Nineteen-year-old midfielder Harrie Kuster had an unforgettable debut for FC Twente in their 5-0 dispatch of Heracles Almelo on Sunday afternoon. The academy graduate came onto the field for the final six minutes and was loudly greeted by the fans in the Grolsch Veste.
In the match where the hosts had comfortably put two past the Heraclieden in the first period thanks to Feyenoord loanee Mimeirhal Benita’s comical own goal and Anass Salah-Addine’s strike – Kuster’s arrival came after two of the three second-half goals (Mees Hilgers and Sam Lammers).
Kuster emerged for Twente’s star man Sem Steijn, yet showed little signs of succumbing to pressure as he played his part in the final exchanges that saw Michel Vlap grab the game’s fifth goal.
The debutant, born in Zwolle, smiled broadly when he entered the field. With every touch of the ball by the teenager, the Twente supporters made themselves heard, with chants including ‘All balls on Harrie’. Kuster told ESPN he had not expected the Twente fans to cheer him on so en masse:
“I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I have been through the entire preparation and now I have finally made my debut. Yes, that is very nice. I have a special name, I think. After the match they chanted my name again. That is beautiful.”
Kuster transferred from Zwolle’s WVF to the youth academy of FC Twente three years ago and has been training with the first team since this season. He continued:
“My goal is to become a regular player in the first team of Twente and eventually make a nice transfer abroad. But first I’m going to enjoy this. My parents will be happy too. I’ll hang the shirt in my room, above my bed.”
FC Twente captain Lars Unnerstall was not surprised by the positive impact Kuster had on Sunday, he beamed:
“Harrie is a very good boy. He has been with us for a long time and is really making progress in training. He really deserves this.”
