Eva de Goede’s hockey career hangs by a thread. The captain of Orange tore a cruciate ligament last Wednesday and suffered damage to her meniscus. She expects to be out for at least nine months and is likely to miss the World Cup, which takes place in July. Today the two-time World Player of the Year goes under the knife.
“The most important thing for me is that I am now recovering well as a person. Just to be able to move. To be able to run fast. I don’t know if I can still play hockey professionally. There is still too much uncertainty for that. We have to determine that during my recovery.’
Her words are harsh. Fairly honest. And also surreal. Since Wednesday evening, De Goede’s life has been turned upside down. ‘One silly, wrong move and it’s wrong. Of course, the past few days were all I didn’t want. But I also really believe in my own body. It’ll be fine. It is still unclear how good it will be. If I can do everything as before. I notice that I have a lot of drive and energy to tackle this. I don’t want it to be over yet. I don’t wish it on myself that I have to stop like this.’
De Goede, just before the moment that things went horribly wrong on Wednesday. Photo: Willem Vernes
Let’s go back to that now infamous Wednesday evening in the Wagener. The Netherlands – Belgium is almost fifteen minutes old when De Goede steps up. Immediately there is panic. She kicks her foot to indicate that something is seriously wrong with her right knee. In her long career she has seen so many players with serious knee injuries. ‘And yet you still kind of hope it’s not that bad. Wishful thinking. I didn’t think my knee was that thick at all. A day later it was different. Then came the real realization that things could be wrong.’
Why the operation is in a hurry
She had already reckoned with a cruciate ligament injury. The front tire was indeed torn. ‘What was really disappointing was that my meniscus didn’t look good either. The outer edge in particular is heavily damaged. That is also the reason that I have to have surgery on Tuesday. Any movement can now cause additional damage to my bone or cartilage. If it had only been my cruciate ligament, it would have been less of a rush.’
The Good sounds tired, but cheerful. Combatant. ‘I am lucky that the meniscus and my cruciate ligament can be treated in the same operation. Otherwise I would have had to go back a few weeks later for a second surgery. Now I especially hope that no more damage will surface in the future.’
The sad retreat of De Goede in the Wagener Stadium. Photo: Willem Vernes
Of course, she quickly inquired about the scheduled recovery time. ‘Nine months… Then you immediately start counting. What else is possible? Where do I come from? The World Cup is next summer. For me the goal I lived towards. Why I continued at Oranje. I’ve put that out of my mind now. I have not put a dot on the horizon now. And maybe that’s for the best. I don’t want to push anything and I don’t take any risks. I also want to be able to stand on my feet later on. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll do anything for a good recovery. But in a responsible way. Be responsible quickly. Shall we call it that?’
Everything is now dominated by a sustainable return. If her knee allows, she wants to go to South Africa for a few weeks. The country where De Goede also camped during her hockey break and the birthplace of her friend Tim Drummond. ‘If I have to rehabilitate, I prefer to do it in the sun’, she says with a cautious smile. “It’s good for me to get away for a while. It’s been a long year. With highs and now lows. I want to give that a place there. Take a moment to relax with the one I love the most.’
I hope I can decide for myself how my hockey career ends Eve the Good
Earlier in the interview the word was already mentioned. Stop. ‘I would rather have thought of that in a few years’ time. Of course you know something like this is going to happen. It shows once again that you are so lucky when you can decide for yourself when it has been beautiful.’
A short silence. Then that positive glow again. ‘I really hope that I have been granted that too. That I will come out of this well and that I can decide for myself how my hockey career ends. But first, be able to use that knee normally and pain-free again. That is now my greatest wish.’
