He got to show it twice on Sunday. His special celebration, which went across Europe after two important goals in the group match of the Dutch against Belgium(4-2). A gesture that at first glance means nothing. Until Terrance Pieters, because it was him, tells the story behind it.
So he did it after the 1-0, early in the game. And in the final quarter, when he pounded the 3-2 into the short corner of the Belgian goal. Walking away from the goal for a moment, making room for the cheering gesture. Then the stick behind his head, against the neck. The chest slightly forward. Tough. Posing a little. For a moment, maybe just a few seconds, he stayed put. Leaning. Then to celebrate again with his teammates.
When Pieters is asked about that celebration, a smile comes to his face. ‘Ha, there’s a nice story behind that. Got a minute? He sits down quietly on the seats in the stands, at the edge of the field. All around them are interviews. Are the Dutch and Belgian cameras still roaring after the exhilarating 4-2. ‘I also celebrated a goal like that once in the league at Kampong, in the second half of the season against Pinoké,’ Pieters says.
‘So there was a special reason behind that. I had an internship as a physical therapist the past few months. I was treating a patient there. I don’t think it’s neat to say what his name is. He is not from field hockey, but he is a real soccer fan, an Ajacied. He knows I’m in Orange and we had nice conversations, also about sports. One day he asked why so few field hockey players do something special when cheering. In soccer, it’s always very normal.’
Photo: Willem Vernes
I work with people who work very hard to be able to play sports at all. To be able to walk. Practicing to go up the stairs. That sometimes makes me think about how lucky I am. That I’m healthy and physically able to do this. Terrance Pieters
‘We agreed that he could come up with my celebration. Then one day I would dedicate it to him,” Pieters says with a grin. He envisions it in a moment. ‘We didn’t have a stick there in practice, but we did have a broom, haha. That’s how we came up with it there together. I was also photographed like that once and he liked the look of it. A bit like Cristiano Ronaldo, of whom he is also a fan. Although for me it doesn’t have to be so exaggerated. The story about cheering had already faded into the background for Pieters, until yesterday. ‘Then I got an app from ‘m. ‘ Good luck this summer. That made me think of him again. And I decided to do that celebration when the time came. Of course, I didn’t know it would happen today. I like that it has a story attached to it.’
The gesture is small, but it also carries a thought. “I work with people who work very hard to be able to walk at all. Practicing to go up the stairs. That sometimes makes me think about how lucky I am to be. That I am healthy and physically able to do this. That makes it extra nice at a moment like that to think about that patient, who had a hard time.
Photo: Willem Vernes
Back in the chaos of the European Championship
He looks ahead, is silent for a moment. And then returns to the chaos of the EK. Daily life. The seat in the stands. The thousands of spectators still in the stadium. The title to be defended in Germany. The just won spot in the semifinals. The leading role he played in it with two goals. Secretly quite special for the striker, who is now mainly in midfield and so often had to explain why he was not a goal-scoring machine in the forefront.
‘I think it’s very positive that we did so well this weekend. But I do want to guard a bit against a mega-hosanna feeling. Yes, things are going well. But I am also aware that things can be different. We also had moments today when we slumped. That was at the start and in Q3. There the level dropped a bit. We no longer dared to play into each other, we were not positionally as good. That has to improve.
Of course Pieters is looking forward to the semi-finals, when the best phase of the tournament starts. First Tuesday, the last group match against still scoreless Austria. A very nice opportunity to honor his special fan once again. ‘Scoring a goal is never necessarily a goal before I go into a match. But if it happens, I will do that celebration for him one more time.’
