Auckland FC's Louis Verstraete. Photo / Photosport
Auckland FC's Louis Verstraete. Photo / Photosport
When Louis Verstraete was first told about interest from Auckland FC, he dismissed the idea.
The thought of travelling to the other side of the world wasn’t on his radar. It was too far to go, especially for someone who had never played outside Belgium in his career.
Thankfully,he reconsidered. The 25-year-old midfielder, who will be a key player in today’s blockbuster derby, has had a massive impact for the Black Knights, quickly becoming one of the most important figures in their season so far. It’s quite the story.
“I hadn’t really heard of Auckland,” Verstraete told the Herald. “When my agent came to me my initial reaction was like, ‘that’s a bit too far’ to be honest. If you’re from Belgium, you cannot go any further than New Zealand.”
But it didn’t take much for him to have a second look. His agent set up a Zoom call with coach Steve Corica and director of football Terry McFlynn and by the end of that meeting Verstraete was “sold”. He was impressed by the ambition and vision, along with Corica’s philosophy and style of play.
“They really wanted to build a strong team in the A-League,” said Verstraete. “It wasn’t a one- or two-year thing – they were in for the long run. And the way they saw me in that picture convinced me.”
It has worked out beautifully. Verstraete was man of the match in the opening two matches – which set the tone – and not far away in many others. He is the shield in front of the back four and a big reason for Auckland’s miserly defensive record, while also linking the attack.
But the success of his move isn’t by chance. Auckland FC had tracked Verstraete for months, an example of their fastidious approach.
“It was a process,” said McFlynn. “Doug Kors [head of recruitment] found Louis to start with – he deserves a lot of credit for identifying the foreign players.”
For the visa players, McFlynn estimates they scouted 30-40 players in each position, including Verstraete’s.
“We would always have three or four that would be presented to the coaches at any one time and Louis was continually at the top of that pile,” said McFlynn. “Then we would look at another few, compare them to Louis and he was still top of the pile, so we knew, when we got down to making a decision, that Louis was a player that we wanted.”
Auckland FC Logan Rogerson battles for possession with Alex Rufer of the Wellington Phoenix. Photo / Photosport
McFlynn also used an Australian coach based in Belgium to assess Verstraete in person for two matches. He ticked all the boxes – physically, technically, tactically – while the character references were also spot on.
“He’s a wonderful young man and he’s ambitious, so he fitted all the criteria,” said McFlynn. “It’s a project that appealed to him and he’s a very smart footballer. He reads the game well, he understands both sides – offensively and defensively – and he’s very technically very good.”
Verstraete has enjoyed the adventure. His partner Clara joined him in November and the duo are enjoying the lifestyle here, taking the chance to explore the region on days off. He didn’t know much about the A-League, but has been impressed with the level.
“It’s a good league, it’s really competitive,” says Verstraete. “If you do well here, you can get noticed in other countries.”
But he is not thinking about the next step, being content in the City of Sails, due to the results and the culture that has been created at the club.
“They have done a really good job there,” says Verstraete. “The personalities, the different qualities, from day one I felt really welcome in the club.”
Verstraete, who played for four different teams in Belgium, relishes the chance to be part of another derby, after experiencing a couple of firecrackers there, including Gent versus Club Brugge, known as the Battle of Flanders.
“It’s always intense,” says Verstraete. “It means a lot, to the fans, to the club.”
Saturday’s match is an intriguing prospect. The Wellington Phoenix have yet to master the occasion in a derby – aside from the final stages of the last clash in Auckland – and have conceded sloppy goals in both clashes, much to their frustration. A positive result could reignite their season, to maintain faint hopes of being finals contenders and the return of captain Alex Rufer – who is expected to start – is a massive fillip for their chances.
However, Auckland will be overwhelming favourites and on Friday both coach Corica and vice-captain Tommy Smith acknowledged they have a psychological edge over the Phoenix, given the manner of both previous victories. They’ll be chasing more A-League history, as there has yet to be a three-game sweep in either the Sydney (Sydney FC v Wanderers) or Melbourne (Victory v City) derbies. Corica was confident yet cautious, admitting recent form isn’t relevant.
“It doesn’t matter where they are in the table right now,” said Corica. “It’s a derby, it’s a one-off game basically and we will be ready for war.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns.
