NAC immediately says goodbye to Jan van den Bergh. The 30-year-old captain will play football at the Japanese club Jubilo IWATA for the next two years. “There is no doubt that my football heart is in Breda, but I couldn’t let this lucrative football adventure for me and my family,” the Belgian says on the club site.
Van den Bergh came over from the Belgian Beerschot in 2023. In Breda he promoted to the Eredivisie in his first season and this year the club managed to maintain itself directly. In total he played 73 official matches. When there was interest from Japan this year, the defender indicated that he would like to make the move.
NAC contributes to the request because it is a personal wish of the Belgian. The Brabant club receives a transfer fee for the defender and bonus agreements have been made. It is striking that Van den Bergh himself pays part of the fee to go to Japan.
“Contributed in a specific way to the sporting reconstruction of the club.”
Technical director Peter Maas indicates that the club has tried to extend Van den Bergh’s contract several times. “In the last two seasons at NAC, Jan contributed to the sporting reconstruction of the club in NAC. We thank him for that and grant him to pursue his personal dreams at this age. The agreement with the Japanese has led to a satisfactory outcome for all parties involved. NAC himself continues to stay in the Eredivisie for longer.”
In the future, the Belgian could just start working again in Breda. “I am NAC and her supporters incredibly grateful for two fantastic years with precious memories. This is certainly not ‘goodbye’, but a ‘goodbye’.”