Wouter Goes has responded for the first time to all the commotion that has arisen around him. The AZ defender has faced much criticism in recent weeks for his behavior, including in the KNVB Cup final against Go Ahead Eagles.
“A lot came at me after the cup final,” Goes confessed Friday in front of the camera of ESPN. After the final of the KNVB Cup, the twenty-year-old defender of AZ received much criticism.
Goes was accused of trying to distract penalty takers with all sorts of insults. In the middle of the storm, he also received a red card for a tackle in the final stages of the league match against Go Ahead, two weeks later.
“When I look at the cup final, I didn’t think it went too far. But when I look back at the penalty series, I do think I should have done that smarter,” Goes was self-critical a month after the final. “I also learn from that. It’s not that I think I do everything perfectly. After the match, I could have done it smarter too. But I do everything to win and sometimes I go too far in that.”
Goes did not make himself popular with the players of Go Ahead. It even went so far that striker Victor Edvardsen showed a banner at the team’s celebration in Deventer with an image of him leashing Goes like a dog. The affair was widely reported in the media.
‘Most Intense Thing I’ve ever experienced’
“Ultimately, I am a boy of twenty and I also get to experience those things,” Goes continued. “Of course, it’s not always nice to hear or see. But if someone thinks something of it, then so be it. After the cup final, it was the most intense thing I have ever experienced. I think it makes me stronger and it helps me in the future.”
“On the one hand, it’s good when people talk about you. That means you’re doing something good. But I still have things to learn. I had never experienced so much before. That takes some getting used to. But now I don’t care so much anymore.”
“I have created a team around me that is there for me and that has said wise things to me. Former players have also helped me. Sometimes I call them to see how they see it,” said Goes, who did not want to reveal with whom he had spoken.
On Sunday, Goes concludes the season with the final of the play-offs for European football. AZ will play at home against FC Twente.