A failed dope test and a career revived, Maarten Stekelenburg’s story

On Sunday, Maarten Stekelenburg and Jurrien Timber were teammates. When Stekelenburg made his Holland debut in 2004, Timber was three. It completed a night for oldies after North Macedonia’s Goran Pandev, at 37 years and 321 days, became the competition’s second oldest scorer ever.

The oldest player in Euro 2020 — Stekelenburg was 38 years and 264 days when he started in Holland’s goal at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena — his career is like a well-read book that has been reprinted with a new chapter.

“In the end it’s a feeling. It was between Tim (Krul) and Maarten. It was a difficult choice. I have a lot of respect for Tim, but at the moment I choose Maarten.” When Holland coach Frank de Boer said that ahead of the group C opener against Ukraine, he was pitching for someone who had played one international in five years. That was the friendly against Georgia on June 6 which Holland won 3-0. A goalkeeper whose save percentage was 79 to Krul’s 80, as per Opta, the sports data website.

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Krul, the shootout hero in the 2014 World Cup quarter-final against Costa Rica, had started Holland’s last five games stretching back to Poland in the Nations League last November. Around that time, Stekelenburg was reconciled to life as a second goalkeeper at Ajax. After having reconciled to life as a second goalkeeper at Everton — 19 appearances in four years with none in 2019-20, two EFL Cup games in 2018-19 and one Europa League tie in 2017-18 — Fulham and Monaco. Barring one season when he played 17 games for Southampton, it had been that way since 2013-14. Stekelenburg had failed to make the squad for the World Cup in Brazil after playing all the group games in Holland’s forgettable 2012 European championship campaign. That was the last time he had played for Holland in a tournament before the 3-2 win against Ukraine.

At Ajax, the club he had represented in 191 games between 2002 and 2011 and where he returned from Everton last season, Stekelenburg was among Andre Onana’s deputies. But it was Kjell Scherpen, since loaned, who played in a second-round cup tie last December when Onana didn’t, the first-choice goalie returning for the Eredevisie (league) game against Den Haag three days later. Stekelenburg played the KNVB Cup pre-quarter final against AZ Alkmaar which Ajax won 1-0 on January 21. Only for Onana to return for the league game against Fortuna Sittard on January 24.

Last February, Onana was banned for failing an out-of-competition dope test. Famous for promoting young talent — a trend that has continued with Marc Overmars joining as director of football — Ajax still had Scherpen who had just turned 21 but was yet to play a game in the league. But it was in Stekelenburg coach Erik ten Hag trusted for the Europa League game against Lille on February 19. Ajax won 2-1 and from not having played a league game in three full seasons prior to 20-21, a career was revived. Stekelenburg kept six clean sheets, playing in 12 of Ajax’s 13 remaining league games on way to his third Eredevisie title. He also played five games in the Europa League. De Boer had seen enough to go with his “feeling.” Especially after Covid-19 ruled out goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from the European championship.

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As part of Bert van Marwijk’s staff in the 2010 World Cup, De Boer knew how important Stekelenburg was to the campaign. His saving Kaka’s effort in the quarter-final at ensured that Brazil didn’t add to Robinho’s strike. A Felipe Melo own-goal and Wesley Sneijder header then left Dunga, looking ashen, fending questions like “didn’t you teach the team what to do when they are trailing” from Brazil reporters, who looked equally stunned, in the bowels of the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth. In the final, Stekelenburg denied Sergio Ramos early but could do nothing when Andres Iniesta fired the winner. Holland lost their third World Cup final but Stekelenburg had emerged successor to Edwin van der Saar, the first choice goalkeeper in the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European championship.

Stekelenburg couldn’t do much about Andriy Yarmolenko’s left-foot stinger that sailed into the top corner or Roman Yaremchuk’s header which was the coming together of a perfect run to meet a perfectly placed free-kick by Ruslan Malinovskyi. Georginio Wijnaldum and Wout Weghort’s goals had been neutralised but Holland won through the impressive Denzel Dumfries’ 85th minute strike. Through the night Stekelenburg looked comfortable. Having been denied a chance at Everton even after Jordan Pickford’s clangers against Newcastle in 2018-19, Stekelenburg is back as the country’s first choice goalkeeper. Like Pickford.

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