Nopert could never have predicted that he would start as the Dutch team’s first goalkeeper.
There are always heartwarming tales from the grassroots at the World Cup. He is the tallest player in this World Cup, but he may also have the lowest starting point: a man who has been out of work several times, has played in the top league at the age of 28… In front of the Dutch goal, he is Andris Norpert, and his tale is one of aspirations, tenacity, and faith.
He participated in 32 matches in the Eredivise.
When Andris Nopert, 28, was a bit famous in the Eredivisie more than six months ago, a reporter questioned him about being chosen for the Dutch national team.
The 203cm tall man joked, unperturbed, “What?” You mean the Friesland team?
Actually, Friesland is a Dutch province. Heerenveen is located in the province of Friesland. It has a distinct dialect and a population of nearly 650,000 people. From here, speed skater Sven Kramer and Arsenal women’s star Miedema went global.
Norpert, who was unemployed at the beginning of last year, found the concept of Van Gaal, Van Dijk and the OJ seemed like another planet for him.
He labored assiduously to earn a spot in his hometown team, and he is extremely fortunate to play 90 minutes in the eredivisie. He has played in only 32 matches in the top league so far.
Nopert and van Dijk are now teammates. Nopert never imagined that the question that he was asked more than six months ago would actually come true. Over the course of a ten-year career, he worked for six clubs, never coming into contact with the national football team. But this winter, with the Netherlands back in the World Cup finals for the first time in eight years, his name and profile, however, are in the same frame as Van Dijk, Dricht, Gacpo, and Franky de Jong.
If I fall 10 times, I get back up 11 times.
He stated, “For me, it was an incredible experience. Sincerely, even a few weeks ago, I never would have imagined that anything like this would occur. But now, it is taking place.” This is probably a scenario that no screenwriter would dare to write—going from being unemployed to becoming a significant player in the Eredivisie.
Mr. Norpert, who was born on April 7, 1994, in Heerenveen, was unknown for the majority of his career. The men, who are the second and third options in goal, spend the majority of their days waiting patiently on the bench or in the stands. Ever considered giving up? He might have considered it, but he didn’t. He regretted that he had shut himself off and thought he ought to have listened to advices from more people.
“If I fall down ten times, I get up eleven times.” Norpert compares himself to a perennial weed.
Of course, he hopes that not every goalkeeper in local has the same experience. People claim that Netherlands no longer has any competent goalkeepers, he said. Perhaps we ought to encourage and provide more opportunities for young people.
Norpert struggled to earn the coaching staff’s trust during the first half of the 2018–19 season, and he was forced to fill in as a backup in the second half.
Eight appearances across all matches in two terrible years didn’t change the fact that he had hit a brick wall in Italy. He was once more terrified of living in Italy as a result of the stolen car and the extortion. His contract with Foggia expired in the summer of 2019, leaving him jobless.
Van Gaal spotted Norpert’s talent
Nopert is very grateful to the old coach, Louis van Gaal. Nopert, who has impressed the coaching staff with his competitive form despite knowing the manager of the national team for a relatively short period of time, is already enjoying working with Van Gaal. Norbert declared: “I am open to everyone, and I would have thought so even if I had not been in Qatar. I think Van Gaal is a very good man.” And “I enjoy his sense of humor, how hard he works, and how he manages the team. I really enjoyed it. He is without pretense, which I find to be admirable.”