World Cup 2022: He drank and smoked! The curious story of the Holland goalkeeper Sports

Neighbor – who?

The Holland keeper Andries Noppert (28) probably only knew the football experts before the World Cup in Qatar. Now he is convincing between the posts of the bond team.

Remarkable: the incredible story of the goalkeeper!

Just a few years ago he was unemployed. In 2019 and 2020, the second division clubs Foggia Calcio (Italy) and FC Dordrecht (Holland) did not give him a new contract.

Italian media even report on binge drinking with fans!

In addition, oppert’s ex-goalkeeping coach Nicola Dibitonto (56) reveals to the Dutch portal “fcupdate.nl”: “He also smoked like a chimney. I remember one evening in Palermo in the hotel room he lit a cigarette and set off the fire alarm.”

After Noppert’s exit in Italy in 2019, things don’t want to go any better in Holland either. Knee problems at FC Dordrecht forced him to take a break of almost a year.

The advice of his family: He should apply to the police. But nothing there!

Noppert fights back. And will be signed by Go Ahead Eagles Deventer in January 2021. There he becomes the regular keeper.

This summer he then returns to his childhood club SC Heerenveen – and from nothing he becomes the number 1 goalkeeper for the Dutch.

Louis van Gaal (71) opted for Noppert and thus against Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord Rotterdam), Jasper Cillessen (formerly FC Barcelona) or Mark Flekken (SC Freiburg) in goal.

When you’re a little boy, you dream of playing in a World Cup,” Noppert said at a press conference. “I dreamed about it when I was a kid, too. But if you see my career, you will know that I gave up that dream long ago. There is only one bonds coach who could bring me here: that is our bonds coach.”

So it is that he made his international debut for Oranje at the World Cup in Qatar at the age of 28 – after only 32 first division appearances and not a single European Cup game.

In the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Noppert meets superstar Lionel Messi and Argentina (here in the live ticker). Just for comparison: Messi should earn more per day than Noppert in the whole year…

Incidentally, at 2.03 meters, he is also the tallest player of the tournament…