‘I think he is our best player at the moment’

Edson Álvarez, Reza Ghoochannejhad, Sydney van Hooijdonk, Sean Klaiber and Teun Koopmeiners have a chance of winning the Fashion Player 2020 title, so one of them will soon be the best-dressed football player in the Dutch fields. Late in this five-part series Football zone as the official media partner of the Fashion Player Award 2020, one of the nominees has the floor. Episode five focuses on Álvarez. The defender of Ajax works very hard to justify his expensive transfer fee of 15 million euros and knows how to stand out from the crowd with the jury of Life After Football.

By Thijs Verhaar and Justus Dingemanse

“I don’t think a lot of people in Mexico are so concerned about their clothes, but in the Netherlands – and especially in Amsterdam – people try to look good every day,” notes Álvarez, who drew a little over a year ago in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. “I like oversized clothes myself, because it suits me well with my height. Furthermore, I am not much concerned with fashion, but I always try to dress normally and if I have to look good in a restaurant, for example, I do my extra best ”, the defender admits. “It feels good to be recognized for that with this nomination. It surprised me, but it is nice. ”

In the dressing room of Ajax, Quincy Promes is, according to Álvarez, the player who is most concerned with his appearance. “He always comes to the training in nice clothes. I don’t really look up to someone myself, because I just try to be myself. Of course I like David Beckham, but I don’t have to look like it because he’s a style icon. I like the Memphis style of the Dutch players (Depay, ed.). ” Álvarez is not the man to buy very extravagant outfits, but he likes nice shoes. “So it is that my best and worst fashion purchases have both been shoes. Furthermore, I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes. Just normal, like everyone else. ”

Watch the video interview with Edson Álvarez below or check out our YouTube channel!

That sober way of dressing is also reflected in his football style, according to Álvarez. The Mexican international describes himself as a ‘solid defender who conquers balls and then hands them over to a fellow player with different qualities’. “I always fight for my team and for my teammates. I am reasonably satisfied with my level, but the football here is different from what I was used to at Club América ”, says the defender, who was mainly used as a defensive midfielder last season. “It all goes faster, so you have little time to make decisions. That is something I have to get better at ”, the self-confident Mexican analyzes, who very much agrees with Ajax’s philosophy.

“I like our playing style and how we put pressure. Many teams are waiting for their opponent, but we are not. At Ajax you have to put constant pressure, for ninety minutes and I love that vision. ” Álvarez would love to become champion this season and play the largest possible role himself. Last season he made 23 appearances and this season the counter is currently at 7, of which only two basic places. “I just have to work hard to get into the base. It all starts with that ”, says the defender, who mainly works outside the field with Lisandro Martínez. “It’s nice to have many Spanish-speaking players around me anyway,” says Álvarez, who can now express himself well in English, while he did not speak a word across the border when he came to the Eredivisie in July 2019.

He makes no secret of the fact that he was dealing with homesickness. “I missed my family, the food, the weather, all kinds of things…” However, the birth of daughter Valentina changed everything for the now 23-year-old Álvarez and his girlfriend Sofia, whom he met in high school. “Sometimes I have a bad day, but that all changes when I come home and see her face. It is difficult that we have to raise her so far from home, but that is not only the case for me and Sofia. Everyone would experience it that way, ”says the young defender, who feels like a different person through fatherhood. “At my previous club I played everything, so I was angry or disappointed when I wasn’t in it. In the meantime I have learned to also look at the positive. ”

Álvarez calls Erik ten Hag a very good trainer and is particularly impressed by the new acquisitions. “The best players of this Ajax? Antony and Mo Kudus. Antony really is a top player. He is very fast, structured and also a nice person. Similar to Hakim Ziyech? No, not that. They are completely different players, but both very well in their own way ”, Álvarez praises the Brazilian winger, who already scored four goals and two assists in seven Eredivisie matches, while he also managed to get through the net once in the Champions League. find. And then Kudus. He really has it all, so it’s a shame for us that Mo has now been injured. I think he is our best player at the moment. I think it’s really great ”, said Álvarez, who finally also pays a compliment to Davy Klaassen. “He is also a very good reinforcement and I like that he speaks a little Spanish.”

With those acquisitions in house, Álvarez considers Ajax strong enough to progress in the Champions League and he also considers his personal goal of a Dutch championship quite achievable. “I would love to achieve that one day and after that it is a dream of mine to play in the Premier League one day. Manchester City is my favorite club, so that would be perfect ”, concludes the Mexican, who has also reflected on the period after his active career. In his Life After Football he especially hopes to enjoy his family and there are also plans to do something for his native village. “If I have enough money for myself and my children (I would like more), I would like to do something for my old neighborhood in Mexico. I think if I get a chance, everyone deserves a chance in this life. That’s why I want to create something for them too. ”

You can now vote via lifeafterfootball.eu/fashion-player!
The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 5.

Sydney van Hooijdonk (NAC Breda), Sean Klaiber (Ajax), Reza Ghoochannejhad (PEC Zwolle) and Teun Koopmeiners (AZ) spoke earlier in this series:

Sydney van Hooijdonk: ‘A club like Crystal Palace also seems wonderful to me’

Read article

Ajax acquisition notices competition: ‘Quincy Promes is nice’

Read article

Reza explains his early football retirement: ‘There are many hyenas in this jungle’

Read article

‘I told Frank de Boer that I was ready for a place in the base’

Read article

Justus Dingemanse is a full-time presenter and program maker at Voetbalzone and makes contributions in the form of exclusive interviews, reports, documentaries and programs.