Former football professional Michel van Oostrum has unveiled his own tile of honor right in front of De Oude Meerdijk stadium. The short ceremony was on Friday evening prior to the match between two of his old clubs FC Emmen and Cambuur Leeuwarden.
Amsterdammer Van Oostrum became a public hero in Drenthe between 1990 and 2002 and is still the keeper of many club records. He played the most matches for the club with 339 matches and with a staggering number of 196 goals he is the most accurate Emmen player of all time.
Active for the club again
In red and white, Van Oostrum finished twice as top scorer in the first division and was also voted footballer of the year of that competition twice. After his football career, he was also an assistant coach at De Oude Meerdijk for two seasons. Van Oostrum has recently been active again with his old love as a selection manager of a selection of former players.
Van Oostrum is honored with the tile. “It’s a lot of fun. I have been doing some things for the club again for a while now. Setting up former FC Emmen and giving talks in the business area. A while ago I was surprised with the message that I would receive a tile for the stadium.”
Children, striker and pub owner
Club directors, supporters, former teammates and family members were present at the unveiling party. Van Oostrum was also allowed to put together a guest list himself. “My wife and children, all four of whom were born in Emmen, are of course there. Of course, Martin Drent should not be missing either.”
With Drent, ‘Mich’ Van Oostrum formed a royal couple in the attack of FC Emmen for a number of seasons. On Friday evening, the reunited duo pulled together a shirt with number 9 from which the shiny tile appeared. And although that number belonged to Drent in the 1990s, the underlying tile turned out to indeed contain Van Oostrum’s track record.
“I also mainly invited people from my first period at FC Emmen,” said Van Oostrum. “These are people who, as a Westerner, made me feel at home in Emmen. Think of Piet Fokkema, the owner of our favorite pub Pierot. He was always enthusiastic and positive about me. Not that that was a requirement to be invited,” Van Oostrum laughs.
Third tile
The tile for Van Oostrum is the third in the hall of fame under construction on the stadium square in Emmen. Former coach Dick Lukkien and former goalkeeper coach and team manager Riny van Vilsteren preceded the beloved top scorer. For the club’s centenary in 2025, the club wants to honor various club icons with ten tiles.
Van Oostrum has ideas about who still deserves a tile. “I have been asked to take a seat on the committee that deals with this and there I will tell who I think should still receive a tile. By the way, I did not participate in the decision about my own tile. That would be very strange.”