Professional football beckoned. Three quarters of a year ago, Lars Nabbe from Sambeek signed his first professional contract as a football player for first divisionist VVV-Venlo. But then came the medical exam. A heart problem was diagnosed. He had to stop playing football immediately. Now, at the age of 21, he will be head coach of the amateurs of VV Sambeek, in the fourth division.
“Well, it did indeed all turn out differently,” Lars said on Omroep Brabant on Sunday afternoon in the radio program ‘De Zuidtribune’. “It would have been nice if I had been allowed to make my official debut in the first team of VVV at the age of 21. But there was a mandatory inspection from the club. It didn’t bother me. Still not, actually. But out that examination showed that I have a heart problem. Unfortunately, professional football was no longer possible.”
“Cardiologists don’t want to take any chances.”
Football at a lower level was also discouraged. That was a hefty blow for the midfielder. “But of course it is never completely safe if heart defects and the like are detected. It is not that anything is really coming, more as a precaution. I have not had any operations so far. They are not coming either. But cardiologists don’t want to take any chances.”
And so the dream he had from an early age shattered. “I played football in Venlo for eight years. I switched schools for this, went up and down by train every day, even as a little boy. You dream from your childhood that you can one day make your official debut and sign a contract. That contract was successful, but unfortunately that debut was not. That is a huge blow.”
“I have gained a lot of football knowledge in recent years.”
Still, he would like to remain active in the football world. “I had that thought quite quickly. I like football the best there is. I prefer to be involved in it every day.” He now gets that opportunity at amateur club VV Sambeek. The fourth division team has appointed Lars as a new coach for the next football season. Until then, he may assist current head coach Tom Wollenberg. Something he’s happy with.
So all of a sudden he now trains boys who are often older than himself. “I think I am one of the youngest, yes. But of course I know the boys well, Sambeek is a small village. In any case, I have gained enough football knowledge in recent years. I hope I can help them with that.
“Who knows where this will ever end.”
Whether he also wants to pursue professional football as a trainer, Lars is not sure yet. “Maybe because I don’t have any experience as a head coach yet. I think I’ll start here in Sambeek first. If I really like it and the competitive Lars comes up again, who knows where it will ever end.”
