Damaris Igurola, born in the United States and raised in Spain, plays football for the Netherlands

Damaris Igorola in an Olympique Lyon jersey is too fast for Juventus' Martina Rusucci.  Reuters photo

Damaris Igorola in an Olympique Lyon jersey is too fast for Juventus’ Martina Rusucci.Reuters photo

During her wonderful, carefree childhood, Damaris Igurola played football with her nephews and nieces in the arenas in Groningen during the summer holidays, when she came from Spain to visit her family. In the small fields near their homes. In the summer I’ve always been here for at least three weeks and then at Christmas and all that.

Damaris Berta Egurrola Wienke is her full name, and seems to be a perfect blend of names from Spain and the Netherlands, although her mother’s name, Wienke, originally comes from Germany. In Groningen, she hopes to make her debut against Cyprus on Friday for the team of her choice, the Netherlands, in next year’s World Cup qualifying series in Australia and New Zealand.

She was born in the United States, raised in Spain, lives in France, and her heart is in Holland, her mother’s country. She’s a defensive and controlling midfielder with good overview and passing, with the huge advantage that she’s a left-footed, a specialty missing from regular staffers like Sherida Spits and Jackie Gronin. She hopes to make her debut. I ordered a lot of tickets for family and friends. My parents, sister and brother came from Spain. Many of my mother’s friends will be there. It’s really cool.’

She began playing football in Spain, where her parents still live in Bilbao, and where she immigrated from the United States when she was six years old. Love for the game started in Groningen. Of course, this is not just a sense of the state, it is also a calculation of probability. The opportunity arouses affection. While Spain ignored her, Dutch coach Mark Parsons visited her in America to persuade her. And Danielle van de Donk, co-star in Olympique Lyonnais, continued to “grumble” in her head. “She never stopped. She is happy for me now.

Van de Donk is now injured, so the clue is lost in the selection. The team is also training against South Africa on Tuesday, although the qualifying match against Belarus is officially included in the programme. The European Football Association (KNVB) is refusing to play against the friendly country of Putin’s Russia and is consulting with UEFA about the possible consequences of the move. Egurrola, on her early training days at Zeist: “It was like the first day at school that you didn’t know anyone, but it was easy and fun for me.”

During a press conference, sports channel ESPN wants to know if she actually speaks Dutch. very little. She is learning the language. NOS asks if she wants to introduce herself to the camera. †Hi, I’m Damaris Igurola. I play for Lyon and now for the Dutch teamtelegraph You’d be curious if you heard about strobowafl. She laughs. Yes, she knows “croquette sandwich”. I know many words and culture. I am now learning Dutch and French at the same time, which is equally difficult. In the future you will speak Dutch. She understands everything, especially football terms.

Spanish youth teams

It feels more European than American. In Spain, she already played with the national youth teams and in a friendly match for the national team, but at a certain stage she was no longer eligible for selection and was still able to change. She was in the Netherlands at the 2017 European Championships and attended almost every match. ‘I was amazed. The team played really good football and the atmosphere with the crowd was special. They won the championship in a beautiful way.

She also saw the loss of the Orange team, then the men, in 2010, during the World Cup Final in South Africa. I remember being a supporter of Holland. When Iniesta scored, I ran into my bedroom crying. My father’s family wanted Spain to win, but we had a party for Holland. I was a fan of the Dutch players at the time, and when the Netherlands played football, we wore orange. My nephews and nephews taught me how to play football better.

Her father is proud now, too, although he was Spanish at the time. “He knew I needed the trophies with my national team to become a bigger player. He helped me, including all those FIFA papers. It’s important that the team really wants you. I haven’t had a chance in Spain for three years. I spoke here with Mark Parsons and Daniel, And they all wanted me to join the team.Now this is the first time.

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