Football is a game of short memories. You can be the hero in May, and a forgotten substitute by October. The “Hoofdrolspeler” interview in the October 30, 2013 cup programme features Michael de Leeuw, a player experiencing exactly this kind of brutal professional whiplash.
The headline sets a somber tone: “Had het me anders voorgesteld” (Had imagined it differently). The editorial intro twists the knife, noting that De Leeuw was the club’s top scorer the previous season with 11 goals, but had not started a single match at the Euroborg in the current campaign. De Leeuw candidly explains his nightmare start. It began with an injury in the final pre-season friendly against FC Emmen. “That came at a very annoying moment. And then when I was fit to play again, I got sick right before the home match against AZ Alkmaar.”
While he was recovering, manager Erwin van de Looi changed the tactical system. Following a humiliating 5-0 defeat in the Away match vs FC Twente , the team shifted to playing with two holding midfielders, eliminating the traditional ‘number 10’ role where De Leeuw thrived. “The trainer has indicated that I am currently behind others in the pecking order,” he admits. To regain his fitness, the former top scorer was reduced to playing Monday night matches for the reserves (Jong FC Groningen). Yet, despite the frustration, he praises the home crowd, noting how they dragged the team through the difficult moments of the recent home match vs PSV . He was down, but he was preparing to fight his way back.
A Look into the Future
If you read our archival articles from the spring of 2014, you know exactly how this story ends. Michael de Leeuw‘s frustration in October fueled one of the greatest comebacks of the season. He fought his way back into Van de Looi’s system, adapting his game to become a lethal, highly efficient forward. By the end of the regular season, he topped the club’s goals-per-game average and won multiple Man of the Match awards. He eventually became the all-time top scorer for FC Groningen at the Euroborg. This melancholic 2013 interview is the definitive “rock bottom” moment before his legendary rise.