In the world of football, shirt numbers often tell a story. They can signify a player’s position, a legendary predecessor, or simply a personal preference. But for Tottenham Hotspur’s commanding CB Micky van de Ven, the number 37 on his back is a poignant nod to a late friend and a promise he intends to keep.
When the Dutchman Van de Ven joined Spurs from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £43 million, many fans raised an eyebrow at his choice of shirt number. In a sport where defenders traditionally opt for the lower single digit numbers, a number in the high 30s was an anomaly.
While some speculated on a superstitious reason, Van de Ven revealed the deeply personal and emotional story behind his decision when he sat down with Steve Bower for an in-depth chat about his journey to Tottenham and his experiences so far in the Premier League on The Big Interview.
The number 37 was the favorite number of a close childhood friend, Dimitri, who sadly passed away when the two were younger.
In the heartfelt interview, Van de Ven shared “It’s because of my best friend, who passed away when I was younger. I was really close with him, and he was really good at football, so we always spoke about it and were like, at some point, we’re going to play together on a high level, and we just had fun together. Just at one point, you realized it was not going to happen anymore, and that was really tough. I went the last day before he passed away to his house, sitting there, I can remember the only thing in my head was ‘I just need to make sure I can make him proud when he passes away’. Then, when I joined Tottenham, I remembered 37 was his favorite number, and I saw it was free, I was sitting there with my friend, and we looked at each other, and we were like, it needs to be this number. At this point, I just always want to make him proud, so it’s a massive thing that I could win the first trophy of my career with this number.”
Van de Ven’s decision to wear the number 37 is a powerful reminder that behind the multi million pound transfers and high stake matches, there are real people with personal stories and profound motivations.
