And because those were words that needed an explanation, van Gaal went back a little. “Flekken is incredibly good with his feet, you can’t imagine that”said VanGaal. “Edwin van der Sar was also incredibly good with his feet.”
You can hardly pay a higher compliment to a Dutch goalkeeper.
Flekken was not used then, but now he will make his debut. Jasper Cillessen (FC Valencia) and Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord Rotterdam), who have played a lot lately, are injured. Van Gaal had not yet decided on a number one, but now Flekken gets his chance.
Just a few hours after the press conference with van Gaal, Flekken stood in front of a TV camera on the “NOS” channel and told how the coach had spoken to him and promised him assignments. And how he got really nervous for a moment.
Cruciate ligament tear, shoulder injury, heel goal
The international debut would be the high point of a goalkeeping career in which not everything always went according to plan. Flekken came to Germany as a teenager, he was considered a great talent, but he didn’t make a breakthrough at first. It was probably due to injuries.
When Flekken was under contract with SpVgg Greuther Fürth, he tore his cruciate ligament. And when he was scheduled to be the first goalkeeper at SC Freiburg after Alexander Schwolow left in the summer of 2020, he injured his shoulder so badly while warming up before the first game of the season that he was out for many months.
Flekken really drew attention in 2016 when he scored a back-heel goal in added time in a game for his club MSV Duisburg. It was the moment when the football world marveled at a goalkeeper with fine feet. Two years later, she laughed at him.
Flecken, the bottle and dealing with mistakes
When Duisburg scored a goal in a second division game, Flekken cheered briefly, then turned to his water bottle. Flekken didn’t realize that the referee annulled the goal. Not that the opponent from Ingolstadt understood the situation and played quickly.
It was a matter of seconds and then the ball was in the Duisburg goal. Flekken looked like he didn’t understand the world anymore.
The video went around the world, of course Flekken didn’t get off that well. There was British media that wondered if that was the “worst goalkeeper blunder ever” was the worst goalkeeping mistake of all time?
Flekken’s development, or: When dreams come true
It’s been four years and the development of Flekken is impressive. In the Bundesliga, his club SC Freiburg has conceded the second fewest goals after FC Bayern, and no goalkeeper has kept a clean sheet more often. And now the national team.
A few years ago, when Flekken was still a third division goalkeeper who hardly anyone knew, he admitted in an interview that he was already dreaming of being called up to the “Elftal”. It was a dream, it’s about to become a reality.
In the past few days, Flekken has also been a sought-after conversation partner in the Netherlands. Of course, he should also talk about his forthcoming international debut. Flekken said: “Dreams can come true.”