Melayro Bogarde (18) made his debut for Hoffenheim on Saturday against Mainz 05. The Dutch defender is looking forward to a bright future, thinks Peter van der Veen, his coach at the Netherlands U17.
“As you can see, he is in any case in good physical shape. He is very good on the ball, I also see him participating effortlessly”, says Van der Veen in conversation with FOX Sports after the debut of the just eighteen-year-old Dutchman for Hoffenheim. “A player for the future.”
Bogarde, who plays U17 as a central defender at the Netherlands, started at Hoffenheim as a right back. Van der Veen had brief contact with Bogarde after the game against Mainz. “I just spoke to him via app: he also said that the trainer changed him because he was afraid of a red card. I think he had to answer a hundred messages, I liked that he sent something back.”
Van der Veen therefore thinks that Bogarde has a bright future ahead. The Orange U17 coach occasionally has contact with Hoffenheim coach Alfred Schreuder. “If you are not good enough, they will not put you in either. Alfred has also gathered information here and there from us,” says Van der Veen, who thinks back to the European Championship with the Netherlands U17. “Certainly at the European Championship he was one of the stars, then it is a pleasure when he is on the ball.”
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