Richard van der Venne is ready to add another golden chapter to his unconventional football story.
A midfielder who quit the sport as a teenager and did not turn professional until he was 23, the Dutchman has walked his own path to the top.
That journey brought him all the way to Australia, where he has notched five goals and five assists in Melbourne City’s run to the A-League Men premiership and Saturday’s grand final against Central Coast.
“I started in a professional youth team when I was 10 years old, until I was 15,” van der Venne told AAP.
“Then I didn’t like it anymore, so I quit football for one-and-a-half years.
“I was 17-and-a-half when I started again with some friends, at a local club just for fun.
“I started on the lowest level of amateur football and from there on we became champions and then I could go with the first team.
“From there I made a couple of transfers and went a couple of tiers higher and then the opportunity was there to be professional when I was 23.
“It’s been an amazing journey so far and it’s not a usual story.”
Van der Venne’s professional journey got underway with his hometown club of FC Oss, a second-tier team, in 2015.
He then transferred to Go Ahead Eagles, all while also working an office job.
“I started at 7am and worked until 1pm and then had to travel to the club for training four days a week, Monday to Thursday,” he said.
“In the Dutch second division, Friday was game day so I had to work from 7am until 4pm then had a game on at 8pm.
“It was a hard life but it was all worth it.”
In 2020, van der Venne gambled on a mid-season switch to RKC Waalwijk – fulfilling his dream of playing in the Netherlands’ top division.
After two-and-a-half seasons there, van der Venne was a free agent when he and his family took their biggest leap yet by joining City.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the other side of the world with my passion, with football,” the 31-year-old said.
“So I had to do it. I think I made the right decision.”
Van der Venne has another year on his contract but knows football can be unpredictable – so he’s determined to finish the season in style.
“The main reason to come to Australia was to win prizes,” he said.
“We did very well this season and we are the league winners.
“For me, that’s the most important thing.
“The grand final, to me, is the icing on the cake.”
Australian Associated Press