When Domenico Tedesco released his Belgian team selection for the Nations League clashes in October, many people were surprised with a couple of names in the group. However, none were more taken aback than one of the players themselves – in this case Mechelen’s 27-year-old goalkeeper Ortwin de Wolf.
In a recent interview with HLN’s Jordi De Koninck, the stopper spoke of his inclusion for the Red Devils and just what it meant to be around the national team as Mats Sels dropped out of the final selection.
“The pre-selection was already a big surprise for me. After the victory against Cercle Brugge (22 September), goalkeeper coach Stef Pauwels and sports director Tim Matthys came to congratulate me. I said: ‘We won, yes… That’s normal, isn’t it?’ ‘No, with your pre-selection for the Red Devils’, they replied. I was completely taken aback. Two weeks later, the final selection was announced and I wasn’t in it. I didn’t lose any sleep over it.”
However, while his sleep may have been uninterrupted, he was definitely left dreaming when the news broke that Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Sels wouldn’t be featuring due to an adductor injury.
“(Laughs) I was sitting here in the gym with my earphones in. I got a message through those earphones that someone was calling me. But I was so in the ‘zone’ of my training that I just pushed off and continued with my exercise. Ten minutes later I got a message: ‘Hi, it’s Max Urwantschky (the goalkeeper coach of the Red Devils) . I just want to let you know that you’re in the selection. Please contact me asap …’ When I saw that message, I stopped my training and called back. It was 3 p.m. at that time and I had to report at 6 p.m.”
While the excitement was rife, De Wolf has presented himself as a player with a professional outlook no matter what ranking his team takes in the table. Even while being interviewed by HLN’s journalist, the Mechelen number one was in training gear: “After this interview, I’m going to work out. I’ve never been the man for great talent, but for hard work.”
This clearly bled into how he addressed the situation with his ecstatic teammates, as he continued:
“(My teammates) heard about my selection from the press a day later. (laughs) I calmly packed my things and left. It’s not in my nature to tell everyone. ‘They’ll notice I’m gone tomorrow or the day after,’ I thought.”
But what about the level? How did the man with four clean sheets in 10 games this season fare?
“Thanks to my years with the reserves, I already knew a few guys, like Wout Faes and Sebastiaan Bornauw. Youri Tielemans welcomed me as captain and showed me the ropes.
“About six years ago I was moved up from the reserves for one training session. Lukaku shot me to pieces then. (Jokingly winks) That didn’t happen now. You notice that the difference in level is in small things. In terms of speed it’s all okay, but the quality is more refined and the controls are perfect. I always wanted to experience how a collection of top players is put together…
“I was really amazed. They can always call me again.”
