Two sides to our new signing

Following his first few days as a Herthaner, Deyovaisio Zeefuik faced the media in Berlin for the first time on Tuesday (11.08.20).

The first days after joining a new club are always something special and exciting for any professional footballer. Along with new teammates, there’s a new challenge, new surroundings and, oftentimes, a new language to boot. As a result, it’s always helpful to have old friends around to help make sense of the new environment. Deyovaisio Zeefuik is lucky to have a couple of those with him at Hertha - Javairo Dilrosun and Daishawn Redan. “They make it easier for me to settle in, but I already get along quite well with the other lads. My first impression has been very positive,” Zeefuik said during a press conference on Tuesday. His coach also shared in the right back’s initial assessment. “Deyo has settled in well,” said Bruno Labbadia, who has noticed two sides to Hertha’s new number 42. “Off the pitch he’s still a bit reserved but very professional,” Labbadia said. “On the pitch is where he asserts himself and is very aggressive!”

Clear aims both on and off the pitch

When asked about Labbadia’s comments, the defender responded with a grin. “Off the pitch I’m a very normal and easy-going guy who laughs a lot. On the pitch is a bit of a different story. But that’s the style and approach I take in order to be able to help out my team,” he said. Zeefuik is looking to be of benefit to the club right from the start. “I want to play every game and grow as a player. Having such strong teammates as I do here will certainly help,” he said. “It’s a big move for him, and we are doing everything we can so that he settles in quickly,” said Labbadia. “It will be important for him to learn the language quickly – he already knows a little bit of German.” But Zeefuik is eager to learn more. “I can already understand a little bit,” he said in German with a grin, before adding “I will do my best to learn German as quickly as possible!”

He said...

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Off the pitch I’m a very normal and easy-going guy who laughs a lot. On the pitch it's a different story.
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-Deyovaisio Zeefuik

The first days after joining a new club are always something special and exciting for any professional footballer. Along with new teammates, there’s a new challenge, new surroundings and, oftentimes, a new language to boot. As a result, it’s always helpful to have old friends around to help make sense of the new environment. Deyovaisio Zeefuik is lucky to have a couple of those with him at Hertha. “They make it easier for me to settle in, but I already get along quite well with the other lads. My first impression has been very positive,” Zeefuik said during a press conference on Tuesday. His coach also shared in the right back’s initial assessment. “Deyo has settled in well,” said Bruno Labbadia, who has noticed two sides to Hertha’s new number 42. “Off the pitch he’s still a bit reserved but very professional,” Labbadia said. “On the pitch is where he asserts himself and is very aggressive!”

Clear aims both on and off the pitch

When asked about Labbadia’s comments, the defender responded with a grin. “Off the pitch I’m a very normal and easy-going guy who laughs a lot. On the pitch is a bit of a different story. But that’s the style and approach I take in order to be able to help out my team,” he said. Zeefuik is looking to be of benefit to the club right from the start. “I want to play every game and grow as a player. Having such strong teammates as I do here will certainly help,” he said. “It’s a big move for him, and we are doing everything we can so that he settles in quickly,” said Labbadia. “It will be important for him to learn the language quickly – he already knows a little bit of German.” But Zeefuik is eager to learn more. “I can already understand a little bit,” he said in German with a grin, before adding “I will do my best to learn German as quickly as possible!”

Zeefuiks gut feeling - Dilrosuns Beobachtung

The right-back hopes to learn and improve during his time with the Old Lady. “There was interest from other clubs – we held talks with a team from the Netherlands and another Bundesliga club, as well as clubs from England and France. But I’m somebody who follows my gut, and from the very start Hertha was the club that appealed to me the most,” explained Zeefuik, who spoke with a few old friends from Amsterdam before making the switch; Javairo Dilrosun and Daishawn Redan. “They both told me that the club is growing and growing. Javairo said that Hertha becomes more professional every year, and has improved in every way since he arrived here. That’s a good sign and was also one of the reasons why I decided to make the transfer to Berlin.”

Zeefuik's gut feeling - Dilrosun's advice

The right-back hopes to learn and improve during his time with the Old Lady. “There was interest from other clubs – we held talks with a team from the Netherlands and another Bundesliga club, as well as clubs from England and France. But I’m somebody who follows my gut, and from the very start Hertha was the club that appealed to me the most,” explained Zeefuik, who spoke with his old friends from Amsterdam before making the switch. “They both told me that the club is growing and growing. Javairo said that Hertha becomes more professional every year, and has improved in every way since he arrived here. That’s a good sign and was also one of the reasons why I decided to make the transfer to Berlin.”

Legendary names as childhood idols

The hard-running, hard-tackling fullback has laid down the challenge for his new club. “I don’t mean to sound crazy, but I want to qualify for the UEFA Europa League this season – that is my aim, and I think that it has to be our aim as a team,” says Zeefuik. The former Netherlands U21 international arrives in Germany with huge ambition, which is obvious for those who know which players 'Deyo' looks up to. When I was a kid I looked up to Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta. Didier Drogba always impressed me as well, I liked his style of play,” says the 6'1" defender. “Later, when I was at Ajax, I studied how Kenny Tete played, who is now at Olympique Lyon. I looked up to him too.” Deyovaisio Zeefuik now wants to get going with his new club as soon as possible, so that he can write his own story in Berlin.