In the battle for survival, Heracles Almelo falls back on an old acquaintance. The club signed goalkeeper Remko Pasveer until the end of this season, with an option for another year. The 42-year-old veteran comes over from Ajax.
With Remko Pasveer, Heracles Almelo gets a goalkeeper who not only knows the club, but also international football inside and out. In his impressive career, Pasveer played almost 500 official matches, including 41 European matches and 2 international matches. He also won three national titles.
“Remko is a very experienced goalkeeper who immediately brings quality, calm and leadership to our selection,” said technical director and trainer Ernest Faber. “I know Remko well from our joint period at PSV, where he has shown his value within a top sports environment. His professionalism, winning mentality and knowledge of the game fit perfectly with where we as Heracles want to go. Remko will not only be important on the field, but also outside it for the development of the group.”
After serving as reserve goalkeeper behind Martin Pieckenhagen at Heracles Almelo for two consecutive seasons from 2006 and then being loaned out to Go Ahead Eagles for two years, Pasveer became the undisputed number 1 in Almelo. Between July 2010 and July 2014, he missed only two league matches for Heracles Almelo in four seasons, one of which was due to a suspension.
In 2014, Pasveer transferred to PSV on a free transfer, three years later he settled at Vitesse, before moving to Ajax in 2021. He played exactly 100 official matches for the Amsterdam team, including 14 in the Champions League. As an Ajax player, he played twice for the Dutch national team, against Poland and Belgium in the Nations League. In 2022 he was part of the Dutch selection that took part in the World Cup in Qatar.
Pasveer passed the medical examination in Almelo on Thursday and then signed his contract in the company of technical director Ernest Faber and general manager Rob Toussaint. “For me it feels very good to be back here,” said the veteran. “I have continued to follow Heracles Almelo closely in recent years. My girlfriend is from Almelo, my mother-in-law works during matches in the Asito stadium and this is an important foundation for my goalkeeping career. About a week ago, people from Heracles Almelo asked me about my future plans. These conversations ultimately led to the proposal to make the switch immediately. I only got warm feelings about that idea.”
Back in Almelo, Pasveer is close to another milestone. He can reach his 500 this seasonste play an official match in professional football. “When I enter somewhere, I like to set personal goals. I joined Ajax at a relatively later age, where my goal was to reach 100 official matches. I succeeded. Now that I am back at Heracles Almelo, I have no guarantee that I will play, I also have to enforce it. I was asked to help the team in my way and with my personality. That is the main goal. We have to get points with Heracles Almelo as quickly as possible and play safely.”
