Blaak, best goalkeeper in the world, leaves Oranje-Rood: ‘Stupid decision’

NOS Sports•today, 5:42 PM

Pirmin Blaak was named the best hockey goalkeeper in the world in December, but now he has to make way for young talent at Oranje-Rood. The 143-time international leaves the Eindhoven club because his 19-year-old backup Nieki Verbeek has been promised more playing time. Sharing his place under the bar is not an option for the now 36-year-old Blaak.

“I just think it’s a stupid decision,” Blaak responds to the news that came out last week. The veteran says that he was unexpectedly told that he would no longer be the regular goalkeeper if his contract was extended. “I thought it was a joke. It’s strange that a few months ago you were still the best and now you had to make way.”

During the contract negotiations, not only Blaak’s future prospects were discussed. For Verbeek, the second choice under the bar at the Oranje-Rood, it was determined that he should get more minutes next season. The plan was to alternate the playing time of both goalkeepers in blocks.

These new plans came as a surprise to de Blaak. The Rotterdammer says that the club had previously asked him to extend his contract for two years, and after some consideration he agreed. “But at the time of signing, all plans were suddenly off the table. I would become second goalkeeper and share playing time fifty-fifty with Nieki. That had already been decided.”

That bothered the goalkeeper. “The order should have been different; we should have discussed this together first. Now it seemed as if I was being used to train Verbeek, which does not suit this phase of my career. There seem to be other interests at play.”

Harry van Hout, board member at Oranje-Rood, said in a response that the club responded to Blaak’s previous doubts. “We had been in discussions since October and all options were still open. When Pirmin was later named the best goalkeeper in the world, he became determined to be first choice for another two years, but we had already decided at that time to give Nieki more playing time .”

“Nieki is not yet at Blaak’s level, but he is talented and we definitely don’t want to lose him,” Van Hout explains. “Blaak wanted something different and that is his right. We have chosen for the future of the club.”

Despite some misunderstanding, Blaak has now made peace with the decision. “I have enjoyed playing here for many years and wanted to end my career here. Now my focus is on the league and the play-offs,” he says.

There is no hard feelings between the two goalkeepers either. “I wish him the best,” Blaak notes. The three-time European Championship winner was once Verbeek’s youth trainer and even gave him a replica of his own helmet last year. “I would have liked to help him further, but I told him that this arrangement does not strengthen us,” Blaak explains.

Blaak doesn’t have to complain about interest. The winner of Olympic silver in 2012 has therefore decided to continue his career, because “you don’t want to end it this way anyway.” He does not want to say where he is going yet, but the goalkeeper says that he has found an “ambitious” club abroad.