Every successful football team needs an engine—a player willing to do the dirty work in the shadows so the creative stars can shine in the spotlight. In the October 2013 matchday programme against PSV, FC Groningen dedicated its main feature to exactly that kind of player: 23-year-old midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld.

The interview, spread across several pages, is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a holding midfielder. Now in his fourth season at the club, Kieftenbeld discusses the fierce competition for his spot, directly battling club captain Rasmus Lindgren. “Rasmus and I have played together and shown that it works. But in the last match, we played with one holding midfielder and I was preferred over Rasmus,” he says, acknowledging the ruthless nature of Eredivisie squad rotation.

But the absolute highlight of the interview is a hilarious, gritty anecdote from a recent match against RKC Waalwijk. Kieftenbeld reveals he was playing through a painful knock. “At one point, Nick van der Velden yelled at me: ‘Either you walk normally now, or you get out!’ Even though it’s the last thing you want, I started thinking to myself that it might be better for the team to ask for a substitution,” he laughs. It perfectly encapsulates the tough, demanding culture inside the Groningen squad. He also happily concedes the spotlight to players like Filip Kostic, stating: “I am a serving player (dienende speler) and I feel really fit and in form… I gladly operate in the shadows.”

A Look into the Future

At the time of this interview, Kieftenbeld mentions that his contract is expiring in the summer and his agent, René Eijkelkamp, is in talks with the club. The uncertainty of 2013 would soon transform into absolute club legend status. Kieftenbeld didn’t just sign a new contract; he inherited the captain’s armband. His relentless work ethic and leadership culminated in May 2015, when he proudly lifted the KNVB Cup—the first major trophy in the club’s history. He later earned a highly successful move to Birmingham City in England, where his gritty, no-nonsense style made him a massive cult hero among the English fans as well. This 2013 interview captures the exact moment the young “serving player” was forging the iron mentality that would make him a champion.