Dundee United defender Bert Esselink has revealed that his switch to Scotland was FIVE YEARS in the making – after an opportunity to join Dunfermline Athletic fell by the wayside.
Esselink, 25, was a fresh-faced youngster back in 2020 when he was informed that Dutch outfit De Graafschap would not be offering a professional contract following a decade in their academy.
It was a hammer-blow for the big stopper, who charged his agent with casting the net far and wide in search of a new opportunity.
And Esselink has recalled how the Pars were one of the clubs who expressed an interest as former boss Stevie Crawford sought to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion from the Championship.
However, the move did not come to fruition and Esselink joined PAEEK Kyrenia in the second tier of Cypriot football.
“Back in 2020 – before I went to Cyprus in the end – my aim was already to go to Scotland,” revealed Esselink.
“There were some discussions about that at the time.
“If I remember well, it was with Dunfermline. It was between the club and my agent at the time and, although it didn’t work out for me at that time, it stayed in the back of my head that I wanted to come here.”
Van Dijk admiration
That fondness for Scottish football harks back to Virgil van Dijk’s period in the SPFL with Celtic, with Esselink recalling how he watched the Dutch international’s rise from the Hoops to arguably the best defender in the world with Liverpool.
For a ball-playing centre-back hailing from the Netherlands, there are few better role models.
“Virgil van Dijk was someone who came to Scotland before going to England when I was a young player,” continued Esselink. “He made an amazing career for himself. Something inside me always wanted to follow that path.
“In my view, he has everything to be considered the best defender in the world, with the combination of his passing game and the way he wins most of his duels. He is so complete.
“I cannot ever say I am similar to him because he is so many steps in front, but I can say that I am a type of player who can play out with the ball and find players between the lines – but also fight for my personal duels.”
But before Esselink was able to alight on these shores, he had to rebuild his career from a bruising release by De Graafschap.
He recalled: “It was a bit of a dubious situation because a lot of people wanted me to go to the first-team but only the head coach, who came the previous season, decided no.
“That’s how it goes sometimes. That feeling stays with you because I played 10 years in that academy. I really wanted to step up, so that was a tough time. I had to start again.”
Character
Esselink could have pursued other options.
A studious teenager, he had just completed a part-time university degree in commercial economics.
However, he was unwilling to give up on his football dream and embarked on three years in Cyprus – eventually making his way to the country’s big guns APOEL – before two seasons in Poland with Stal Mielec.
“I finished my university studies, and I was free to go,” he recalled. “I didn’t have anything keeping me (in the Netherlands), except my girlfriend – now my wife – so the world was open to us.
“I wanted to make a career as a professional and Cyprus was an opportunity.
“Through the years, you build up mentality and resilience. That is something inside me, for sure. I always want to work hard and aim big.
“For me, that is natural. If someone says, “you made a brave decision to go to Cyprus”, it is only because I am following my targets and have determination.”
That mental strength – allied with the relative youth of his fellow centre-backs – will immediately make him one of the defensive leaders at Tannadice, along with Ross Graham (only 24 years of age, himself).
It is a role he will relish.
Esselink added: “That is a very important part of football; to help each other and show them you will be there fighting through the good times and bad times. That is how a football team works the best.”
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