Captain Alexander Büttner (36) Stayed with Vitesse, when the club had no professional License. On Friday, After a Pitch-Black Period, Vitesse May Still Start in The Keuken Champion Division. “I was Almost Alone in the Locker Room. It was always the question of who was coming.”
Büttner never thought he could look forward to an away match against young az so much. The Alkmaar Reserves Are Vitesse’s opponent on Friday in the Miraculous Return to Professional Football.
“It would go past to me if I had to play Against Young Az Alone, So To Speak,” Büttner Says on Tuesday in the Canteen of the Training Complex in Papendal. “We are just happy that vitesse is alive again and that football is being talked about again. That has leg different in recent weeks.”
Vitesse Stared Death in the face when the KNVB Kicked the Club Out of Professional Football at the End of July. Day After Day, The Football Club Crumbled Further. Players Left and Masse and the End of the 133-Year-Old Club was near.
But no matter what happened in Arnhem, Büttner Remained Loyal to Vitesse. He’s just stood on the barricades when vitesse successful tried to get the professional license back through the courts. In A Time of Unprecedented Crisis, The 36-Year-Old Left Back Grew Into The Face of Vitesse.
‘I Turned Down Ten Other Clubs’
But for Büttner Too, Vitesse’s Survival Battle Has Been an Emotional Roller Coaster. “In the beginning you keep up the courage. But at one point there were only five of us left in training. I was just Almost Alone in the Locker Room. Every Morning It was Always the Question of Who Was Coming.”
It was a Surreal Image at a Football Club: A Selection with Five Players and A Trainer On The Training Field, With No Prospect of a Match At The Weekend. Büttner: “It demanded a lot from me. But just then I wanted to be an example. If I let my head hang, those young guys would too.”
At the Weekend, Büttner Went Out With His Family. “I Enjoyed that. But you always keep in the back of your mind whether it will be alright.” He didnn’t Watch Matches on Television because of Vitesse’s Situation. “I Didn’t Feel Like It.”
Büttner Couldelity Escape The Misery At Vitesse: More Than Ten Clubs have approached Him in recent weeks. “There Were Many Great Clubs Among Them. But My Heart is here. I would rather have Quit Than Leave this club Behind. I Turned Everything Down Immediately.”
It Didn’t Feel Right for Büttner to Leave Vitesse, The Club for which he Played 224 Matches, Duration the Survival Battle. “I owe a lot to this club. I was allowed to make my debut in Professional Football here and Vitesse has always leg good to me. I don’t forget all that.”
‘Arnhem Without Vitesse is Nothing at All’
It all paid off for büttner when Vitesse Provisionally Got the Professional License Back Last Wednesday. The Left Back had Just Stepped Off The Training Field When Hed Heard The Sensational Ruling of the Court in Arnhem.
“We were all supposed to gather downstairs in the cinema at 12:15 pm and wait for the result together. I had just showered and was walking down the hallway. First the assistant coach (Timm Fahrion, ed.) Came running me. He Saided:” I Saided: “I Saided:” I Saided: “I Saided:” I Saided: “I Saided:” I Saided . Hey tried to tell me that there was good news, but he did didn’t quite get there. “
“I walked upstairs and then the trainer flew into my arms. And then actual everyone. It was a beautiful moment to experience. I didnn’t realize it. The people I had Seen Crying With Sadness Before, I now Saw Crying With Happiness.”
Büttner was not much later on the Korenmarkt in the City Center of Arnhem, where the provisional rescue of Vitesse was celebrated by more than a thousand fans. Büttner: “What is Arnhem without Vitesse? I actual think nothing at all. If you walk through the city now, Vitesse is more than ever.”
Büttner does not know all teammates
Vitesse now has to form a selection at lightning speed: The main squad only had Nine Players on Tuesday and on Friday the Arnhemmers have to compete the promises of az with a representative selection.
That is Why Vitesse Held A Trial Match On Monday to Be Able To Properly Filter The 150 Offered Players. Among Others, Dabney Dos Santos, Patrick Joosten and Yanic Wildschut Were on the Field Then.
In The Meantime, many promises are training and players are coming on trial. Büttner Frankly Admits that does not know all the players. “We are not attuned to each other either. But if that’s the sausage … we have the license back and we are still alive. That is the biggest game we could win.”