Kees Smit on not being selected for the World Cup and an uncertain future

Kees Smit, the 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar player, would certainly prefer to be in the United States with the Netherlands right now, but he was not selected for the World Cup squad. After this disappointing news, he now faces uncertainty on the transfer market. Smit, despite everything, calmly looks back and forward. By late spring, Smit had not yet booked a holiday, hoping to travel with the national team to the World Cup. However, when he found out that he would not go, he quickly decided to go to Ibiza again. 'I don't know what it is about footballers and Ibiza,' laughs Smit. 'I didn't meet many other players there this year. It was quite nice, but I will look for something else for next year.'  In Ibiza and later in Portugal, Smit had the opportunity to rest after an intense season with AZ, which was his first full season in the Eredivisie. Last year, he extended his season by participating in the European Under-19 Championships, where he won the title of best player of the tournament. This time he was counting on a longer season, but he was not called up for the World Cup by coach Ronald Koeman, even though he made his debut for the national team in March. 'I was kind of hoping I'd get it, but I knew it wasn't certain. It was a fifty-fifty thing and unfortunately it didn't work out. Now I'm just a fan.' Smit wears a Dutch national team jersey during World Cup matches, but not in US stadiums, only at home or with friends in front of the TV. 'I must admit that I quickly came to terms with the fact that I wasn't going. Three days later I was already on vacation, so I had other things on my mind. But watching the games, I feel like I could have been there with them.'