Van Wolfswinkel in footsteps of uncle Willaarts'Here at VV Woudenberg, is where it began voor Eric Willaarts and Ricky van Wolfswinkel. Willaarts had to wait untill he was 25 and then left for FC Utrecht. Ricky was noticed way earlier, already in the D (youths team) team he was scouted by Vitesse.'
"The choice for me, for us, was very easy. Everything was so well organized, the academy was very good, we always played for the championships title and the school was also very well organized. The feeling was great. Then yeah, the choice isn't really that hard."Interviewer (I): You didn't choose for the club your uncle played at?
"Nah, I was still 'the cousin of...' so then you got to watch out (laughs) I still am, yeah, I still am, but it'll change. [Looks at his uncle side wayed, and laughs]"'Eric Willaarts made the step from VV Woudenberg to FC Utrecht in 1986 when he was 25. He also scored 25 goals in his first season, leaving him second on the Top Scorer list, behind Marco van Basten, that was the peak of his career. On January the 27th 1989 his sister Marianne gives birth to a son; Ricky van Wolfswinkel. Eric Willaarts has had the peak of his career by then.'
[...]
The rest they ask him, if he's trying to be like his uncle and if he learnt everything from his Uncle.
They also say:
-He's a fan of Feyenoord, becuase his dad was aswell, and he was brought up to like them. He had Feyenoord merchandise, such as a school binder.
-His dad Arno and uncle Eric run a kitchen company in Utrecht, where they still live.
-His uncle says that Ricky is better and stronger than he was. He says he was only good for scoring goals, and Ricky can do so much more than only that.
[...]
On the phone."Yeah, I'm doing fine, I woke up with a tummy ache though, but I've gotten some medication and Aunt Sjaan (?) made some good food for me, so I'm alright now."'The career of uncle Willaarts isn't a comparison to the career of little cousin van Wolfswinkel, he was in it earlier than his uncle was, and is even able to call himself a startig- 11 player at Vitesse.'
"I'm very happy with how things are going now, that I've been given the chance to play and I try to do it well."Uncle: "It's a dream of every football player to make the next step, he's only played 12 games with the first team, so he still has to grow"
I: But still the other clubs are dieing to have him.
"Nah, you know the other clubs are watching you, I assume it's normal when you're a 19 year old striker who's playing all of the games of the Eredivisie. But at this point I'm fine, playing happily at Vitesse, you're doing stuff, try to prove yourself every game. Then, I hope that some day a nice club comes to me, where I can grow even more."Then his uncle kick the ball and he's standing as GK.
His uncle shoots, he dives, his uncle scores.
"Ahh! I'm going home man! Sjonge jongje" (It's like a Dutch thing to say, to express your annoyance, or disbelief)
He then walks away, leaving his uncle there
Enjoy!
