THE COACHES
PATRICK LADRU
“I was training the second junior team (6-8 years) at Ajax,” recalls Patrick Ladru, one of Wesley’s coach with the Ajax junior teams. “In addition to Wesley, I also had John Heitinga in my group. They were the only two who went on to make it as professional footballers.
“Wesley was always happy and laughing all the time,” adds Ladru. “He was a real joker and sometimes I had to reprimand him and tell him he should be more serious. He was an easygoing boy - I saw that right away – and another thing I spotted immediately was that he could shoot with both feet.
“We weren’t doing very well in the junior league at the time - we were well behind the leaders, Abcoude. Now in this league the age group was from 6 till 8 years old. It was the first time our 6 year olds had played on a full pitch. But we reached a certain moment in the season where I realised that if we won all our remaining fixtures then we would win the championship, and thanks to Wesley playing really, that’s exactly what we did.
“Wesley told me that he would always be grateful for all that he learned from me. The day after he made his full debut for Ajax he visited me with his girlfriend Ramona to thank me for all I had done for him.”
JAN OLDE RIEKERINK
For Jan Olde Riekerink, who coached Wesley between the age of 12 and 13 one of the things that impressed most was the youngsters self-motivation and his determination to improve. “Wesley has an exceptionally positive character and his love of football has always shone through. Even after intensive training sessions he was always staying behind to do extra practice with his friend Robin Stuut.
Riekerink adds that Wesley made light of the fact that he was physically smaller than many of the players around him, something he compensated with exceptional ability and a very big football brain. “Wesley is not tall, but because he’s a smart player his size has never been an obstacle for him. He’s extremely talented and he has continually improved in his development. He also has an excellent mentality and a determination to succeed. I always enjoyed a good relationship - I consider him to be a great guy.”
HENNIE REGT
Hennie de Regt, who coached Wesley between 13 and 14, says that if Wesley displayed one area of weakness it was in his positional play once his team lost possession, but that this is something that he has since worked hard at to improve.
“As a coach there are, of course, moments when you are critical or have to give the players bad news and some of them were sad. Where Wesley was concerned, I was always going on about his one weak point which how he reacted when the team was switching from having possession of the ball to losing it. That is also something that Ronald Koeman worked with him on later on.”
DANNY BLIND
Danny Blind, the former Ajax captain who went on to become a coach at the club, and who worked with Wesley between the ages of 17 and 19, has often heard it suggested that his former charge plays in a way that is reminiscent of Blind in his heyday. However, he is wary of such comparisons.
“Wesley is a more complete player than I ever was, and I never played for a top club like Real Madrid.
I could read a match and knew exactly what would happen, which meant that I knew where to make my runs. Wesley has that gift and he uses it really well.
“I keep in touch with him even after his move to Real Madrid, and whenever the Dutch national team wins I always send him an SMS. I hope that Wesley wins as many prizes as I did. If he does that he will be able to say that he has done really well!”
“I was training the second junior team (6-8 years) at Ajax,” recalls Patrick Ladru, one of Wesley’s coach with the Ajax junior teams. “In addition to Wesley, I also had John Heitinga in my group. They were the only two who went on to make it as professional footballers.
“Wesley was always happy and laughing all the time,” adds Ladru. “He was a real joker and sometimes I had to reprimand him and tell him he should be more serious. He was an easygoing boy - I saw that right away – and another thing I spotted immediately was that he could shoot with both feet.
“We weren’t doing very well in the junior league at the time - we were well behind the leaders, Abcoude. Now in this league the age group was from 6 till 8 years old. It was the first time our 6 year olds had played on a full pitch. But we reached a certain moment in the season where I realised that if we won all our remaining fixtures then we would win the championship, and thanks to Wesley playing really, that’s exactly what we did.
“Wesley told me that he would always be grateful for all that he learned from me. The day after he made his full debut for Ajax he visited me with his girlfriend Ramona to thank me for all I had done for him.”
JAN OLDE RIEKERINK
For Jan Olde Riekerink, who coached Wesley between the age of 12 and 13 one of the things that impressed most was the youngsters self-motivation and his determination to improve. “Wesley has an exceptionally positive character and his love of football has always shone through. Even after intensive training sessions he was always staying behind to do extra practice with his friend Robin Stuut.
Riekerink adds that Wesley made light of the fact that he was physically smaller than many of the players around him, something he compensated with exceptional ability and a very big football brain. “Wesley is not tall, but because he’s a smart player his size has never been an obstacle for him. He’s extremely talented and he has continually improved in his development. He also has an excellent mentality and a determination to succeed. I always enjoyed a good relationship - I consider him to be a great guy.”
HENNIE REGT
Hennie de Regt, who coached Wesley between 13 and 14, says that if Wesley displayed one area of weakness it was in his positional play once his team lost possession, but that this is something that he has since worked hard at to improve.
“As a coach there are, of course, moments when you are critical or have to give the players bad news and some of them were sad. Where Wesley was concerned, I was always going on about his one weak point which how he reacted when the team was switching from having possession of the ball to losing it. That is also something that Ronald Koeman worked with him on later on.”
DANNY BLIND
Danny Blind, the former Ajax captain who went on to become a coach at the club, and who worked with Wesley between the ages of 17 and 19, has often heard it suggested that his former charge plays in a way that is reminiscent of Blind in his heyday. However, he is wary of such comparisons.
“Wesley is a more complete player than I ever was, and I never played for a top club like Real Madrid.
I could read a match and knew exactly what would happen, which meant that I knew where to make my runs. Wesley has that gift and he uses it really well.
“I keep in touch with him even after his move to Real Madrid, and whenever the Dutch national team wins I always send him an SMS. I hope that Wesley wins as many prizes as I did. If he does that he will be able to say that he has done really well!”
