I grew up in a small village in the Netherlands. I was raised up in a family where my father played football till a late age and my older brother played football since a young age. Together they were loyal supporters of the nearest professional football club called AZ Alkmaar. In an environment like this, it seemed to be just a matter of time before I would start playing football as well. And so I did.
我成长于荷兰的一个小村庄。我父亲直到很大年纪还在踢足球，而我哥哥从小就开始踢足球。他们都是离我家最近的一个职业足球俱乐部AZ Alkmaar的忠实支持者。成长于这样的环境中，我踢足球似乎成了必然，只是时间早晚的问题。
At age 7 I joined the same local football club as my brother. I still remember playing my first match in that shirt. I asked my trainer for number 7, simply because that was my age. It was a rainy morning and we played on a muddy field. Our opponent was a team from another village, which we considered to be our rivals. It felt important, so we gave it our all and ended up winning the match with 2-1. I scored both goals. My father looked so proud. From that moment onwards I knew: football was going to be my game.
七岁时，我加入了我哥哥的足球俱乐部。我还记得穿着那件队服参加我的第一场比赛。我问教练要7号，就因为那年我七岁。那天早晨下着雨，比赛场地很泥泞，对手是另一个村子的球队。我们感觉这是一场重要的比赛，于是全力以赴。最终我们队以二比一取胜，两球都是我进的。我的父亲非常为我骄傲，从那时起我就知道，踢足球将成为我的追求。
That same year I watched a match from FC Barcelona on television. My brother explained me that Barcelona was one of the best clubs in the world. I didn't know much about good football yet, I just liked the colors of their shirt. I played with shirt number 7, so I figured that their number 7 would be my idol from now on.
也是那一年，我在电视上看了一场巴塞罗那队的比赛。我哥哥解释说，巴塞罗那是世界上最好的俱乐部之一。那时我对职业足球还不太了解，但我喜欢他们队服的颜色。因为我穿7号队服，所以我决定巴塞罗那队的7号从此就是我的偶像。
My brother idolized Dennis Bergkamp and together we imitated our two heroes on the school square behind our house. Soon we were known to be the best players of our neighborhood. This local success convinced me that one day I would become the number 7 of Barcelona as well. At age 9 I wrote a letter to my future self. It stated: 'If I’m not playing for Barcelona by the age of 18, I'll quit football'. For ten years I didn’t tell anyone about this letter, but at age 11 my brother challenged me for a bet. He said: 'Maarten, I shall pay you 50 guilders (200 RMB), if you become a professional player. However, if you won't make it, you'd have to pay me 50 guilders'. He was five years older than me and clearly the smarter one at that time. I shook his hand and continued pursuing my dream.
我哥哥那时崇拜丹尼斯·博格坎普，我们俩一起在我家后面的学校操场上模仿我们的偶像。不久后，我们成为了我们社区公认的最好的球员，这个小小的成就感让我决定，有一天我也要成为巴塞罗那队的7号。九岁时，我写了一封信给未来的自己：“如果我在十八岁的时候还踢不进巴塞罗那队，那我就放弃踢足球”。在随后的十年我没有向任何人提起过这封信。我十一岁那年，我哥哥和我打赌，他说：“马丁，如果将来你成为一个职业球员，我给你50盾（200元人民币）。但如果你成不了职业球员，你给我50盾。”他比我大五岁，当然比我更聪明。我握了握他的手，并继续追求我的梦想。
In the years that followed I got selected several times for various Elite teams. At age 16 I was approached by a semi-professional football club. My local club advised me not to go. They told me it would be better for my development to play for their first team for a few more years. I trusted them, so that’s what I did. That was the first time I got to play with my big brother in the same team. His voice, so clearly distinct from all the others, helped me to find him wherever he was on the field. It was a lovely time, in which we played great matches, but turning 18 reminded me of the letter I'd once written to myself. It was still hidden in a little box, tucked away in a secret area of my closet. I took it out and while reading it, I realized how far away I was from reaching my childhood dream. It was a painful realization, which motivated me to try and take destiny into my own hands. I approached the club that had approached me earlier, but they changed their trainer. I also attended talent days and went to a couple of trial sessions. There I received compliments, but there were hardly any real opportunities. In the meanwhile players of younger ages were making their professional debuts. I started to lose my joy and confidence in football and prepared myself for another career. For some years football became irrelevant in my life and my focus shifted towards pursuing university degrees. After a while, however, I couldn't resist to play again and this eventually escalated to my football adventure in China.
在随后的几年中，我被各种精英队伍选中。我十六岁时，有一个半职业俱乐部找到我，但是我们当地的俱乐部不建议我去。他们告诉我，在他们的一队多留几年会更有利于我的发展。我相信他们，于是留下了。那也是我第一次和我哥哥在同一支队里踢比赛。在场上，我能从嘈杂中很清晰的辨别出他的声音、找到他。那是一段美好的时光，我们一起踢过很棒的比赛。但是满十八岁时我想起了我曾经写给自己的信，它仍然在那个小盒子里，藏在我衣柜的秘密区域。我把它拿出来，再次读这封信的时候，我意识到我离我童年的梦想已经很遥远。这让我非常痛苦，于是我想要尝试把命运掌握在自己手中。我找到之前来找我的那个俱乐部，但是他们已经换了教练。我参加了两次试炼，受到了很多好评，但却没有得到什么真正的机会。与此同时，年龄更小的球员正在崭露头角。我开始失去对足球的热爱和信心，并开始为从事其他职业做准备。有那么几年，足球在我的生活中变得无关紧要，我的重心转向完成大学学位。不过，过了一段时间，我又忍不住想要再踢球，于是最终我开始了在中国的足球之旅。
Last week my big brother, who now has a family and a stable job in Berlin, send me a message. It was a video of a goal he made for his company team (see below). As you can see, it is a clever goal on a low level. I clearly recognize the Dennis Bergkamp touch with which he first intercepts the ball. I also recognize the Dennis Bergkamp cheer with which he shortly celebrates his goal. Most people might just see a 33 year old man score a decent goal. I see my childhood brother as I used to see him many times on the square behind our house. It made me realize that football dreams don't stop after growing up. Football dreams are the stories of our youth wishing to be grown-ups. However, after growing up, they become the stories of our adults wishing to be youthful again.
我哥哥现在在德国柏林有了家庭和稳定的工作，上周他给我发消息，是一个他为他们公司球队进球的视频（下方播放）。你能看出来，这是一个很简单又很聪明的进球。我能清楚地认出这是丹尼斯·伯格坎普式的拦截球，也能清楚地认出这是丹尼斯·伯格坎普式的进球庆祝。大多数人只看到一个三十三岁的男人踢进一个球，而我却看到了我童年时的哥哥，和无数次在我家后面的操场上看到的一样。我感受到，足球梦想在我们长大后也不会停止。足球梦始于那些小时候我们期望长大的故事，而长大后，足球梦让我们渴望再一次年轻。
