Have you always been an Ajax fan?

All my life. Though my brother, who I shared a room with as a kid, is a fanatic Feyenoord fan.

Ah. That must have led to some arguments.

Yes. Well, no, because back in the day, early 70s, Ajax and Feyenoord were the two teams in Holland. So each year it was either Ajax or Feyenoord who won the league. And if Ajax won the league, Feyenoord won the European Cup and vice versa. But yes, I’m an Ajax fan to this day. Which makes things difficult sometimes.

It must be hard to keep your emotions in check when it comes to the important games.

I’m talking Tottenham Hotspur v Ajax. I don’t need to explain any more.

Understood. And are we right in thinking that you had trials at Ajax as a boy?

I did but they squeezed me into an ‘overs’ group rather than an age-specific group, so at the age of 14 I was two heads smaller than everyone else. But that doesn’t mean that I would have made it otherwise, because if you are talented enough then you will make it sooner or later.

How did you go from that to photography?

By the age of 29, I was a sales rep. One day a friend said, “Come with me, I’m a photographer at Ajax.” I didn’t believe him until he showed me his press credentials. He said he’d get some for me too, just for one game. I said, “I don’t have any idea and I don’t have any equipment.” He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll just give you my second camera.” It was 5 May 1991, a league game against Roda JC. From that moment on I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

That’s a big step - did you have to work hard in order to realise that ambition?

I had to start from the beginning. It’s the same in any serious profession: you can’t just come in and say, “Hello, I’m a photographer!” Which, by the way, a lot of people do nowadays, much to my irritation.

How did you manage to get to the point of being accepted as a bona fide photographer?

I can tell you this now, 30 years on. I asked my friend, “How do I get a press card?” He said, “Get me a passport photo, I’ll make one for you.” It looked pretty good as well. He said, “One thing you have to remember…” and he described an elderly woman, the grumpy type. He said, “If you ever see a woman fitting that description, you have to walk away immediately. She’s the head of press accreditation.”

The Dutch national team played a friendly about a year later and I saw a grumpy-looking elderly woman walking around the pitch. I was ready to run away and never come back. But I was lucky in that the game was about to begin and I was standing between the players in the tunnel. So because of the stress of that moment she said, “OK, OK, go on the pitch but on Monday, you come to my office.”

I was there on Monday morning, 9am sharp. I said, “Hey, remember me?” She said – well, she shouted – “Of course I remember you! You’re the guy who wasn’t supposed to be there!” But I got my press pass. And I was like, “Wow, that was easy.” I think I’d been on the scene long enough that she had to accept me.