"If you had told me I would play with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europe, I would not have believed it"

Tyrese Asante is one of the players who are candidates to leave Maccabi Tel Aviv this coming summer. The Dutch defender integrated wonderfully in his two years in the yellow squad and managed to win the championship, the State Cup, the Aluf HaAlufim (Super Cup), and play in the Europa League.

In an interview he gave to the Dutch "VoetbalPrimeur", he told the journey of his career - from the academy at Feyenoord, through working at the Albert Heijn supermarket, to the offer from Israel. Among other things, he said:

"If when I was working at Albert Heijn you had told me: in a few years you will play for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League, I probably would not have believed you."

Asante was pursued many times by the former sporting director of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dominic Price, who called his agent every week to ask about his status: "I felt that Maccabi really wanted me, and that was very important. I sat with Price for an hour, and then everything happened very quickly. It is a bit scary to make a decision in the football world, because you want to make the right decision and you only have one career. At a certain point I was already convinced and I made the decision to make the move."

When he referred to the yellow team, he mentioned mainly the crowd, which he defined as a "madhouse": "I did not know much about the football here, because when you are a little kid you do not dream of playing in Israel. When I did research and saw how big the club is, I really wanted to take the step.

"The stadium here is full every week with 30,000 fans. They scream for 90 minutes in every game. It is different from the Netherlands. Here they are really crazy. One time we lost and the training complex was full of angry fans. That is how great the passion is. We are the biggest club in Israel, so when you lose they come to demand answers. Even in away games the atmosphere is very tough."

And what about the future? "A move this summer is definitely an option," he says. "I know what I have here, and I will definitely not exchange it for something that is not better. I would be lying if I said there is no interest. Everything needs to fit. You have only one career, and therefore the decisions you make are very important. I will not make rash decisions. If there is no move, I am at peace with that too. I am good here."

However, the defender declared: "Within five years I want to be at a top club in a top league. I feel that this is a very realistic goal. Of course I will have to continue to work very hard for this, but I am convinced that if I do that, I will manage to get there."