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THE WIFE
Rafael’s wife Sylvie is famous and successful in her own right. She is also her husband's biggest fan. And when she is looking on from the stands, she says she lives every moment and emotion.
“Whenever I’m in the stadium I get completely engrossed in the match. Being pretty competitive myself, I really feel for the players. And, of course, if Rafael is playing, I am totally focussed on him.
I can be miserable when things get rough, but I can also jump and shout with joy when my team scores a goal.
When it comes to watching Holland, my eyes are fixed on Raf for every single minute. To be quite honest, I don’t pay too much attention to his teammates. I am far too busy watching Rafael. I always want to make sure he’s fit, and that he doesn’t suffer any bad tackles. Is he playing well? How is his passing? I can always see immediately how he is feeling on the pitch.
I still appreciate what his fellow players do, of course. For instance, I can be thrilled by a good combination between Raf and [Robin] Van Persie. Then I think: ‘Yes, Van Persie is great’. Or when Wesley [Sneijder] scores a beautiful free kick, I am delighted. Whenever any of our players scores a good goal, I enjoy those moments every bit as much as any Oranje supporter.
Both me and Raf are both really looking forward to Euro2008. Before the last World Cup two years ago I had just given birth and I was still suffering from the after effects of toxaemia. Rafael had to report for duty in the training camp the day after Damián was born and he went into the tournament carrying an injury. Those were stressful times for us.
This time though I intend to attend every single Holland match. Damiŕn will wear a little orange outfit and I will be wearing something orange as well.
I didn’t manage to get to all of the qualifying matches and friendlies. It’s quite an adventure to drag a child who is not yet two-years back home to The Netherlands overnight.
However, in Germany, I did attend all of Hamburg’s home games, together with the wives of the two other Dutch players at HSV, Cristel - Joris Mathijsen’s wife and Winonah, Nigel de Jong’s other half. They have both become close friends of mine. When your husbands are all playing abroad, you form a natural connection.
The Netherlands has produced some outstanding football players. I can see the team going a long way at Euro2008. I hope my man is always in the starting line-up.
In general, I can tell when the team are on form because Rafael tends to receive a lot of passes, it means the midfield is functioning smoothly.
Raf likes the fact that I watch him so closely. If he’s played well, he loves talking about the game. When he hasn’t, he usually doesn't like to hear me say more than ‘That's a shame’.
Sometimes though I can’t resist teasing him a little: ‘Well, honey, that was far from perfect. Please warn me beforehand next time, and I’ll stay home, haha!’ He always laughs, but it’s through gritted teeth!”
I can be miserable when things get rough, but I can also jump and shout with joy when my team scores a goal.
When it comes to watching Holland, my eyes are fixed on Raf for every single minute. To be quite honest, I don’t pay too much attention to his teammates. I am far too busy watching Rafael. I always want to make sure he’s fit, and that he doesn’t suffer any bad tackles. Is he playing well? How is his passing? I can always see immediately how he is feeling on the pitch.
I still appreciate what his fellow players do, of course. For instance, I can be thrilled by a good combination between Raf and [Robin] Van Persie. Then I think: ‘Yes, Van Persie is great’. Or when Wesley [Sneijder] scores a beautiful free kick, I am delighted. Whenever any of our players scores a good goal, I enjoy those moments every bit as much as any Oranje supporter.
Both me and Raf are both really looking forward to Euro2008. Before the last World Cup two years ago I had just given birth and I was still suffering from the after effects of toxaemia. Rafael had to report for duty in the training camp the day after Damián was born and he went into the tournament carrying an injury. Those were stressful times for us.
This time though I intend to attend every single Holland match. Damiŕn will wear a little orange outfit and I will be wearing something orange as well.
I didn’t manage to get to all of the qualifying matches and friendlies. It’s quite an adventure to drag a child who is not yet two-years back home to The Netherlands overnight.
However, in Germany, I did attend all of Hamburg’s home games, together with the wives of the two other Dutch players at HSV, Cristel - Joris Mathijsen’s wife and Winonah, Nigel de Jong’s other half. They have both become close friends of mine. When your husbands are all playing abroad, you form a natural connection.
The Netherlands has produced some outstanding football players. I can see the team going a long way at Euro2008. I hope my man is always in the starting line-up.
In general, I can tell when the team are on form because Rafael tends to receive a lot of passes, it means the midfield is functioning smoothly.
Raf likes the fact that I watch him so closely. If he’s played well, he loves talking about the game. When he hasn’t, he usually doesn't like to hear me say more than ‘That's a shame’.
Sometimes though I can’t resist teasing him a little: ‘Well, honey, that was far from perfect. Please warn me beforehand next time, and I’ll stay home, haha!’ He always laughs, but it’s through gritted teeth!”
