On July 3 at midnight, Romania will face the Netherlands in the UEFA Euro 1/8 final. Ahead of the match, European media have framed it as a revenge mission for Romanian star Mărin against Dutch football, but Mărin himself has expressed gratitude instead.
Mărin has impressed in this Euro tournament, scoring impressive goals against Ukraine and Slovakia, earning him a spot among the “surprise stars” of the competition. At 17, he made a splash in the Romanian league, then became a sought-after talent in Europe after joining Belgian club Standard Liège. At 23, he moved to Ajax for €12.5 million, but found himself on the bench, which hindered his career progress. Currently, Mărin plays for smaller Italian clubs like Cagliari and Empoli. Consequently, the media speculates that Mărin, having been underutilized, is seeking redemption against Ajax and Dutch football.
However, Mărin refutes such claims: “I don’t see this as revenge against Dutch football. I’m just doing what I should, and these are the paths I’ve taken. I learned a lot during my time at Ajax, and I’m still happy about joining the club. But later, I chose to move forward. My focus now is on winning and scoring for Romania and myself.”
Nonetheless, Mărin acknowledges Romania’s familiarity with the Dutch team could be an advantage: “We know the Dutch players very well, and that will help us in the match. The key is for us to concentrate on our own tasks.”
