Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen impresses in the Premier League
Coincidentally, in row 19, in front of seat A259, in box 9 is a Dutch sports journalist. He can therefore explain to the gentlemen in row 20 that this is Bart Verbruggen. A Dutch goalkeeper who recently made his debut for the Netherlands' national team at the age of 21.
Less than four years ago, he signed his first professional contract with NAC Breda and now he is stealing the show in front of our noses against the best footballers in the world.
It is cold but the ever-present English wind makes it feel colder. In front of us stands a man with no outerwear, next to him someone wearing a bad Christmas jumper and next to him a seasoned fan with a flat cap.
However different they look, they agree on one thing: Brighton's goalkeeper is playing a great game. He is still unknown to the general public in England, and even in the Netherlands there are still those who will no doubt shrug their shoulders when hearing his name.
Expensive goalkeeper
It has been the case in Dutch football for years. When you do not play for Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV or Barcelona, you are soon in the great unknown. It happened to Thijs Dallinga (Toulouse) and Jeremie Frimpong (Leverkusen) before. Yet in Verbruggen's case, it is not so strange.
He was seen as a talent at NAC, but never made it to the first team. Goalkeeper coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar took him to Belgian side Anderlecht, where he did get to play after a rough start and quickly impressed.
Brighton recognised the Zwolle-born goalkeeper's talent and put no less than 20 million euros on the table. With that deal, Verbruggen became the most expensive outgoing goalkeeper in Belgian football. A lot of money for someone with 24 senior games to his name in - with all due respect - the Belgian league.
However, it fits Brighton's policy, with the club not afraid to scout in the two Dutch professional leagues, Germany's second tier, Poland's Ekstraklasa and even Paraguay and Japan.
Little by little, their acquisitions tend to pay off. Because let's be honest, who would have expected one Jan Paul van Hecke to win a starting place in Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi's team?
Unique system
It's a system that suits the former left-footed midfielder, the club and the progressive coastal city of Brighton.
In the English university town, things are a little different. Consequently, the conservative part of England regularly looks down on the football club, while the Amex regularly flaunts all the colours of the rainbow.
But Brighton also stands for progression on the pitch. With De Zerbi as Graham Potter's successor, the southern English club hit the ground running.
After successful years at Serie A club Sassuolo, where the coach stood out with football that was very attractive by Italian standards, the former Napoli player earned a position at Ukrainian top club Shakhtar Donetsk.
However, the Russian invasion pressured him out the door there and so he ended up in England, where the 40-year-old plays a unique system, where the defence keeps possession of the ball until the free man is found.
The goalkeeper is essential in this, and De Zerbi was immediately sold after seeing footage of Verbruggen at Anderlecht. Besides performing his primary duties superbly, he is footballing class in his position.
Symbol for a new generation
At Brighton, the goalkeeper actually plays as a controlling midfielder. The contrast with David Raya, Arsenal's goalkeeper, was telling in that respect.
Whereas Verbruggen formed a unit with his defenders, the Spanish goalkeeper played restlessly. The comment by an Arsenal fan behind us at one point was telling in that respect: 'That should be our goalkeeper'.
And let there be no mistake: Verbruggen would make Arsenal a better team. He symbolises the new generation of goalkeepers and is also going to bring a lot of joy to the Dutch national team.
While Verbruggen had conceded to the sum of 2-0, an Arsenal fan tapped the Dutch sports journalist in box 9 on the shoulder: 'Not even he could do anything about that, but I would kill for this goalkeeper'.
Funny how it is a Dutch goalkeeper who steals the show while Arsenal's star-studded squad takes the lead in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old 'goalie' has a golden future ahead of him, but even with his talent, he needed people to believe in him.
First there were two: Ten Rouwelaar and De Zerbi. Then Ronald Koeman followed. Now whole stadiums full of people cannot ignore him.
