Exclusive:Gervane Kastaneer: Inside ex Hearts loanee's Covid-hit Tynecastle spell to unthinkable World Cup dream
Dutch-born winger has enjoyed a career well-travelled and is bound for North America with the smallest nation ever to compete at a World Cup finals
When Gervane Kastaneer arrived in Gorgie on loan from Coventry City on deadline day in February 2020 as injury cover for Josh Ginnelly, Hearts were confident they had signed a winger of great pedigree.
Having played top-flight football in the Netherlands, in the English Championship and also at a German club in Kaiserslautern, hopes were high the physically imposing 6ft 1in attacker could make his mark on the club’s Scottish Championship title bid.
The unfortunate circumstances that followed meant Kastaneer was never able to fully showcase his true potential. After featuring as a substitute in a goalless draw with Arbroath just three days prior to the UK’s Covid-enforced shutdown, then 24-year-old Kastaneer feared his time in the capital would be cut short prematurely.
Amid a challenging period for everyone involved with the football club, Kastaneer still recalls his short stint in Scottish football with fond memories despite being denied the opportunity to play in front of a packed Tynecastle crowd.
“It was a very nice time in my career,” he reflects. “I enjoyed it even though it was in the time of Coronavirus. So I didn't have the full experience of playing in front of a full stadium. But it was still a very good experience.”
Hampden reunion with ex-Hearts team mates
Back in Scotland last week for World Cup-bound Curacao’s friendly with Steve Clarke’s side at Hampden Park, almost five years have passed since Kastaneer made the last of his seven appearances for the Jambos. It brought with it an opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces.
“It was really nice to see some of my old team mates again; Naisy (Steven Naismith), (Craig) Gordon and John (Souttar). We had some good memories together. To see them all was very nice. Also Dominic Hyam, who I played with at Coventry City. It was nice to see those guys.”
Kastaneer - now 29 - has embarked on a well-travelled playing career. Since leaving Hearts, he has turned out for clubs in the Netherlands, Spain, Indonesia and now Malaysia, where he currently plays for Super League outfit Terengganu.
Like any footballer, though, he has been keeping a close eye on Hearts’ progress in recent years and has been hugely impressed by the Gorgie club’s rapid rise under Derek McInnes this term, which saw them split the Old Firm and lay down a serious title challenge to Celtic.
“Of course,” he replies. “You always keep an eye on the clubs you've been at previously. Hearts did an amazing job after I left. We got promoted from the Championship back up to the Premiership, and I know they wanted to do that as fast as possible. I tried to help them as much as possible.
“Hearts is a fantastic club and the city is amazing. My father visited Scotland for the first time this week. He landed in Glasgow, but he wanted to go straight to Edinburgh first. So he took the bus from here and now he knows where I played. He said to me, ‘I understand why you said it was a good city’.”
Scotland loss proof Curacao can compete at World Cup
Kastaneer was introduced at half-time in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to the Scots, a performance that left him convinced the tiny Caribbean Island nation will be able to compete against some tough Group E opponents next month.
“Obviously, Scotland has a lot of players who are playing at a good level,” he stated. “Even the young players do. They have a lot of quality, strong, fit guys and play at a high intensity. So we were prepared for that. You cannot think bad about this team.
“I think it would’ve been interesting if it stayed 11 against 11. We started well and scored a good goal. And then the game changed when we had the red card. Then you see their quality, they can play fast balls through the middle. Of course, it was always going to be difficult for us. I think we can be proud of ourselves for what we showed during the first 30 minutes with 11 men, we did a quite good job to contain Scotland.”
Now bound for North America with Curacao, Kastaneer will, one day, look back on a career that has taken him to some far-flung destinations. Determined to represent his adopted country with pride this summer, he acknowledges the scale of the task facing them is huge.
“We're very excited for the tournament to start,” he grinned. “We have one week still left to prepare, so we need that to get the small details right. But we can’t wait to see how it will go in the group.
“This is a very big test for us (playing against Germany), because Ivory Coast and Ecuador are on a similar level. We can be happy with what we did on the pitch in this game and look forward now in a positive way.
“I’m proud of our fans as well as most of them came here from Holland. We had never played in front of them before, so this was also a new kind of atmosphere for us. But they did an amazing job and we're very grateful for their support.”
With veteran head coach Dick Advocaat manning the ship of a country who will become the smallest nation to ever compete at a World Cup finals, Kastaneer knows they have the right man in charge to instil belief in a squad aiming to spring an upset.
“Yeah, the coach knows a lot about football,” he added. “He has a winning mentality, so he's preparing us very well and he knows how the pressure feels. I played in Scotland also, so I knew a little bit how it would feel.”