Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has insisted his Netherlands debut was a dream come true, even if he did end up suffering at the hands of Kylian Mbappe.
The Brighton stopper was speaking to NOS, relayed by Het Nieuwsblad, after being handed his debut in the Netherlands clash with France last night.
The 21-year-old is very much seen as the man of the future for the national team but has been handed his chance to impress Ronald Koeman and his team as they deal with something of a goalkeeping disaster of late.
They’ve been bouncing through various options over the last few international breaks, with an injury to Justin Bijlow meaning they’ve had to explore their options.
That saw the Brighton man brought in for the clash with France, but he and his side were seen off by a Kylian Mbappe double, the second a superb solo effort.
That helped his side to a 2-1 win but despite that negative, Verbruggen was not allowing it to spoil his big moment.
“I am very proud and very happy to be able to experience that,” he said.
“A boy’s dream come true. I am very proud and very happy to be able to experience that. I just said to the boys, it’s a bit ‘bittersweet’.
“At the same time, it is your biggest dream coming true and you are disappointed with the result. There was definitely more to it. All in all, it is a dream come true.
“It is a great compliment that I can make my debut at this age. This leaves you wanting more.”
