John Neeskens: "I still can't believe my father is dead."
The footballer will play for the first time in the Netherlands, where he has his roots and where he had always wanted to play.
Hardly John Neeskens (Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1993) He won't forget this season. The footballer, son of Johann Neeskens, has had an exceptional year professionally, with his historic promotion to the First Division of the European Football Federation (RFEF) and his recent signing for FC Eindhoven in the Dutch Second Division. But on a personal level, he has suffered a shock that he is still struggling to assimilate: the sudden death of his father in October At 73, after feeling ill, he said: "It was one of the worst days of my life, if not the worst. I couldn't believe it, and there are still times when I think it's not possible; it was a terrible blow that I'm still carrying." He still gets goosebumps when he remembers how the Europa players and the fans chanted his name at the end of the first match the Gràcia team played at the Nou Sardenya after the tragic death. "The Europa fans are some of the best in Catalonia, and this is a moment that will forever be etched in my thoughts," he says, moved.
Despite the esteem he feels for the Vila de Gràcia club, where he arrived this season from Terrassa, Neeskens has decided to pack his bags for the Netherlands. "I would have loved to stay in Europe, but the option of playing in the Netherlands came up, where my roots are and where I've always wanted to play," he explains. He knows that the Dutch media will now focus on him because his father, who won three European Cups with Ajax and two World Cup runner-up finishes with the national team, is one of the country's greatest football figures alongside Johan Cruyff.
But how does he feel about being the son of a football legend? "With great pride, because all over the world, in all the countries where I've played, people always have kind words for him, and that's very nice," he notes proudly. In this sense, he assures that this burden does not weigh him down: "Since you were little, you are in the spotlight for having a father who was one of the best in the world, but it is an honor to be able to represent my last name wherever I have played. It does not weigh me down for anything, on the contrary, I show it off by always giving the best of myself."
Both his father and his mother, from a very young age, have instilled in him values such as effort and work and always trying to give the best of himself even if things do not go as smoothly: "When I was little and I played football with my father, he never let a goal slip through when I shot at him, and he also told me that he told me it was coming." At the time, he did not understand it and would get angry, a result of his own frustration, but over time, those rib-ticking games have helped Neeskens overcome the obstacles that life throws at you. "Life constantly tests you," he emphasizes.
Despite being born in the US, Neeskens grew up and lived much of his life in Barcelona, and trained at DAMM. He played mostly in Catalonia, for various clubs, including Sant Andreu, Badalona, Gavà, Santboià, El Prat, and Lleida, but the footballer also returned to play in the US league. There, he played in the first division (MLS) with the Colorado Rapids in the 2014-2015 season. The following year, he would pack his bags for New York to play for the New York Cosmos, where his father had played, where he would share a team with former Real Madrid player Raúl González and Marcos Senna, and where he would become champion of the Second Division (NASL). LA Galaxy and Miami are the other US teams Neeskens has played for, even in the Slovak First Division with Trencin in 2020.
"For me, it's been a gift to be able to enjoy what I love most in so many different teams and countries," he says. Soccer is his passion, and he, unlike most non-professional players, has been able to make a living from the sport. "I've been fortunate to be able to make a living from what I love most, and that's why I'm so lucky," he acknowledges. Although he wants to extend his career as a footballer as long as possible, Neeskens is already taking UEFA courses so he can become a coach when he hangs up his boots. "I've already brought in youth and cadet teams and tried to pass on everything I've learned to help them achieve their dream," he explains. He's already achieved it.