"His winning mentality is what I always remember most" - Mathieu van der Poel's former football coach recalls superstar's career beginnings

Arguably the biggest superstar in the cycling world today, dual discipline world champion Mathieu van der Poel was once a promising footballer before fully focusing his attention on the bike.

In conversation with Het Nieuwsblad, his former football coach recalls the early beginnings of van der Poel's sporting career. "His winning mentality is what I always remember most. Mathieu couldn't stand losing," explains René Van Den Buijs. "I had noticed for a while that his heart beat more for cycling. If he had continued to play football, I think Mathieu could have played at least in the higher amateur leagues and probably even in professional football."

Jac Havermans, who scouted the area for Willem II even draws comparisons for van der Poel with Dutch national team and Barcelona star, Frenkie De Jong. "If Mathieu had joined us at the age of 9 and had been able to refine his technique a little more, he could have gone quite far," he analyses.

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"He would certainly have become a professional footballer. Two years after Mathieu, Frenkie de Jong also came to test with us. He now plays for FC Barcelona. I'm not saying that Mathieu had as much talent as Frenkie, but they both had something special," Havermans concludes.