As you step out of the interview with Jan Paul van Hecke at Brighton’s training ground, you can’t help but feel the urge to call your dad. The 24-year-old Dutch defender’s story is a poignant reminder to cherish the time we have with our loved ones.
Van Hecke’s father, Guus, passed away two years ago, leaving a gaping hole in his life. “He was my best friend,” Van Hecke says, his voice filled with emotion. “When he was not there, it was hard. I was speaking to myself more. After a while, I found my way. In football, there’s a lot of mental health, so you need to always speak with somebody. But when there’s not really somebody?”
Van Hecke’s mother and brothers were always there for him, but it’s not the same as having your dad around. He found solace in football, and now, he’s one of the Premier League’s most reliable defensive lynchpins.
Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke has opened up on his grief after his father’s death
Before every game, Van Hecke tells himself that his father is watching, and that gives him the motivation to give his best. “Sometimes it is tough,” he says. “When you have proud moments, you’re happy but you think, ‘I wish he was here.’ But then in the bad moments, you’re like, ‘It always can be worse.’ It’s even. It’s made me stronger. It took a while, but now, I am good.”
Van Hecke’s journey to the top has been nothing short of remarkable. He signed for Brighton from NAC Breda in 2020 and spent his first season on loan with Heerenveen in the Eredivisie, and his second season on loan with Blackburn in the Championship. His third season was largely spent on the bench, but in his fourth season, he broke into the team, and now, he’s partnering Lewis Dunk.
The defender revealed that Brighton gave him a timeline predicting his development, and it’s worked out perfectly. “That was the plan,” he says. “I’m not sure it always works like this in football, but maybe for me, the plan was perfect. I remember when I was 18, they said: ‘First to the Dutch league, then to the Championship, then one year in the Premier League to adapt, then being a player for us regularly starting.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, nice story bro.’ How can you plan four years? But it worked.”
Van Hecke revealed that Brighton gave him a timeline predicting his development
Van Hecke’s uncle, Jan Poortvilet, was a former 1978 World Cup finalist, and he’s following in his footsteps. He’s been named in the Netherlands’ preliminary squad for next month’s Nations League fixtures, and he’s hoping to feature for the senior side under Ronald Koeman.
When Brighton host Nottingham Forest at the Amex Stadium on September 22, two buses carrying 100 locals from his hometown of Arnemuiden will be in attendance. The town, with a population of 5,000, is now a hub of Seagulls supporters.
Van Hecke is working under the guidance of 31-year-old Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, and he senses that he is the perfect hire. For him as a ball-playing centre back, and for the team as they target European qualification this term.
Van Hecke has tried being a boss himself – on the video game Football Manager. He likes taking teams from the bottom to the top, which he did with Bradford City, going from League Two to the Premier League, and Sunderland, guiding them to the Champions League.
Brighton’s supporters love Van Hecke, so much so that they have created a new chant for him. ‘Crofty (Andrew Crofts, Brighton’s assistant coach) came to me and started singing it.’
As the interview comes to a close, Van Hecke agrees with the assertion that his father would be proud of him today, and if you haven’t done so already, I’d give your old man a call.