After the players celebrated their tournament victory on the field, we caught up briefly with midfielder Boet Mulders, grandson of former PSV player Eef Mulders, to reflect on the tournament.
Boet, first of all, congratulations on winning the tournament. How does it feel?
It feels fantastic. It's my first time at the Otten Innovation Cup, and to win it right away is incredible. A penalty shootout is always nerve-wracking, but we managed to win it.
Starting and ending the day with a penalty shootout. I think there was less pressure this morning?
This morning, it didn’t really matter to us. We were going to face either Benfica or Atlético Madrid, but we knew we could beat both of them. We were confident about that. In the end, it was Benfica first and then Atlético. Everyone took their penalty well and usually sent the goalkeeper the wrong way. There was one miss, which was a bit tense, but I think everyone took their responsibility and scored well.
Did you train a lot on penalties in the past few days?**
No, not really. We’ve had tournaments with several penalty shootouts before, so everyone was confident in their ability to take them. Having two on one day is just perfect.
**You recently signed a contract with the club. It must be a great time for you.
Yes, it’s definitely a great period. I just signed my first contract with PSV, and now to win this tournament right at the start of the new season is really special.
What are your goals and expectations for the upcoming period?
First, I’ll focus on recovering well from this tournament. Then next week, we’re already playing for the cup against FC Utrecht, so we need to be ready right away. If we lose, we’re out immediately. But for now, I’m going to enjoy the tournament win.