In the latest issue of the Players Forum, the new Miss World Football Like Martenstein wrote a personal book about her uneven football road, the changes in the Dutch women's football team and the anecdotes between her and Messi...
Dreams are fun, aren't they? Why do we have all kinds of dreams?
For example, you might say that the past 2017 was the year my dream came true. He won the European Cup on his doorstep, was voted the best player in the cup, signed with Barca and flew in the same plane as Messi. As well, she was awarded the title of Miss Soccer worldwide.
Sometimes, everything that follows makes me a little confused between dreams and reality. But I have to be honest about something. When I was a little girl, I never imagined this, I didn't want to win the European Championship, I didn't want to play for the Dutch national team.
Not because I don't want to think that way, but because I don't dream at all.
Let me explain. I grew up in a small town called Bergen, close to Germany, with a total of a few thousand people. At that time, the development of women's football in the Netherlands was still very backward, unlike today, the girls who play football can have their own women's football idols and dream of playing for Ajax, Barcelona, Manchester City and other giants. I couldn't do it at that time, I just knew I wanted to play football, I wanted to keep playing. There are no women's idols to worship, and I didn't know there was a women's national team in the Netherlands. So I'll think of something else in my head, I'd really like to join Ajax, but not women's, it's men's! Because that was my favorite team at the time.
I know what you're thinking, because the townspeople are saying the same thing to me, "But you're a girl, it's impossible." "But whenever I go to the pitch with a football, I'm left behind by their words.
The earliest memory of my life is when my mother took me to see my brother play, and I couldn't wait to rush down and play myself, but I had to wait until I was 4 years old to go to the court. I had no choice but to play with a small ball by myself, and the neighbors began to know me: the little girl who was chasing the ball everywhere.
Every day at 3 p.m. after school, my friends would immediately go home and play their Barbie dolls, while I would play with my brother and his golfers. They were all older than me, but never refused my joining. We've been playing and enjoying it. When no one is playing together, I kick myself, and I have a very special partner: a wall.
This is a wonderful place for football, you know? When no one is playing with you, you can always find a wall to practice.
I would kick against the wall for an afternoon until my mom called me home for dinner. I think my technique was practiced on the heel of the wall, because I really spent a long time practicing both feet.
Left leg, right leg, left leg, right leg.
Dad used to tell me, practice your left foot more, and I listen to him.
Left leg, right leg, left leg, left leg, left leg.
I will try a lot of moves. I had cruyff turn around once in the European Championship against Belgium, and I practiced it a lot when I was a kid, because Cruyff was a household name at that time.
But my biggest idol is Ronaldinho and I love his style of play. I remember seeing an advertisement on TV where he was playing fancy tricks with some stars, and I went online to find videos of him and learn his every move.
I also practiced toggle balls, I could topple a hundred at that time, but I was always trying hard, constantly challenging myself, learning movements in one day, I would spend two days, three days.
Finally I joined a club for the first time and played with boys, which may sound a little strange, but I was really happy that they were willing to take me. Because girls have to find a special women's football club. But in Bergen, such a team is not easy to find.
Since then, more people in town know about me: the only girl who plays football with boys.
My teammates trust me and respect me. But when playing against other teams, the problem comes, and they are very surprised, including their parents, "Wow, there's a girl on the field, she can play?" ”
There is a difference between men and women, in fact, at that age, boys are better than me in terms of speed and body, so they definitely don't like the feeling of being dribbled by a weak woman.
But until I was 16, I played with boys, and I'm very thankful that it made me improve a lot. Of course, when I win, my teammates are all celebrating in the locker room, I can only be alone in the other room, sometimes I listen to them singing across the wall, and then one person silently packs my gear.
But it's all about dreaming, even if it's sometimes doomed to loneliness. I sometimes ask myself, what exactly is my dream? Playing for the Ajax men's team? I gradually realized that this was not very reliable, and I began to get a little confused until one day something happened.
I was selected for the U-19 national team. I was only 15 years old, because the team was based in Amsterdam, I had to leave home, and the small town girl was going to the big city.
I live with my big sisters who are eighteen or nineteen years old, they are all my teammates, but no one will take care of me, everything is self-reliant, cooking, laundry... Although I haven't learned these things yet...
So I called my mom.
The most troublesome thing was to do the laundry, my mother taught me on the phone, but I still didn't learn how to use the washing machine, so I called her once, twice, three times.
I have to grow fast or I'm going to be eliminated. The first difficult period came from Christmas, Amsterdam is not as sunny as Barcelona, it is very dark, I am very uncomfortable alone, so I went home to visit my family. But it was only a day or two, and then I had to take the train back to the team, which was really sad.
Thanks to my parents, I have two older brothers and a younger sister, Mom is at home taking care of us and Dad is out to work. They would sacrifice everything for us, and at three o'clock in the night I had something to call, and they would listen patiently. When I'm not happy in Amsterdam, they come to see me.
If they hadn't given me confidence, I wouldn't have had everything I have today.
Leaving home early made me lose something, my sister was only 8 at the time and while we had been fine, I missed out on her growth. I believe that many players can feel these regrets. But it's a sacrifice that I have to make in my life, because I know I want to be a professional player.
Soon, I played for Belgium, Germany and Sweden. In 2010, I played at euro u-19, a year later I made my debut for the senior national team, and in 2013, I participated in the Euro Championship in Sweden. Two years later, we made it to the World Cup, the first time the Netherlands had made it to the World Cup. All efforts will eventually be rewarded.
It was a crazy experience. I remember our first group game was against New Zealand at Edmonton. Host Canada played before us and I saw how many spectators there were on the pitch, definitely over 40,000. Qualifying would have been something to celebrate, and it's great to be able to play in such a big stadium, with so many spectators and an opponent from across the ocean.
But we played very nervously, but thankfully, we won 1-0 and I scored the only goal. I remember all the details, it was the 33rd minute, I remember the ball went in and then the teammates all came running towards me and I was in a bit of a trance and couldn't believe it was real.
We finished the round of 16, which was not bad for the teams that played for the first time. Because of the jet lag, watching live broadcasts in the Netherlands is late at night, and my family and friends will stay up to watch my game. But most Of the Dutch just looked at the best of the game the next day, which was no different from what was happening two years later.
Now you see, everyone in the Netherlands cares about women's football, and you probably know why.
At Euro 2013, we failed to qualify from the group, but this time the Netherlands hosted the European Championship. Our group situation is also very good, and everyone's mood is very high. After the World Cup, many teammates went to clubs abroad. Playing more in the country in the past is good for domestic clubs, but the national team needs players of higher level, and if you want to improve, you must compete with the best players in Europe.
So, I know our level has definitely improved, but can we win the European Championship? Don't dare to think. I'll never forget the opener against Norway and I don't know what the atmosphere was at the scene until our buses arrived at the stadium. Then the car turned a corner, and suddenly, there was an orange ocean in front of me, wow, incredible. The orange clothes, the flags, the scarves, the faces, everything were orange, and my goosebumps were all up. I thought there might be a lot of people, but I didn't expect it to be crowded.
Then the teammates looked at each other, and together they gave themselves a promise.
Girls, we play for ourselves, we want to show our opponents how strong we are, but we also have to play for them and do our best for all the people who come to support us.
That moment gave us infinite power, and that unparalleled power has never disappeared. Every game, as long as we see the orange ocean, we can go forward.
Everyone supported each other, trusted each other, from the starting striker to the third goalkeeper, the further back, the more united, and finally we miraculously reached the final. Sometimes I make the bold assumption that we are invincible, and the end result proves that we have indeed done it. In the final we beat the Danish team,
It was our first big tournament title, on our own doorstep, in front of our own fans, to get it.
There is a scene I always remember, when we were celebrating madly, I saw my parents, I thought about their support and care for me from childhood to adulthood, they also knew how I got to this podium step by step, my tears could not stop flowing, they saw me crying, they cried.
My relatives and friends are there, and it is a great pleasure to share this glory with you. Someone gave me a little book, and it was a newspaper clipping she made herself about me and the team's World Cup. They said, "Your World Cup is over, and ours is over." ”
And since then, my life has turned into a tornado. The best player in the European Cup, the best player in UEFA, signed with Barcelona, that's where Ronaldinho played, and soon I will be able to wear the red and blue stripe that Ronaldo once wore, which I was so envious of as a child.
In September, FIFA announced the shortlist for Miss World Football. When I saw my name on the list, I couldn't believe my eyes. Then our team manager said lightly, "I guess you're going to fly with Messi..." I wanted to calm down, but I still couldn't hold back, "You... No kidding, right? ”
I'll never forget the day I was on the plane with Messi. The others were very nice, although my Spanish wasn't good at the time (I'm still in class and have improved a lot). I ended up winning the prize, and he congratulated me, wow, just like in a dream. My parents and boyfriend enjoyed all this with me, and now they see people and say we're on a plane with Messi.
Someone also compared me to Messi, which really flattered me, he was omnipotent, one-on-one, one-on-five...
I'm also trying to learn from him, and when Barca men's football is playing, I watch his every move carefully, even when I don't have the ball. I'll look very closely at how he creates space and how he prepares to go before he catches the ball. I felt like I was more like him, I was very fast when I dribbled the ball, and of course, I couldn't compare with him.
It's a big honor to be named the world's best female soccer player, but when I look at Messi and Ronaldo, who never give up their efforts, I feel like I have a lot of potential to tap.
After the European Championships, my life also changed dramatically. I think the craziest thing is that now that I'm walking down the street, a lot of people know me. Even in Barcelona, Dutch tourists will want to take a picture with me. What makes me feel very warm is that they always say a lot of words to encourage the Dutch women's football team.
I remember arguing with people who belittled women's football a lot, and of course, it would never be as popular as men's soccer, not as fast as men's and strong bodies, but we also had our skills and excitement, men's soccer can make people bloody, women's soccer can also make people positive.
The European Championship has revolutionized women's football in the Netherlands. Two years ago, our matches weren't even necessarily live, but now almost all women's soccer leagues have live TV. Now, every little girl in the Netherlands knows the Dutch women's national team.
They will follow our example, our games will inspire them, and they now know that Dutch girls can win trophies and play for Barca.
When I was a kid I used to say, "I want to be Ronaldinho." ”
And now the little girls are saying, "I want to be Vivian Medema, Danielle van der Donk, or Like Martens..."
It's really cool!
(Yang Gun)