Frank Verlaat was only 19 years old, but Ajax coach Johan Cruijff did not hesitate to give him a starting place in the 1987 final of the European Cup II against Lokomotiv Leipzig. “He gave me zero assignments and only said: ‘Do what you always do and everything will be fine’. That was Cruijff through and through,” said the now 55-year-old Verlaat. Tonight the Haarlemmer will join referee Joey Kooij in our football talk show De Aftrap.
Frank Verlaat’s second match in the Ajax shirt was the European Cup II final – NH Sport/Edward Dekker
Verlaat is currently in the Netherlands for private reasons. As a result, he will also be at an Ajax reunion tomorrow in the Johan Cruijff Arena when the Amsterdam team play against Sparta. Verlaat lives in Portugal most of the time of the year. In daily life he works in sports insurance. “
The 32-year-old Kooij has been active in professional football for almost six years. The Monnickendammer calls on others to also start whistling and has his UEFA shirt with the print ‘Be a referee!’ brought.
“I can now also lead competitions in Europe. There is nothing better.”
“I started as a boy of 16 or 17 years old. Whistling is good for your personal development. I learned a lot on the field. Management, leadership, making short-term decisions. You also take that with you into everyday life. In addition, If you make progress you will join great clubs and I can now also lead matches in Europe. There is nothing better.”
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The Kick-off of Friday December 8 with Joey Kooij and Frank Verlaat – NH Sport/Edward Dekker
In this episode of Kratje Trap, AZ under 11 tries to score as many points as possible and knock Alkmaarsche Boys out of first place. If you would like to register your team for Kratje Trap, please send an email to [email protected].
If you want to watch the entire broadcast of De Aftrap, click on the video above. You can watch De Afkick on TV every Friday from 5:10 PM on NH Sport. This is followed by repetition every hour. Next week is the last episode of this year. Then former striker Piet Keur (including Haarlem, FC Twente, Feyenoord) and former goalkeeper Roy Pistoor (including FC Volendam, Almere City) will be guests.