One Friday, two squad lists, one family. Mark van Bommel, 49, reads out his 28 Red Devils. In the Netherlands, Xavi calls up Ruben van Bommel, 22, of PSV, for the first time.
The father was asked about it at his press conference. He answered: “Do you think I already knew?”, then: “I’m very proud of that. I played for the Netherlands national team myself”, he told HLN.
A manager who coaches one country and played for the other, and his son called up by the second on the day he announces the first. In 1980 a man had one team, one shirt, and it fitted into a single sentence. I’m not criticising. I’m comparing.
There was a second subject in the room. Two weeks earlier, in Ajax – PSV, Ruben van Bommel had fouled Aaron Bouwman, 19, and got only a yellow card. The father settled it in public: “He deserved a red card”, before adding: “But again: you shouldn’t drag other things into it.” He also said the moments of a match should be judged as they are on the pitch, and nothing else.
The father hands out his son’s red card in front of twelve microphones. In my day that was said in the car, between the ground and the house, and nobody wrote it down. Well. It’s the times.
Louise asked whether the son gets his father’s squad list by phone or off the television. Nobody could answer.
Ruben van Bommel has two goals and four assists after six Eredivisie matches.
It’s true, we checked: HLN.
