Late bloomer Daryl van Mieghem (36) of ADO Den Haag experiences most remarkable Eredivisie season of his career
Daryl van Mieghem is on the verge of what may well be the most remarkable season of his career. The 36-year-old forward of ADO Den Haag — also the oldest player in the squad — is returning to the Eredivisie as a quintessential late bloomer who cherishes his atypical route into professional football.
A normal youth as a foundation
While peers were already locked into the rigid structures of elite academies at a young age, Daryl van Mieghem spent years living a life barely distinguishable from that of any ordinary young man. He hung out on the streets with friends, went to parties, and travelled to Salou, Mallorca and Ibiza. All of that was possible because, by his own admission, he was simply an amateur footballer. Fellow players have more than once told him they envied him for it. 'I had the best of both worlds,' the Hague-born forward says.
An unconventional road to professional football
The older Van Mieghem gets, the more clearly he sees the advantages of his unorthodox career path. Of course he would have preferred to turn professional sooner, but not at any price. Many players who did follow the traditional academy route sacrificed their entire youth — and a significant proportion never even reach the professional level. That sobering calculation makes him at peace with his own past. In the meantime, he studied at the Johan Cruijff University, worked with his father in the events industry and still lived at home in Amsterdam. A man in search of his place, both in football and in life.
Heracles Almelo as the turning point
The move to Heracles Almelo marked a double milestone: not only as a professional footballer, but also as a grown adult. For the first time, Van Mieghem was living on his own. Doing his own laundry, cooking, managing everything himself — it was a transition he looks back on as at least as valuable as his development as a footballer. That period made him more mature, and it is advice he now passes on to other players: step outside your comfort zone, move to a different club, go out on loan. Growth rarely happens in familiar surroundings.
Nearly back to amateur football
After his time at Heracles, however, Van Mieghem's professional career appeared in danger of stalling. He seriously considered a return to the amateur game. A move to FC Emmen was a deliberate decision he turned down. Instead, he opted for Telstar, hoping to use the club as a springboard to take another step up. If that failed, a return to AFC was his plan B. That things ultimately turned out differently he attributes in part to his patience and his ability to make the right choices at the right moments. Now, at 36 years of age, he is embarking on a new Eredivisie adventure with ADO Den Haag — and he has absolutely no intention of calling it quits any time soon.
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Source: Via NOS (GNews)
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