Her smile is back. Shanice van de Sanden is cheerfully walking around at Orange. Like she never left. And her presence seems to have an infectious effect on the rest of the roster. “The atmosphere in the group is as usual. I missed all those girls. I enjoy it to the fullest,” says Van de Sanden at a table in Horst, Limburg. She also feels strong within the lines: “I am now the best version of myself. I think I can bring something extra with my speed and explosiveness.”
Van de Sanden (30) was pleasantly surprised when national coach Andries Jonker included her in the pre-selection for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at the end of May. That was exactly one year after his predecessor Mark Parsons had dropped her off for the European Championship in England. She does everything she can to prevent Jonker from sending her home as the last ‘dropout’ on Friday. “I mainly live in the here and now. And that means I want to be the best in every training session.”
2009 European Championship
The sacred fire is burning again with the Liverpool player, who made her debut in the Orange squad in December 2008 as a sixteen-year-old. She experienced the breakthrough of the Dutch football players during the 2009 European Championship in Finland, was one of the trendsetters of the team that became European champion in their own country in 2017 and participated as a substitute in the lost World Cup final four years ago in France. against the US.
The whimsical winger is inside and outside the lines someone who likes to stand out and be in the spotlight with quirky actions. This sometimes meets with resistance. For example, the 95-time international was outside the selection of the Orange for several periods. And if she was there, her role was often controversial. She faced outside criticism. The lack of unconditional confidence, in combination with a few deaths and a disappointing game, caused a mental dip for Van de Sanden. “I have learned a lot as a person in recent years,” she sighs. “Mostly to love myself. And believe in what I can do. And I do. I shine again.”
Van de Sanden prefers to look ahead, but after some insistence she still wants to discuss the period that lies behind her. “If everything goes well then life as a footballer is wonderful, but if the world suddenly looks at you negatively, it hits hard. Especially for someone like me who is always positive towards others. It was hard for me to understand why people can be so nasty sometimes. I’ve sought help and learned to understand that some love me and others don’t like me. But I am the Shanice of the Sanden that I want to be myself. A happy person who laughs a lot.”
The right winger believes that everything in her life happens for a reason. “I was not raised religiously, but I do believe in something bigger. That we are all connected to the universe in one way or another. That beautiful things always come your way after difficult times. I myself am proof of that. After the death of my father and my father-in-law, my girlfriend got pregnant. With that little one on the way, I suddenly look at life differently again.”
Van de Sanden’s eyes start to sparkle when she talks about the coming motherhood. After Stefanie van der Gragt and Sherida Spitse, Van de Sanden becomes the third mother with the Orange. “Sometimes we talk about it over lunch or dinner,” she says. “I am ready to become a mother. I have a lot of love to give.”
Van de Sanden and her partner Tatjana Jempormiasse are concerned about the world in which their child will grow up. “Should we even start? We have asked that question. Our child will be a mix of Dutch, Surinamese and Moluccan blood. A true citizen of the world. I hope that he or she will believe in themselves and will always be ready to help others. That’s important to me. I am proud that our child will be called Van de Sanden. My mother’s last name.”
Read also: These 17 football players, trainers and officials are no longer silent about racism (from 2020)
Including Orange
Van de Sanden now wants to be an inspiration to young girls, especially as a professional football player. She regrets that the Orange Lionesses are much less inclusive than Ronald Koeman’s Dutch national team. With Lineth Beerensteyn, Esmee Brugts and Jacintha Weimar, she is one of four internationals with Surinamese roots. “How come? Maybe that’s a cultural thing. That some girls with a certain background don’t start playing football that quickly. So we still have to take big steps there. I am happy to contribute to this in my own way.”
Van de Sanden looks with awe at the American internationals, who made various statements against racism, but does not see himself as an activist. “Racism is terrible,” she says. “It is very sad to see that it is still there. Although I have to say that as a footballer I have never had to deal with it. Not at my clubs. And not with Orange. I think that would really scare me.” She pauses for a moment and continues: “Maybe I will do something with this after my career.”
A version of this article also appeared in the June 30, 2023 issue of the newspaper.