What was the best part of the evening for you?
“The lap of honor across the field at halftime. All the other things I received are a huge honor. You are proud of that. But the feeling of that lap was special. Because you realize that it is the last time you will make such a lap around this field. At least as a player. That really did something to me. How the fans all started singing and jumping and just kept singing. Sometimes you don’t realize how special that is.”
‘Substitute striker’ Guus Til, the big man at PSV: ‘I’m fine with everything, as long as I’m not on the bench’
What was it like that you were able to experience this evening with your sons Cody and Finn?
“If it is a nine o’clock match, they are normally in bed. This was a great time and that I was able to experience this together with them and the family. When they are a little older, I can remind them.”
Are you still following PSV from Portugal?
,,Certainly. I still watch every game. And I still know a lot of guys. I’m also in an app group with a number of boys. With Joël Drommel, Joey Veerman, Jerdy Schouten, Guus Til and Mauro Junior. So I’m still in touch. I will stay informed of how things are going.”
Do you see yourself ever playing football here at PSV?
“No, no more football. That book is closed. I said to myself: ‘I have experienced wonderful times at PSV. I think I ended it very nicely. Also with a championship at the end. Which was extremely special because of the way it was done. That was a great way to leave PSV behind and spend the last part of my career elsewhere. In a beautiful city, in a beautiful environment, but where football is played for something. And that is the case with Porto. That’s a great city, but we also play for the prizes. I chose the adventure because I love it.”
Guus Til helps PSV get past Go Ahead Eagles in a difficult match
Do you see another role for yourself at PSV in the future?
“If I stop, I will take my time and do whatever I want. I kind of know what suits me. I would like to participate in certain things at PSV to see how it goes. That’s for later.”
If an attractive option such as FC Porto had not come along, would it have been possible for you to have stayed with PSV after all?
“I felt like there was always room for me. They’ve always given me that feeling. It could have happened in theory. But when Porto came, I made the choice and thought ‘this is something I really want’.”
PSV puts Luuk de Jong in the spotlight with special honors
You played a prominent role in the documentary about PSV’s transfer summer. Did you remember that at one point in a management meeting it was said ‘We are not FC Luuk de Jong’?
“I watch all the episodes of the documentary. I’ve seen that. I know what’s going on internally. Frans (Janssen, ed.) also said: the legend Luuk de Jong. We have had very good contact with each other. I have always stated openly and honestly that I wanted to wait and see what would happen. Furthermore, I don’t think it should be made too big. I am here now for my farewell and that is a small thing that has been said and that you sometimes shout in a group.”
There are supporters at PSV with a tattoo of you. Could you ever have imagined that when you came to PSV in 2014?
“I never dared to dream that I would have such a wonderful time here. I was still young. You come back from Germany. Then you come back to the Netherlands to create something beautiful. It was a step sideways to take another step forward and that has gotten out of hand here at PSV. It has been a fantastic time.”
Marcel Brands used ‘see you later’. Not you. Have you consciously thought about that?
“No, I had to search for words, I got a bit emotional on the field. That was a difficult moment. I wasn’t really thinking about what exactly I was saying. I really enjoyed the moment, this farewell. And I guess it was a ‘see you later’. I do expect that I will want to do something at this club again at some point in the future. If that’s possible. That chance is there.”
Did you bring a cheat sheet to give your speech?
“That was a note I received from a die hard fan. After every match, when I had already showered and visited the family in the players’ home, he stood there by the car with his father to say ‘well done Luuk, keep going’. And even before the match he did that. He gave me that note. And boy who always stood there, in the rain or the cold.”
AZ increases Ajax and trainer John Heitinga’s concerns: Alkmaarders take victory in ArenA
Is there anything that stands out from those eight years at PSV?
“Those times when I stood on the flatbed. The feeling you have when you can stand there together and you have fought so hard together. That feeling, that goosebump moment, cannot be described how beautiful it is. Those moments will always stay with me.”
How are you doing with your injury?
“I can’t say exactly when I will be able to play again. I tore off my inner tube. We’ve been on the road for six weeks now. That process takes at least two months. Every injury takes time. I am now working on cycling and getting good mobility in the knee.”
What is it like working with Francesco Farioli at FC Porto?
“I noticed when he was at Ajax that he was very busy analyzing the opponent. Devising a tactic against PSV and Feyenoord and it worked out well. He won twice against us and twice against Feyenoord. You can tell that he is very much involved in this tactically. How does an opponent play, how do I ensure that we find a way to play under their pressing. He works on this in great detail. We have two major competitors with Benfica and Sporting. It’s going to be a great battle this season. We are well on our way.”