Hans van Breukelen has revealed how a desire more led him to leave Nottingham Forest in 1984.
NOS have an interview with the goalkeeper today. They’ve spoken to him ahead of Nottingham Forest’s with clash with Utrecht this evening.
The meeting between the two sides in the Europa League is a special occasion for Van Breukelen as two of his former sides meet.
He played for Nottingham Forest for two years from 1982 to 1984, joining them as a replacement for the legendary Peter Shilton. His time at the club was more than successful as they qualified for the UEFA Cup and a third placed finish in the league.
Van Breukelen would eventually leave under something of a cloud amid regular arguments regarding his desire to prioritise the Netherlands. That saw him going head-to-head against Brian Clough, who wasn’t one to back down.
He joined PSV Eindhoven and went on to have a highly decorated career with them and the Dutch national team. He would win the European Cup with PSV, alongside six titles, and the European Championship in 1988 with the national team.
Now he’s looked back at his exit from Nottingham Forest, explaining Clough’s stance on his personal wishes.
“Yes, because PSV suddenly showed up,” he said when asked about his exit.
“He (Clough) said: ‘I’m paying your salary. If we have a match, you can’t play for the Dutch national team.’ That was very important to me.
“Besides, at Forest, you were satisfied if you finished third. But I felt I could become a champion with PSV. And I also thought: if I play for PSV, I could also become a regular for the Dutch national team.”
