Stroeykens: 'I keep my dream to myself'

INTERVIEWS Mario Stroeykens was fully trained at Anderlecht, he considers Neerpede his home and he really wanted to break through at RSCA. He has confidence in RSCA, he does not have an agent like most players and it is his father who manages his career with one person for the legal part.


He does not think there are too many youngsters in the purple dressing room as was the case a few seasons ago, there is a good balance now. He sees a big difference between Neerpede and the A-core: the need for results. All the details count in the A-core.
 
"You want to be important for the team at all costs once you are in A-core," he says, "then you have to be more focused and demand more of yourself. For a long time I was obsessed with scoring my first goal, so I sometimes forgot the basics, rediscovering those was a liberation." 

He is very realistic when he says the team can produce better football, the training camp in Crete was good and the new coach wants a more aggressive and dominant football that should be attack-oriented. He does not rule out the possibility of a good second round and a chance to move up the table.
 
Stroeykens previously opted for the Red Devils instead of the Congolese team, but he does not deny his origins. 
 
"There has always been a lot of talent in Neerpede and the trainers there are also of high quality.  Everything is based on technique with the ball and passing. Fighting spirit and mental attitude depend on each player himself."
 
"I don't really suffer from stress, I keep putting pressure on myself to bring out the best in myself. Vincent Kompany was his coach for two seasons, and taught him a lot tactically. He was a straightforward person who did not get carried away. We are still in touch".

He is very close with Julien Durranville, whom he describes as a bon vivant who does not care too much about what the media says about him. He concludes by saying that he prefers to keep his ultimate dream to himself. He gets a lot of playing time and is likely to become a base player in time.