The top scorer Hertzberger has not yet forgotten Orange and Paris

Rotterdam hockey players won in Amsterdam 6-1 on Sunday. A solid result, but quite remarkable, the league’s top scorer had only a small part: Jeroen Hertzberger put the final score on the board and thus took his total goals to nineteen in eleven matches.

Despite his 36 years, the native of Maasstad is still impatient. Orange have also long benefited from their scoring drive, as evidenced by – as their own site learns – 127 hits in 267 international matches. But this production is at a standstill. National coach Jeroen Delmée, who took over from Max Caldas after the Tokyo Olympics last year, no longer calls on him.

“Because the new band I started with didn’t give up,” Delmée explains when asked. “And then I prefer to invest in young people, also with a view to Paris, rather than fall back on someone who is not blameworthy but who is in competition with guys who have a longer future. I have some talked to him too. “

Paris represents the Olympic Games, which the French capital will host in 2024. And these are still in Hertzberger’s mind, even if he has not been part of the national coach’s plans since the summer and therefore should not expect an invitation to the World Cup to be held in India in January.

“I’m leaving for Rotterdam and the highest attainable”, the triple Olympian (2008, 2016 and 2020) nevertheless remains combative. “And the highest possible is Orange. I also said that I will not stop with Orange. I would like to play for Orange. As long as this point is on the horizon, I will do everything I can to try to achieve this.”

Delmée does not exclude anything and says that the door is still ajar. But he doesn’t seem to have much movement. “An old group has continued for a long time at Orange and a facelift has now begun. You really need to be able to perform for the long term,” said the 401-time international with two Olympic titles and a world title. to his name.

On Wednesday, national coach Jeroen Delmée will announce the squad for the World Cup early next year in India. The title tournament begins on January 13 and will last two weeks: the final will take place on January 29 at Bhubaneshwar.

In the group stage, the Netherlands will meet Malaysia (January 14), New Zealand (January 16) and Chile (January 19).

His rejuvenated team must gain experience in India. “If you want to be the best at the Games, then I think having played a top tournament has a clear added value.” With which he in no way wants to relegate the world title tournament to a glorified training camp. “The focus is more on the Games than on the World Cup, but this tournament is also a highlight for us.”

Delmée sees Hertzberger as “a thoroughbred high level athlete”. “And I’m really not blind to what Jeroen does. But I also look a bit at who he scores all these goals against. Against HDM, Voordaan and Schaerweijde,” he points out to the lower gods of the main division. “It doesn’t change the fact that what he does is always very special. But I think the long term is also important.”

As for the Rotterdam striker, he is also in it. “In life, you can’t always control what happens. All I can do is keep showing that I’m good, keep showing that age doesn’t matter. I I always train hard. I stay up every day with the idea of ​​’getting better, better and better’ and then we’ll see where that leads.”

“I have already played so many international matches and so many tournaments. This is not a final chapter or anything. I just want Orange to win. And if that chance is greater with me , maybe I should participate. And if it’s without me, then too bad. But I’m a top athlete and if I’m one of the best strikers in the Netherlands, I think I belong in this team. That’s how it is, and nothing less.”

Watch Sunday’s Amsterdam-Rotterdam summary, in which Jeroen Hertzberger scored.