"The intellectualisation
of football has
always foundered
on a simple problem-
-the players. Doing
all your most
rewarding thinking
with your feet seems
to dull the philo-
sophical impulse.
Unless, of course,
you are Dutch.
According to legend,
Europeans played
a moronic, muscular
version of the world's
game, until Holland
proclaimed its vision
of total football in the
1974 World Cup,
and enlightenment
dawned."

From:
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

Braafheid: "Can it get any better?"

Tuesday 10 February 2009

Loaded with healthy dose of tension Edson Braafheid (25) joined the Dutch national football team this for the first time.

He stepped into the dressing room and shook everybody's hands - to introduce himself.

Tough and fast, those were the qualifications of the left back for FC Twente Enschede of Holland boss Bert van Marwijk and that is why he named Braafheid for the friendly with Tunisia.

The defender doesn't disagree: "Defensively that is indeed how I am. If necessary I intervene. Besides I have enough pace to correct things when the situation demands it."

Van Marwijk has been an interested follower of the former FC Utrecht player for a while now.

Braafheid himself says that the national team was never on his mind, until his name was on the preliminary list two weeks ago.

"I never really gave it any thought. My aim is to do well for my club. That is always the basis."

In the absence of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Tim de Cler it could even be that Braafheid starts in Tunis.

That too did not reach the player born in Paramaribo, Surinam.

"I'll just wait and see. Being here is a great experience in itself. I am here to enjoy it."

Still he got a serious scare on Sunday when he survived to onslaughts on his ankles in the game against De Graafschap.

"The damage was limited to a couple of bruises. That's positive."

Apart from that Braafheid came well prepared.

Straight after the game he drove to Amsterdam to stay the night in his parent's house.

That way he would avoid Monday morning's rush hour and make he sure he got to the Amsterdam Arena on time.

"You don't want to be late on your first day."

Braafheid has been playing for FC Twente since 2007.

Before that he played for FC Utrecht, where he won the Dutch Cup in 2004.

In 2006 he was part of the U-21 squad that won the European Championships and at the end of last year he played with Holland B, against Young Sweden.

Braafheid can be played on several defensive positions.

At first he was a central defender at Twente.

"That changed when Douglas arrived. He took my place in the center and I moved back to the left. That's where I played at FC Utrecht. I wasn't unhappy about it as I prefer playing at that position. I think it suits me best."

With his selection for the national team these are busy weeks for Braafheid as FC Twente are still in the race for the league, the Dutch Cup and the UEFA Cup.

"Can it get any better than this? We are doing great with Twente. It's one of the reasons I've been picked. No, I do not think it will be a bit too much. Hopefully we can continue like this for a while. The more, the better!"