Tyrell Malacia and Orkun Kökcü have undergone tremendous physical development. The Feyenoord players have been training at the House of Champions fitness center for years. Various top athletes are guided by Hans Kroon and Feyenoord players also make use of his knowledge.
”Dramatic”, was Kroon’s first reaction about Kökcü’s physical condition. The Feyenoord midfielder was taken by Malacia, who has been impressing for some time. “When he came in here. Do you see muscles? And see you now. And then people say, Yes, but Tyrell naturally has all of his own. Just look at that picture… What did he have naturally? Yes, a great attitude. He fought his duels with that.”
Kökcü was told at Feyenoord that he was not physically top. ”Of course Slot was right, but then I think: Then make a plan with such a boy. So you indicate the problem, but not the solution. A day later he was already with us. How do I know Feyenoord didn’t offer it to him? Am I talking to those guys? Listen: Orkun has been around Feyenoord since he was 12 and he has never been top physically. They have also noticed that at Feyenoord, but nothing has ever been done about it.”
Jari Schuurman
Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar, Guus Til, Reiss Nelson and Lutsharel Geertruida also train individually and have each benefited from his training in their own way. Not everyone was suited for it. Jari Schuurman was once one of Feyenoord’s greatest talents, but soon failed. ”After ten minutes he was lying on the floor, physically and mentally broken. Also puking again. Schuurman never returned after that.”
He kept having someone else call him off. Probably because he didn’t dare to do it himself. I don’t know where he plays now, but he never kept his promise. I dare say: if you pass the test here, you are a top athlete. If you don’t pass the test, I almost guarantee that you will not reach the absolute top in football.”
Click here for the complete interview where it is also about Stefan de Vrij, who was punished by Feyenoord because of his extra training sessions, Ron Vlaar and the scandalous physical condition of Nicolai Jørgensen in his final period at Feyenoord.
