17/06/2021
Act. a las 06:58
HONOR
Javier Giraldo – Groningen, The Netherlands (Special Envoy)
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181 kilometers north of Amsterdam, Groningen is recognized for its university. It is a peaceful Dutch city of about 200,000 inhabitants and in football terms it has always been very fertile. It is also the city of the Koemans: not only Ronald, but also his brother Erwin and above all, his father Martin.
The Koemans’ relationship with the city began in 1963, when Martin signs for GVAV Groningen, the city club. An expeditious center-back, who became an international for the Netherlands, Martin Koeman would later play for Hereenven and GRC, but his name would remain eternally linked to FC Groningen.
The patriarch of the Koeman saga dedicated 50 years of his life to FC Groningen. He arrived in 196 from Blauw-Wit Amsterdam (in fact Ronald was born in 1963 outside Amsterdam, but when he was still a baby his family moved north) and played for Groningen until 1973.
He attended the re-founding of the club, in 1971, and when he retired, he remained linked to the entity for life. He was one of the founders of the academy of GroningenHe worked for several youth soccer teams and was a scout until the day of his death in 2013, the victim of a heart attack. He was 73 years old.
For this reason, on the club’s 50th anniversary, the first act of celebration was the inauguration of a statue in memory of Martin Koeman. In attendance were his sons, Ronald and Erwin, and his widow, Wies Koeman.
“It is a love story between a club and a family”
“It has been very exciting. The family is very proud. We already had a rostrum, but my father deserves a little more. It is a love story between our family and the Groningen“Koeman explained to SPORT next to the brand new statue of his father.
When Koeman speaks from the rostrum in stadium refers to the south stand of Hitachi Stadium, the Groningen field, which has been named after the Koeman family since December 2020.
“Both I and my brother Erwin are very fond of this club. For me, being here is coming home. I made my debut here as a player at 17 and the relationship has always been maintained.”
Erwin and Ronald Koeman, next to the statue of their father in Groningen
| Sport.es
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Ronald made his debut as a professional footballer at Groningen in 1980. Months earlier, his brother Erwin, a year and a half older, had done so.
He played only three seasons at Groningen, but he had time to make history: in the last, 1982-83, he managed to qualify the team for the first time for a European competition.
In the 1983-84 UEFA Cup, without Ronald Koeman, who had signed for Ajax, Groningen eliminated Atlético de Madrid, although they would be eliminated in 1/16 against Inter Milan.
His brother Erwin played for Groningen between 1982 and 1985. He completed a second stage between 1994 and 1998, when he retired.
A tragic day in the club’s history
Like so many other clubs, the history of Groningen contains a tragic part: the protagonist was a goalkeeper named Tonny van Leeuwen, elected the best goalkeeper in the League in the 1970-71 season.
He went to collect the award in Rotterdam and although they offered him to stay overnight in a hotel, he preferred to take his car and drive back to Groningen. On that journey he suffered a fatal accident. He passed away on June 15, 1971, 50 years ago.
The next day, GVAV Groningen officially became FC Groningen. A statue immortalizes him on the outskirts of the stadium, precisely next to that of Martin Koeman.
A classic of Dutch football
The green and white club – the colors of the city – is a classic of the Dutch League. Not so much for his record, rather scarce (It only has one title, the 2015 Cup), but because of the loyalty of its fans, who have turned the matches against Ajax into a matter of regional pride (the periphery against the capital) and above all, because of their ability to generate and discover talent.
Groningen It is not only the city of the Koeman brothers: also that of Arjen Robben, who started in the lower categories and has returned to the club to finish his sports career. Despite his way of the cross with injuries, he wants to continue one more year to be able to say goodbye to his fans on the field.
It is also the club where Luis Suárez became known in football europeo: He played in Groningen in the 2006-07 season, coming from Nacional de Montevideo. Then Ajax signed him and then Liverpool.
Suárez played for Groningen in the 2006-07 season
| Fc Groningen
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Another example is that of Virgil van Dijk: he grew up in the quarry of Willem II, but it was Groningen that gave him the opportunity to make his debut in the First Division. Van Dijk, who later jumped to Celtic and from there to the Premier, played for Groningen between 2011 and 2013.
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