The two personalities of Stijn Vreven have recently been united in the biography Stijn Vreven: Pure Hate, Pure Love. Author Dave Peters has interviewed for several former colleagues of the 46-year-old Fleming.
In the biography, of which a pre-publication was published in BN DeStem on Saturday, Dirk Kuyt, among others, speaks. The later 104-time international played at FC Utrecht together with Vreven: a gentle, friendly man outside the lines, but a ruthless right back in the field. “I had never seen the way Stijn experienced a training and match. (…) He was very calm and controlled off the field. Almost unrecognizable. Absolutely not that fighter boss between the lines.”
In early 2017, Vreven was appointed as trainer of NAC Breda, where current Eredivisie top scorer Cyriel Dessers played. The Heracles striker will not forget the first introduction to the selection. “I’m Stijn Vreven, ex-footballer of x and y … I live in Hasselt. I have a daughter. And when I find out that one of you is sending her a message, it won’t be your best day.”
After the promotion in 2017, Vreven stayed with NAC for one more season and left for Belgium after the Eredivisie enforcement. Last season he worked for Sporting Lokeren, which has gone bankrupt.
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