NOS Football•today, 11:56
Bram van Polen will retire as a professional footballer after this season. The 38-year-old defender of PEC Zwolle is currently in his seventeenth season in professional football. He played more than 500 games in his career, all for the Zwolle team.
In the club history of PEC Zwolle, no one has played as many Premier League matches as Van Polen. He is also in nice lists across the entire Premier League. For example, only Mark van der Maarel has played more Premier League matches this century (334) than Van Polen (293).
“I’m going to give everything for a few more matches and then it’s over,” Van Polen said in an emotional video message. “I’m quitting as a football player for PEC Zwolle.”
Van Polen played in the youth academy of Vitesse, but never played for the main squad of the Arnhem club. In 2007 he switched to first division team PEC Zwolle. In October of that year he made his debut in professional football as a substitute against AGOVV.
Defender Van Polen can also score
Van Polen reached its peak in the summer of 2014; With PEC he defeated Ajax 5-1 in the final of the KNVB Cup. Van Polen himself was one of the goalscorers. The Johan Cruijff Scale followed shortly afterwards: PEC defeated national champion Ajax there 1-0.
As a result of the cup win, European football was even played in Zwolle. Other successes that Van Polen celebrated with the club included two promotions to the Premier League.
In 2012 he won the title in the first division with Zwolle and last season PEC was promoted to the highest Dutch level as number two.
From Poland in front of the microphone: always a party
“Never again playing football in a full stadium for you. I honestly think I will miss that the most,” said Van Polen.
“We have had our ups and downs, but it has always been a privilege to put on this beautiful shirt and play football for our club. I have been able to play football for my own club. A club that suits me in everything. “
With four matches to go, PEC is in thirteenth place, eight points ahead of RKC, which is in the danger zone. It therefore appears that Van Polen knows how to enforce this in his last season as a professional.
