today 10:35
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Aged 28 and hasn’t played a single match for the national team until Monday, he has only 52 official caps for clubs in the Eredivisie, the Dutch second league or Italy’s Serie B. Despite this, the coach of the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal, gave him faith in the premier of Qatar “oranjes” against Senegal and Andries Noppert thanked him with several great saves and a clean sheet. Thanks to him, the Dutch won the opening match 2-0.
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Van Gaal did not name the significantly more experienced Jasper Cillesen in Qatar, domestic competition trio Ajax Amsterdam’s Remko Pasveer, Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow and Heerenveen’s Andries Noppert went to the World Cup. They only have 8 international caps. The third named today could have protected the inhabitants of Heerenveen as a policeman instead of protecting the Holland gate.
“I’m having an extraordinary moment. I dreamed of it as a child, but I didn’t think it was possible.” Noppert said after the bout according to the Voetbal International website. He hasn’t forgotten to thank the Dutch coach, van Gaal, who “threw him into the water” in the duel against the African champions. “We are very similar, in many ways. We have the same sense of humor, we look at many things the same way.” added the goalkeeper.
Noppert didn’t expect to have a chance in the Dutch goal in the opening match of the championship. A few days ago, however, he began to suspect something during training, and on Friday the goalkeeping coach informed him that he would be in goal.
“I tried to do my best. Louis van Gaal told me before the match that I have to play like in my club. Only now will I wear a different shirt. He told me to stop all the balls” commented the 203-centimeter tall goalkeeper, who saved the match in the 73rd minute when Idrissa Gueye’s goal was still level at 0:0.
He suffered for a long time, he almost ended up being a policeman
He started out with football in Heerenveen but failed to fully establish himself there and his career started to stagnate. He went to the NAC Breda club, but he wasn’t even number two. Dovedna only played six league games between 2014 and 2018. Later, he tried the Italian adventure in the then second division Foggia, played eight games and his club was immediately promoted to Serie C in the season 2018/2019.
He returned to the Netherlands, especially to the second division club FC Dordrecht, but was not even in the first team there and only played two games. “At that time, my wife and family tried to convince me to give up acting and try a more promising career as a police officer,” said an unexpected group of Dutch.
Noppert was released from Dordrecht after a year and it seemed his wife was right. The goalkeeper was without a contract for a year until Eredivisie newcomers Go Ahead Eagles gave him a chance. This move proved to be a turning point in the 28-year-old Dutchman’s career.
“Orlom” helped save himself in the top competition, thus practically saving his career as well. After the season, he returned to his parent Heerenveen in the summer of 2022. He kept six clean sheets in fourteen league games, which Van Gaal’s coaching staff could not fail to notice. Heerenveen are currently in eighth place.
