RETIREMENT has allowed Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to view his playing career in a different light.
The Dutchman turns 34 tomorrow – an age at which many of his contemporaries are still plodding on, wringing out every last drop of their careers – but decided at the end of last season to call it a day. The only time he encounters a football these days is when he's out in the street having a kick around with his young son.
Vennegoor of Hesselink experienced and enjoyed a lot during an eventful career that took in stops at PSV Eindhoven, Celtic and Hull City, and Barcelona features prominently in his memories. It was the team he supported as a boy – the Dutch influence at Camp Nou meant his loyalties lay there rather than at Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV – while the goal he scored for Celtic against Barca in a Champions League tie in 2008 ranks as a career highlight, even if he couldn't quite fully appreciate it at the time as the next fixture quickly loomed into view.
Now there is time for reflection. He is building a new home back in the Netherlands and is not short of mementoes with which to decorate the walls. Swapping shirts is a contentious topic these days – witness the eagerness with which Arsenal's Andre Santos snapped up Robin van Persie's jersey at half-time on Saturday – but Vennegoor of Hesselink waited until an appropriate time in his two matches against Barcelona before collecting his souvenirs. Pride of place in the new family home will be the shirts of Xavi and Ronaldinho.
"Scoring against Barcelona was such a great feeling," he said yesterday after helping make the draw for the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup. "But a few days after it there is another game and you forget about it.
"Recently, I've been getting stuff from all the boxes from the houses I've lived in as I'm building a new house and I need to sort out all my things. There are lots of pictures and tops – so many great memories. The home game against Barcelona, I got Ronaldinho's jersey and after the away leg I got Xavi's. I was quite a collector as a player."
Vennegoor of Hesselink will spend his birthday watching Barcelona in Champions League action as a guest of his former club. He is already looking forward to experiencing the thrill and adrenaline rush of Parkhead on a European night. "I was talking to my Dutch colleagues and telling them how you can't describe the atmosphere within Celtic Park," he added. "It's so vibrant. For a player it's just electric. I am looking forward to going back there without all the stress.
"I saw my goal against Barcelona yesterday and I felt warm. I remember the Manchester United game too. Maybe we weren't the best team back then, but we got lifted from the crowd. When you go to the game you know it's going to be special. I enjoyed it so much when the flag was waving and you hear the Champions League music.
"You play your hearts out in a normal league game, but in the Champions League you run a mile harder. It always got the best out of me. Now I have a birthday party with 67,000 people. I can enjoy it as a fan."
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