Little did Robbin Ruiter know as he watched on at the Emirates in 2015, as Sunderland secured a point against the Arsenal to maintain their top-flight status, that he would go on to join the Lads in little over two years’ time.
But what Robbin did know was that he wanted to fulfil his dream of playing in England – such was his love of the English game and the football culture – and Sunderland have helped him achieve just that.
So Robbin, how is life treating you here in England?
Yeah, I’m all right. We found a nice property to live in after one month of being here. I had a warm welcome at the club when I came. It’s such a big and nice club, while the results haven’t been what we’d hoped for, it is still a very nice to play here. The last couple of games have been better and we want to build on that. We want to give the supporters something back because it’s been tough for them, over the last year.
Why did you choose England as your next step?
When I was a kid I really wanted to play in England. If I didn’t have that opportunity, I wanted to play in Germany, but first it was England. There were opportunities before Sunderland came in for me to play in Denmark, Turkey or Belgium but it wasn’t what I was looking for. Sunderland gave me the opportunity and that was the moment I knew I really wanted it. You play so many games and the atmosphere at the stadiums, everyone breathes football – it is a way of living.
Where did your admiration for English football come from?
As a football player you want to play as high as possible. Holland has a nice competition but it’s not one of the big four competitions in Europe. I went to Arsenal against Sunderland a couple of years ago and the atmosphere was incredible. Sunderland got a draw to stay up and all the fans went crazy.
Was that experience of watching Sunderland in your mind when you considered your next step?
Of course, but obviously I didn’t know Sunderland were interested in me at that time. I had been to watch Bayer Leverkusen play Hertha Berlin and the atmosphere was unbelievable. For both games I felt if I could play in such a stadium like those two games, it would be amazing. This opportunity came along, and I wanted to be here.
What’s your relationship like with Jason Steele?
It’s a healthy relationship to be honest. It’s one of the best I’ve had throughout my career; whoever plays, we support each other. We both want to get up the table with Sunderland as soon as possible. He’s a good guy and we laugh with each other, we had fun and work well together.
Finally, what sort of impact has the manager had?
Managers are different and have different styles, but you can’t say what is wrong or right. It’s just different. But one thing might fit a group of players better than something else. For me, the new gaffer has worked with our shape and the organisation of the team and I think that’s important. It’s important to have a good shape and communicate with each other. Small details are important to operate well, and he has a specific style of football he wants to play. He wants us to play football, it’s not just kick and rush. The more you train and work on it, the better you will play.