Q Galens, 45, is no longer surprised that he sometimes sits around the table with top entrepreneurs who own multi-million dollar companies. One day, the former defender tries to add more structure to the hectic life of a surgeon.
HThe ten-time Dutch international’s life looks a lot different these days. The former Arizona defender lives on the other side of the world. After his last adventure in Australia Down stayed.
“Here you just have to leave the door open,” says the defender from Newcastle, Australia. “It’s an outdoor life, for kids too. When I look at my nieces and nephews in the Netherlands, they spend much more time indoors in front of their computers and phones. Every now and then he throws in an English speech. Newcastle is part of one team City of waves. People walk barefoot, get up early, and spend a lot of time swimming, jogging and doing other sports. Which Lifestyle It is really very different.
He has a fond memory of his career in his Australian home. Having already played against Lionel Messi during the 2006 World Cup (see main image), Galens went to the Beijing Olympics two years later as an exemption player. He was present in the stands for the match against Argentina due to suspension, but still managed to win the shirt of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. “That’s a funny story,” he says. “At the time I was playing in Alkmaar with Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero. So I had already discussed with him the necessity of getting that guy’s shirt.
“The shirt was good in my handbag when I returned to the Netherlands.”
Gallins remembers well that after that almost the entire Dutch team stood in front of the Argentine dressing room to ask for a Messi shirt, but the little dribbler disappointed everyone. “It seems that the players actually asked for his shirt during the match.” After the game, Romero came out of the locker room with a plastic bag for secret delivery. “I quickly put it in the bottom of my bag.” Only at the hotel did he show the shirt to his roommate Kees Luijckx. “The shirt returned to Holland in my handbag.”
Following his playing career, Galens worked in a variety of positions in Australian rules football. He is currently working towards his highest coaching qualifications and works as a coach at Australian Level 2 at Weston Bears. He is also busy with his own company, where he uses his higher-order mathematical mindset to try to help entrepreneurs, surgeons, and people with other professions.
