Quilindschy Hartman was absent from the Dutch national team for almost two years due to a severe knee injury. A transfer from his beloved Feyenoord to Burnley last summer proved to be the key to a return to Oranje. “I had lost the joy in football.”
Hartman remembers well how life smiled at him when he last joined the Dutch national team in November 2023.
He had become champion with Feyenoord a few months earlier, was of interest to Chelsea, and seemed set to become the permanent left-back for Oranje in the coming years. “And look now. Things can go quickly in football,” Hartman grins on Tuesday alongside the Oranje training field.
This week, he reported back to Zeist after almost two years. Not with the idea of starting against Malta (Thursday) and Finland (Sunday), but mainly to enjoy the experience.
He had been forced to watch Oranje from the sidelines for the past two years. A few months after his last international match, against Gibraltar, Hartman suffered a severe knee injury. That would keep him out for almost a year.
He missed the European Championship in Germany, had to rehabilitate for a long time, and has not made the Oranje squad since. Hartman calls it “a learning experience,” in which he “experienced setbacks for the first time in his career.” “It is special to be back with Oranje. I realize that very well because of that injury.”
Hartman wants to remain an open book
At his new club Burnley, the 23-year-old Hartman has rediscovered his top form this season. He is a permanent fixture in the Premier League team, where he signed last summer. How different that was in his last months at Feyenoord.
Hartman made his return in February and hoped to play a series of matches in the last months of the season to regain his old form. Coach Robin van Persie often chose others. Ultimately, Hartman did not want to extend his contract.
Later, Hartman said in an interview with AD that he had been walking around the club with a bad feeling in the last months and Van Persie paid little attention to him. Van Persie and general manager Dennis te Kloese hit back in interviews.
A minor conflict arose, which Hartman looks back on with an unpleasant feeling. “But I say what I feel. That’s how I am,” he says. “I could have said that nothing was wrong and it was fun, but that was not the case.”
Hartman struggles with angry Feyenoord fans
Hartman knew immediately that the interview could stir something up. “But people should appreciate this. Ultimately, it has been my experience. Whether it is correct or not is not important. I have not insulted anyone either.”
Hartman calls it “difficult” that Feyenoord fans accused him of a lack of respect for the club as a result of the interview. “I understand their frustration. But I would find it a shame if there is a fan who looks at me in a negative way. I actually have a very good feeling about Feyenoord and the fans.”
The love for Feyenoord has not cooled down for Hartman. “I am glad that things are going so well with the club now. The way you end up somewhere is often what sticks. But when I think of Feyenoord, I do so with a good feeling.”
‘I thought about every ball’
Hartman also has that good feeling with Burnley, where there is a sense of familiarity. “The cleaner is worth as much here as the highest boss. I like that. I fit in well here. Everyone would enjoy working here.”
“The trainer (Scott Parker, ed.) convinced me to come here and lets me play everything. I have rediscovered the joy in the game here. I had lost that a bit at Feyenoord.”
It is subordinate that Burnley is a club of lesser allure than Chelsea. The defender cherishes the fact that he gets the chance to play weekly in the best competition in the world at ‘The Clarets’, against international top players.
“I am getting physically stronger here Because I play a lot of matches in a row. That was not possible at feyenoord. It was difficult to get it like that. I thought about every ball and started to doubt felt felt. Again. “
‘World Cup is My Big Goal’
Now that Hartman is back to his old self, he is a serious option for the orange base. Nathan Aké Plays Little at Manchester City and Micky van de Ven Has Not Yet Made A Flawless Impression.
Hartman is going to do everything to get back into the orange squad and be there at the world cup next year. “I don’t want to Miss Another Tournament. The World Cup is my big goal. I Said that I Hoped to Be Ready for a Ready to Orange in November or December. In that Regard, It is Going Faster Than Expected.”
“I’m not where I want to be yet. I can also get so much better in the premier League. But a return to orange is a nice boost.”