Schouten has been playing for PSV since last summer, but has now become an indispensable part of the leader’s starting line-up. However, the player from Spijkenisse responds humbly to praise and is busy with his career every moment of the day.
In conversation with Heroes Schouten is presented with a quote from Marco van Basten. The goalscorer in the 1988 European Championship final said in November that the PSV midfielder is ‘definitely Dutch material’ and ‘really a good player’. Schouten responds humbly. “Did Marco van Basten say that? Well, when such a great footballer says that about me, I feel flattered. My parents probably got this. They must have been very proud when they heard that.”
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Schouten feels in the right place in Eindhoven. In August 2023, PSV acquired the 27-year-old from Bologna. “I quickly felt that PSV was a good fit for me. There is more controversy surrounding the other top clubs in the Netherlands than PSV. PSV does what it has to do, other than that you never hear crazy things about the club. That fits me.”
The midfielder noted that he played football out of sight of many Dutch fans. “When I played for Bologna, people in the Netherlands never saw me play much football. In Italy I did it no differently than here, but now you hear more about me. In Bologna I was always recognized on the street. When I was on holiday in the Netherlands I had peace and quiet, here I could go anywhere without people approaching me. That has now changed. But I used to stand in line for an autograph or photo, so it’s not that I hate that.” In Italy, Schouten was given nicknames such as ‘the washing machine’ and the professor’, because of his leading role in midfield and the work he did.
Schouten is also a professional through and through, he has his own performance on the field in mind at all times of the day. “I won’t be putting fries in my mouth anytime soon. That certainly can’t hurt, but I always think in advance: if I choose to eat fries, how will I feel mentally about it? I prefer to eat what is good for me, so that during a competition I know that I have done everything I could.”
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