Vurnon Anita makes debut for Curaçao

Vurnon Anita has made his debut for our national football team last Friday’s match against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This has made him the first footballer in history to have played for both the Dutch national team and the Curaçao national team. Says Anita, “Holland and Curaçao are both very deep in my heart. Curaçao is where I was born, Holland is where I grew up. I have many relatives living on the island who have never seen me play. This is something I really want.” Anita had played three matches for the Dutch national team in 2010 and for a long time that meant that as a player he could not play for another country. Until last year, when FIFA lifted this restriction for players as long as they met certain requirements. And our Vurnon Anita met all of them! Curaçao’s Football Federation made extensive efforts to bring him onboard to the squad, with coach Guus Hiddink keeping Anita personally up to date on all of the latest developments in the process. It was Hiddink himself who called Anita to inform him that he has been accepted as a member of the Curaçao national team when he got the good news. At 31 years of age, our Vurnon Anita brings a large portion of experience to the team with a career that includes playing time for international football clubs like Ajax, Leeds United, and Newcastle United.