably be found in North America in the coming weeks, when the world championships will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“These types of deals often come late,” Drent explains. “I sometimes hear a day in advance: ‘Can you go to Los Angeles tomorrow?’ And then I’m on a plane the next day.”
That’s how it goes in his industry. “So I have no family appointments for the next five weeks. Quite intense indeed. I haven’t actually planned anything in recent years, because I wanted to have full focus on this wonderful adventure.”