Jurgen Ekkelenkamp returns on goal at Napoli: "What a thrill, everyone overjoyed"

Jurgen Ekkelenkamp signed Udinese’s victory over Napoli, which was very important for the Friulians but also very heavy for the reigning Italian champions’ambitions of winning their second consecutive Scudetto. The Dutchman, class of 2000, stressed the great emotion he experienced by scoring his first goal in this edition of Serie A precisely against such an emblazoned opponent, but he also wanted to insist on how much he enjoys living in Friuli. Both because of the relationship he has established with his teammates (including Nicolò Zaniolo, as well as with coach Kosta Runjaic, and on a purely environmental level.

Marco Enzo Venturini

“I was really happy, both for the win and because I scored my first goal this year’s season. And it was also a great goal – Ekkelenkamp said during a lengthy interview with ‘Radio TV Serie A’ -. To score in that way at Napoli and unlock the game was undoubtedly a strong emotion, especially after the two goals that were cancelled. I was happy for the first goal in the league, we were all very happy. I cheered right away, because I was not afraid of being offside. During the Covid period I used to spend my days outside my house training on shots from distance and trying such conclusions”.

There is no lack of chapter on the relationships he established in Italy, at Udinese and beyond. And here there is no shortage of further references to the’current Napoli. “With Neres we didn&#8217t talk before the match, nor with Noa Lang – admitted Ekkelenkamp, referring to his former teammates at Ajax -. Coach Runjaic is always very clear inside the locker room, he is a great communicator and is really prepared from a tactical point of view. In training I watch Nicolò Zaniolo a lot, he is a really strong player and we are all happy to have him in the team. Let’s not talk about the World Cup. Funniest teammate? I would say Kingsley Ehizibue, but also because being Dutch it is easier for me to talk to him”.

“At’Ajax– Ekkelenkamp then recalled – every training session is with the ball between my feet and that is really important for me. I think this is a big difference from Italian soccer, here you focus more on tactics. Serie A is a predominantly tactical league. In Holland, as well as in Belgium and Germany, there&#8217s a more open type of play, let”.

Then personal goals for the continuation of the season. “Udine is a small city but I like it. It is close to Slovenia, a place I really like because of its mountains. Definitely getting to Europe would be a dream for the club and for me, it would be nice if it happened this season. Going to the World Cup for me would be a dream, the Netherlands definitely has a very strong midfield but anything is possible”, Ekkelenkamp concluded.