Kluivert: "Now, I have discovered the Ikea", Interview El Mundo - 15 October 2008 Options

[GHoeberX]

As Willem, already said in the Dutch section, Patrick had to leave monday-afternoon because of an interview. And here's the interview he gave that Monday afternoon with the Spanish paper of El Mundo. I did the translation to English, so beware of some mistakes!

Kluivert: "Now, I have discovered the Ikea"



Patrick Kluivert (born in Amsterdam, 1 july 1976) decided to retire in June to take advantage of the last year that Holland's finest players (Dutch footballers who have more than 50 caps and participated in at least 3 WC/EC tournaments) can get a trainer certificate within one year. Kluivert studies together with Michael Reiziger, Philip Cocu and Dennis Bergkamp, while he's getting the practical experience from training the youth teams of AZ Alkmaar.

Did you choose to get the trainer certificate together with Van Gaal or is it a punishment to work with him for a year?
(Laughing) I chose to work with Louis and he was very content because noone else had asked him. I owe a lot to Louis. He made me debute in Ajax with 17 years, I won the Champions League with 18 years, he took me to Barça, all thanks to him. This week he invited us all to the Dutch celebration of his marriage with Truus (they married in August in the Algarve, Portugal). When you know that, he's dear.

How they play their teams?
I like the 4-2-3-1 formation, with a forward who knows how to play with his back to the goal.

A Kluivert...
A forward who can find the net easily and plays for the team. I'm attackminded, just like all Dutch people and just like the supporters of Barça. If you try to defend in Camp Nou, they will bring out their handkerchiefs (Patrick takes a napkin and starts waving: "fuera! fuera!")

Talent is more important than the formation?
Talent alone is not enough, you also need mentality and a good trainer who can help you. But I can also say that talent always wins, usually when the footballer is smart enough to use its talent as a service to the team.

Is Frank Rijkaard a good coach?
At Barcelona, I was only with him for one year. I played with Frank at Ajax (he gave the assist for the winning goal in the Champions League final 1995). As a player, he was a leader. Everybody knew, he was in command. When he arrived at Barcelona, after a bad experience with Sparta Rotterdam, he received a great team and together with Henk ten Cate he formed a great tandem. And he had Ronaldinho. I kill him who speaks bad about Ronnie!, all who speak bad are those who envy him or those who have no eyes to see.

You are the idol of one of the greatest talents of the Azulgrana Youth academy: Bojan
Bojan needs the same thing which I needed at Ajax when I was 17 years: a team which will help him. When I made my debute, the experienced players of Ajax kept all the pressure away from me; I only had to enjoy myself with the football-game on the pitch. Bojan must continue growing without losing sight of the reality in life. He has so much talent that he will be one of the greatest in football. I like to see him play, he's multiskilled which he displays with an equal amount of freshness. In addition: Bojan has one major advantage: he plays for FC Barcelona. It's a delight to be a footballer and grow in this club.

So you envy Guardiola?
Pfffff! If Pep calls me to be his second trainer, I'm on my way already! Pep already taught me things when I played on his side. A field-trainer was hidden under the captain band. He teaches you. If you already learn from him as a football-player, imagine what he can contribute to a team from the bench with a little more experience. I don't want to think about how lucky he is. To begin training a squad with so much quality. And with Messi. Please, please! Messi is impressing, words cannot describe.

What makes Messi different from the others?
Leo does everything at high speed, that's the football of today. Leo always has two players upon him, which is a bargain for a coach, because you can take advantage with the other players of your team who can create superiority chances (In dutch: man-meer-situaties). Leo should always play with freedom, because there is no-one like him. He's without doubt the best footballer in the world. Nobody else plays and thinks as fast as him. Let me coach him, even if it's for one day!

Only him?
No; also with Iniesta and Xavi with who I played at Barça. When Iniesta first started to train with us, Louis already said he would be a phenomenon. Barça has such a great midfield! You understand why I want to be trainer? Only thinking about coaching a team like that, already makes ones skin hair stand.

What do you think about the strikers of Barça?
Eto'o scores a lot of goals. Henry can never be as good as he was at Arsenal.

That doesn't surprise us...
It's because English football is very different from Spanish football. In the Spanish league it's much more like friends who play football. Titi (Henry) was the leader of the great Arsenal, he was the protagonist. At Barça it's very different. There (in London) he was the leader, here (in Barcelona) he's surrounded by a great team.

For the first time in many years, Barcelona don't have anyone from the Netherlands, neither in the field, nor on the bench...
Real Madrid have taken them all! It feels bad, because after six years at Barça it's obvious what my colours are. Possibly Madrid have wanted to copy the model that gave Barça so many titles with many Dutch players in the team. I have good friends in Madrid, I recently had a dinner with them.

What did you do in Madrid?
My wife (the stylist Rossana Lima) presented a new line of clothes for M&S. She has changed my life. We married some months ago; an intimate ceremony close to where we live. Together we got Shane, he's a little bit older than 1 year, she contributed two children to the family and I three (which are half Catalan). Justin, the second (9 years old), plays at Ajax and remember his name, he'll be a great one. Quincy left Ajax and now plays for a team near Amsterdam. Rubén is still small.

Rossana has told me that she has changed all your habits?
Yes. Three months ago, I stepped out of the Carpe Diem Lounge Club, a night club that I opened in Barcelona when I was a player. With 32 years, I'm sober, calm and balanced. My main concerns are my dream to be a trainer and my family. The remainder is part of my other life, of football-player, when everything was easy. Now, I have discovered the Ikea!

Explain yourself!
We rent this house while we constructed our home in a land of 4,000 meters square that we also bought here, in Laren - to 40 kilometers of Amsterdam. Rossana told me that it was indecent what we pay for the furniture and took me to Ikea. I bought beds for the children and I even had to mount them myself! The best thing was when we were buying a frying pan and the teller told me it was worth 5 euros! In my other life, I would have paid 400 euro! I almost started to shout!

Tell me more...
I have discovered the pleasure to go to a market, to buy the fish and to cook for my family, to spend the time with my family. The father of Rossana is of Portuguese origin, she's very latina; the family is very important.

I guess she opened your eyes when you lived the hard experience in Lille and your party-friends have disappeared...
Yes. I was alone. It didn't go well, I felt sunken and all who surrounded me when I was number one weren't with me anymore. They had disappeared. I was no longer the Kluivert, football-player of Barça. She says they loved me only for my money. I don't know. The other part of my life, of the past, it's a stage which I have passed. Now I'm in another one: happy, very happy. Rossana gave me an ultimatum: if I would continue with my older life, she would disappear. I thought about it. It took me four months. One day I knocked on her door with a bucket of flowers and I asked her to become Mrs. Kluivert. And to my own anger, look what happened! We are married and she's still using her name like a single person! (more laughter)

The house is now full of puppies...
We bring them from Portugal, there they kill these dogs. Many end up dead against a wall. We have created a association for the defense of these abandoned dogs. One day brought 23 puppies to us. You know how many that are? 23! It's so easy to sterilize the females, if they can't take care of the puppies... Aren't they beautiful?!

________________
ORIGINAL SPANISH:
Patrick Kluivert (Amsterdam, 1 de julio de 1976) decidió retirarse en junio para aprovechar el último año en el que la Federación Holandesa permite a futbolistas de elite, que acrediten más de 50 partidos como internacional y al menos haber disputado tres finales importantes, sacarse el título de entrenador en un año. Kluivert estudia junto a Michael Reiziger, Phillip Cocu y Dennis Bergkamp y hace las prácticas en los juveniles del AZ Alkmaar de Louis van Gaal.

¿Escogió sacarse el título junto a Van Gaal o es la penitencia que debe pagar por hacerlo en un año?
(Risas) Elegí yo hacerlo con Louis y se puso muy contento porque nadie más se lo había pedido… A Louis le debo mucho. Me hizo debutar en el Ajax con 17 años, gané la Copa de Europa con él con 18, me llevó al Barça, se lo debo todo. Esta semana nos invitó a todos a la fiesta holandesa de celebración de su matrimonio con Truus (se casaron en agosto en el Algarve). Cuando lo conoces es entrañable.

¿Cómo juegan sus equipos?
Me gusta un 4-2-3-1, con un delantero que sepa jugar de espaldas a portería…

Un Kluivert…
Un delantero que sepa buscar el gol y jugar para el equipo. Soy ofensivo, como todos los holandeses, como lo que le gusta al socio del Barça. En el Camp Nou si sales a defender te sacan el pañuelo (coge una servilleta y la agita: fuera, fuera…).

¿El talento está por encima del sistema?
Con sólo talento no llegas, hace falta también mentalidad y ahí un buen entrenador te puede ayudar. Pero también te digo que el talento siempre gana, sobre todo cuando el futbolista es lo bastante inteligente como para ponerlo al servicio del grupo.

¿Frank era un buen entrenador?
Sólo estuve con él un año en el FC Barcelona, yo había jugado con Frank en el Ajax (le dio el pase de gol en la final de la Copa de Europa en 1995 que ganó al Milan, 0-1). Como jugador era un líder, todos sabíamos que mandaba. Cuando llegó al Barcelona después de una mala experiencia en el Spartak se encontró un grandísimo equipo y con Ten Cate formó un gran tándem. Y tenía a Ronaldinho. !Mato al que me hable mal de Ronnie!, sólo hablan mal de él los envidiosos o los que no tienen ojos para ver.

Usted es el ídolo de una de las grandes realidades de la cantera azulgrana: Bojan.
Bojan necesita lo mismo que tuve yo con 17 años en el Ajax, un vestuario que le ayude. Cuando debuté en el Ajax los veteranos me quitaron toda la presión, yo sólo tenía que divertirme sobre el terreno de juego… Bojan tiene que seguir creciendo sin perder de vista la realidad de la vida, tiene tantísimo talento que será uno de los grandes del fútbol. Me gusta verle jugar, que sea polivalente, que se exprese con tanta frescura. Además, Bojan tiene una inmensa suerte: está en el FC Barcelona. Es un regalo ser futbolista y crecer en este club.

¿Envidia a Guardiola?
Buufff, me llama Pep para ser su segundo entrenador... ¡y voy corriendo! Pep ya te entrenaba cuando jugabas a su lado. El brazalete de capitán ocultaba a un técnico en el campo. Te enseñaba. Si ya aprendías con él como futbolista imagina lo que puede aportar desde el banquillo con un poco más de experiencia…No quiero ni pensar en la suerte que ha tenido. Empezar a entrenar y que te den una plantilla con tanta calidad. Y con Messi. ¡Por favor, POR FAVOR!. Messi es impresionante, no tiene nombre.

¿Qué diferencia a Leo de los demás?
Leo lo hace todo a alta velocidad, así es el fútbol de ahora. Leo tiene siempre dos jugadores encima de él lo que es un chollo para el entrenador porque puedes aprovechar a otros jugadores de tu equipo para crear ocasiones de superioridad… Leo tiene que jugar siempre con libertad, hacer lo que quiera porque no hay otro como él. Es el mejor del mundo, indiscutible, nadie juega y piensa tan rápido, es de locos. ¡Por favor! ¡Que me dejen dirigirlo, aunque sea sólo un día!.

¿Sólo a él?
No, y a Iniesta, y a Xavi, con el que jugué en el Barça. Iniesta empezaba a entrenar con nosotros y Louis ya dijo que sería un fenómeno. ¡Qué centro del campo tiene el Barça! ¿Entiendes que quiera ser entrenador? Sólo soñar con poder dirigir un equipo así ya te pone la piel de gallina.

¿Cómo ve a los delanteros del Barça?
Eto'o tiene mucho gol, Henry nunca podrá ser el del Arsenal.

No nos de ese disgusto…
Es que el fútbol español no tiene nada que ver con el inglés. En la Liga española hay muchos más amigos que juegan a fútbol, que practican buen fútbol. Titi era el líder del gran Arsenal, él era el protagonista, en el Barça todo es diferente, allí era el maestro, aquí se ha encontrado un gran equipo.

Después de muchos años, el FC Barcelona no tiene ni un solo holandés, ni en el campo ni en el banquillo…
¡Se los ha llevado todos el Real Madrid! Me sabe mal porque después de seis años en el Barça están claros mis colores. Posiblemente el Madrid ha querido copiar el modelo que al Barça tantos títulos le ha dado con muchos holandeses en el equipo… Tengo buenos amigos en el Madrid, estuve hace poco cenando con ellos.

¿Qué hacía usted en Madrid?
Mi esposa (la estilista Rossana Lima) presentaba una línea de ropa para M&S. Ella ha cambiado mi vida. Nos casamos hace unos meses, una ceremonia íntima cerca de casa. Tuvimos a Shane, que tiene poco más de un año, ella aporta dos hijos al matrimonio, yo otros tres que son medio catalanes. Justin, el segundo (9 años), juega en el Ajax y recuerda su nombre, será un grande. Quincy dejó el Ajax y ahora juega en un equipo cerca de Amsterdam, Rubén es aún pequeño.

Rossana me ha estado contando que ha cambiado todos sus hábitos…
Sí. Hace tres meses dejé el Carpe Diem, el local de copas que abrí en Barcelona cuando era jugador. Con 32 años estoy sereno, tranquilo, equilibrado. Me importa mi sueño de ser entrenador y mi familia. El resto forma parte de mi otra vida, la de futbolista, donde todo era fácil. ¡He descubierto el Ikea!

Explíquese…
Alquilamos esta casa mientras construimos nuestro hogar en un terreno de 4.000 metros cuadrados que compramos también aquí, en Laren - a 40 kilómetros de Amsterdam-. Rossana me dijo que era indecente lo que pagaba por los muebles y me llevó al Ikea. Compré las camas de los niños ¡y las tuve que montar yo! Lo mejor fue cuando al ir a pagar una sartén me dijo la cajera que valía cinco euros. En mi otra vida pagaba ¡400! Casi me pongo a gritar.

Cuénteme más…
He descubierto el placer de ir a comprar a un mercado, de escoger el pescado y cocinar para mi familia, de pasar el tiempo con los míos. El padre de Rossana es de origen portugués, ella es muy latina, la familia es muy importante.

Supongo que ella le hizo abrir los ojos cuando vivió la dura experiencia en el Lille francés y sus 'amigos' de juergas desaparecieron…
Sí, estaba solo, pasándolo mal, hundido, y todos los que me rodeaban cuando era un número uno no estaban conmigo, habían desaparecido, yo ya no era el Kluivert futbolista del Barça… Ella dice que sólo me querían por mi dinero. No sé. Forma parte de mi vida, de mi pasado, es una etapa que he superado, ahora estoy en otra, feliz, muy feliz. Rossana me dio un ultimátum: si seguía con mi antigua vida ella desaparecía. Lo pensé. Tardé cuatro meses. Me presenté un día en la puerta de su casa con un ramo de flores: le pedí que se convirtiese en la señora Kluivert. Y qué rabia me da, estamos casados y sigue utilizando su nombre de soltera (más risas).

Su casa ahora está llena de cachorros…
Los traemos de Portugal, allá a estos perros los matan, muchos acaban golpeados contra una pared… Creamos una asociación para la defensa de estos perros abandonados, un día nos trajeron 23, ¿sabes lo que son 23 cachorros? Es tan fácil como esterilizar a las hembras si no se pueden cuidar los cachorros…¡A que son preciosos!

Source: http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/web/gen/200...3559752621.html

[unkown88]

So I guess he has retired.Thats what I can conclude from this interview.

[pkluivert-9]

So I guess he has retired.Thats what I can conclude from this interview.

Perhaps... What makes you think that?

[GHoeberX]

So I guess he has retired.Thats what I can conclude from this interview.

Well; he's still going to try to find a club next season.

[Mr. T]

Thanx for the trouble GHX.

So he finally confirms what I have always suspected: Rossana has fixed Paddy up and brought him to the right path. She has bettered him...

I love it when he says I'm not kluivert of barca anymore and that all the friends are gone.

[KluivertTheMaster]

Thanx for the trouble GHX.

So he finally confirms what I have always suspected: Rossana has fixed Paddy up and brought him to the right path. She has bettered him...

I love it when he says I'm not kluivert of barca anymore and that all the friends are gone.

Yes I agree with you..what would happen if kluivert met rossana a couple of years earliyer??? Maybe his football career would end better...

[Jinho]

Yes I agree with you..what would happen if kluivert met rossana a couple of years earliyer??? Maybe his football career would end better...

Or earlier?
He met Rossana and his footballcarreer is almost finished. Maybe if they have met earlier, he would have stopped earlier..

[gajkolar]

Or earlier?
He met Rossana and his footballcarreer is almost finished. Maybe if they have met earlier, he would have stopped earlier..

indeed. you never know. i still hope, he will find a club for next season.

[pkluivert-9]

indeed. you never know. i still hope, he will find a club for next season.

Yep, i still hope too, we never know and what we know is that Patrick Kluivert is capable of everything hahaha. He cant finish like that, he will do something ! Lets hope... And, Rossana is really a good person for him i think, she prevents him from being in troubles in his personnal life with for example toomuch partying and everything like that.

[Mr. T]

Yep, i still hope too, we never know and what we know is that Patrick Kluivert is capable of everything hahaha. He cant finish like that, he will do something ! Lets hope... And, Rossana is really a good person for him i think, she prevents him from being in troubles in his personnal life with for example toomuch partying and everything like that.

Yeah, that's the idea a lot of people get.
Anyway, I'm really happy for Paddy, know that he is happy with his wife and his training course and all....
Yep, there is more to life than just football......

[GHoeberX]

Yep, there is more to life than just football......

Yep! Partying!! Euh... hanging out with the family. Giving family parties. Giving children parties. There is a still lot of partying that can be done!

[Mr. T]

Yep! Partying!! Euh... hanging out with the family. Giving family parties. Giving children parties. There is a still lot of partying that can be done!

Naughty, boy

[Filip]

When Bojan said that Kluivert is his best player ?

[GHoeberX]

When Bojan said that Kluivert is his best player ?

That was already in interviews months ago! Take for example this one from March 2008:

http://www.patrick-kluivert.com/forum/inde...?showtopic=1686

[arus29]

I wonder how much money does he have?? Is he still wealthy??

[pkluivert-9]

I wonder how much money does he have?? Is he still wealthy??

Hell yes ! i wish i was shopping in the same stores than him, i wish i had his carS, i wish i had his houses, i wish i was going on holidays in Dubai or in Curacao..... So, i dont think he is in need of money right now lol. Just that he has changed his mentality about using money, now he cares, which is totally normal.
I think he is really intelligent in the way he is spending his money, he is thinking about the future.

[unkown88]

Hell yes ! i wish i was shopping in the same stores than him, i wish i had his carS, i wish i had his houses, i wish i was going on holidays in Dubai or in Curacao..... So, i dont think he is in need of money right now lol. Just that he has changed his mentality about using money, now he cares, which is totally normal.
I think he is really intelligent in the way he is spending his money, he is thinking about the future.

But he did lose quite a lot of his wealth when he got divorced from Angela

[Trequartista]

He has an estimated capital of 25 million euro these days. It was 36 million in 2003 (so not too long before the divorce), back then he was in the top 500 of richest Dutchmen and the richest Dutch (ex-)football player after Bergkamp, Overmars and Gullit.

Edit: O, and thanks for translating. Nice interview.

[Adje]

He has an estimated capital of 25 million euro these days. It was 36 million in 2003 (so not too long before the divorce), back then he was in the top 500 of richest Dutchmen and the richest Dutch (ex-)football player after Bergkamp, Overmars and Gullit.

Edit: O, and thanks for translating. Nice interview.

Yes, I like the interview as well. Thanks!

Might I point out that more than three years ago I suggested something like this to Patrick and posted it on this forum. Unfortunatly the original picture has been lost, so there is no use referring back to that (date='May 11 2005, 18:12' post='2213', if anybody is interested), but I had a spare copy on my computer and here it is (It says: This kitten was saved from a tree by Patrick Kluivert):

[GHoeberX]

Yes, I like the interview as well. Thanks!

Might I point out that more than three years ago I suggested something like this to Patrick and posted it on this forum. Unfortunatly the original picture has been lost, so there is no use referring back to that (date='May 11 2005, 18:12' post='2213', if anybody is interested), but I had a spare copy on my computer and here it is (It says: This kitten was saved from a tree by Patrick Kluivert):

Ohhh yes I remember that! You're such a prophet Adje! So tell us: what will Paddy do next season? Play one more year for a football team, or become football coach? And also tell me which club!