Jan Paul van Hecke and a tiny town that has supported their hero all the way to the World Cup | OneFootball

In Zeeland’s Arnemuiden, a tight-knit town has rallied behind Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke as he joins the Netherlands’ World Cup squad. According to NY Times, up to 100 locals regularly cross by coach and boat to watch him.

Early coach and neighbour Leo Dingemanse says the town treat him as a hero. The last comparable thrill came in 1978, when uncle Jan Poortvliet played in the 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina.

Van Hecke trained at Arnemuiden from nine to 12, initially in midfield. Fiercely competitive, he even cried after losing training games, before stepping up to represent Zeeland at district level.

He broke through at NAC Breda at 19 and joined Brighton in 2020, progressing on loan at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers, where he was player of the season in 2021-22. His defending, carrying and passing now stand out in the Premier League.

He is set to be sold this summer, with no new deal agreed and his contract running to June 2027. Pep Guardiola clashed with him after Brighton’s 2-1 win at the Amex in 2024-25, criticising one fall yet praising his intensity and passing.

Arnemuiden, a community of about 8,000, staged a surprise send-off with flares before he joined Ronald Koeman’s squad. The Netherlands face Uzbekistan in New York on Monday at 7.45pm UK time, then Sweden on June 20 and Tunisia on June 26. He had promised his late father, Guus, who died in 2022 aged 55, that he would reach the 2026 World Cup.

Source: NY Times