Former Dutch internationals Aron Winter and Anouk Hoogendijk will be imparting tips to budding footballers in India as a part of an outreach programme by the KNVB (Dutch football association) and the EBTC (European Business and Technology Centre).
Winter, a defensive midfielder who played for Ajax, Lazio and Inter Milan during the 90s and the early 2000s, currently manages the U-19 Ajax squad.
Despite playing in a Nerazzurri side that included the likes of Luis Ronaldo and Paul Ince, among many others, Winter’s sole trophy during his stint with Inter was the 1997/98 UEFA Cup.
With Ajax, he had more success in terms of silverware as he lifted the Eredivise, the KNVB Cup, the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup and the UEFA Cup.
His success on the club stage, however, pales in comparison to his accomplishments on the international scene (84 caps over 13 years).
The 51-year-old, who was a part of the famous Holland squad that won the 1988 Euros, hung up his boots in 2003. He, along with female footballing icon Hoogendijk, will be visiting clinics in and around Delhi during a short visit.
Hoogendijk, who has a tremendous following on Instagram, has played for some of Europe’s finest sides including Arsenal and most recently, Ajax.
Like Winter, she too accumulated plenty of caps for the national side (103, to be exact) but was not part of the Leeuwinnen outfit that won the 2017 European Championships.
The versatile 33-year-old, who played at centre-back and central midfield both, won trophies at four different clubs, including the FA Women’s Cup in 2004 with Arsenal and the Eredivisie with Ajax in 2017.
The duo will primarily focusing on women’s football in India during their trip and quite a few lucky players will have the chance to kick a ball about with these legends of the beautiful game and hopefully, get inspired to take up the sport full time.