Frans Duijts called a camera crew from Shownieuws in the summer to pick up his new Ferrari together. People were sick of that showmanship, but he himself sees it very differently.
According to Frans Duijts, the criticism that he is a showman is not widely shared at all. It is the media that pretends that is the sentiment, he says in the authoritative TROS Compass. “Tall trees catch a lot of wind. Of the thousands of messages I received about my car, maybe 60 were negative and the rest were nice.”
Frans’ showy behavior
You only hear negative reactions in the media, while most people think it’s great that he is picking up a Ferrari, says Frans. “That is then taken out of context and takes on a life of its own. Of course there are people who don’t like it and call me an idiot, but luckily the majority of them like it.”
Frans always reacts very irritated when he is criticized for showy behavior. “Other than that it doesn’t affect me. I just think it’s a shame that things are said that people would never say to my face.”
‘I read everything’
Does Frans read everything written about him? “Yes, and I regularly respond myself. I enjoy being in close contact with my fans. If someone says I’m an ugly guy, but likes my car, I laugh and send a smiley back.”
He continues: “But if someone says that such a car is not wise at this time and that I should do a free performance to compensate, I will respond. Because why? Then a famous footballer should certainly also play for free for a year if he buys an expensive car. I have a team of 23 people around me that I have to pay. I would like to make that clear.”
Sports car
Where does Frans’s urge to brag about his stuff come from? Was he raised that way? “Certainly not. My father once bought a sports car with his hard-earned money, but it never left the garage. Because what would people think of that? That’s how I was raised.”
He concludes: “I wanted a larger caravan at the time and then he wondered whether I should do that. My father only lived to be 68 years old, had a great life, but never really did the things he really wanted to do. That’s a shame. That was a good lesson for me.”
‘Work hard for it’
Frans has stopped being modest. He now wants to show his wealth to everyone. “When I sailed ten meters down in 2002, straight through a roof, and had a near-death experience, I started to look at life differently. I don’t steal anyone, I don’t kill anyone, I don’t pressure anyone, so it’s my life.”
“I worked hard for it, made sure the financial foundation was completely right and then I started building up. If there is financial space, you should do the things you really want.”