Ajax academy graduate dreams of the Premier League: 'I’m far from finished'

Azor Matusiwa (27) is hoping to secure promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich Town this season. Voetbalzone spoke at length with the midfielder, who hopes to feature on his favourite programme next season: Match of the Day.

Born in Hilversum, Matusiwa has become an indispensable part of The Tractor Boys’ midfield. This season, he has already clocked up 3,370 minutes across 39 competitive matches. “But I’m far from finished. The most important phase is only just beginning.”

Rennes

The last time Voetbalzone spoke to Matusiwa, he was still playing for Stade Reims in France. A lot has changed since then. “I’ve now moved on to two other clubs. I had a great time at Reims and then decided to take the next step to Stade Rennes. There were a lot of issues going on behind the scenes at that club. A lot of noise, which also affected our performances on the pitch.”

“There was a lack of stability, which made me decide it was time for something new. The Rennes management wanted to keep me, but I had a very good feeling about Ipswich. Once I’d spoken to manager Kieran McKenna, I was certain. I still had three years left on my contract in France, but fortunately they granted me this transfer. It was handled very professionally and I’m grateful for that,” says Matusiwa with satisfaction.

Matusiwa played over a hundred matches in Ligue 1 over a four-year period. “At some point, you’re ready for a new challenge, a new environment. However, it was important to me that everything fell into place. I’ve always dreamed of playing in England, but the club had to be the right fit for me.”

“I’m not the sort of player who signs for the first club that comes along. It had to be an attractive proposition, both in sporting and financial terms. Ipswich can offer that. This club has the ambition to return to the Premier League and stay there. Hopefully we’ll manage to get promoted this season,” said Matusiwa.

Although top Dutch clubs have regularly been on the lookout for a defensive midfielder in recent years, they never made a concrete approach for Matusiwa. “My agent certainly didn’t mention anything about it. Perhaps I’m simply too expensive.”

“If you look at what has been paid for me in recent years, those are serious sums. If I could have been snapped up for a few million euros, it might have been different,” reflects Matusiwa, whose last three transfers have already totalled 30 million euros. “That doesn’t put any extra pressure on me. Compared to others, it’s not that bad.”

McKenna

Matusiwa didn’t know Ipswich well, but last summer it took just one conversation with McKenna to convince him. “He told me exactly what I needed. The best thing is that everything has worked out so far. Many people will say that the move from Ligue 1 to the Championship is a step backwards, but I don’t see it in such black-and-white terms. You’re talking about the top of the Championship.”

“Ligue 1 may be a bigger league with better individual players, but England is a bigger footballing nation with an even more passionate fan culture. We’re playing in the second tier, but every stadium is packed to the rafters. I have an important role in a team that’s fully committed to the Premier League. All the necessary ingredients are in place for me,” says Matusiwa.

The former Jong Oranje youth international feels he is making great progress. “The Championship suits me well as a player. I’ve always loved putting in a lot of energy and fighting spirit, but I’ve noticed in particular that I’ve really improved tactically under this manager. That has nothing to do with the league, but purely with his qualities.”

“On a personal level too, the manager has helped me enormously since I arrived at Ipswich. My wife and I came here with our baby, and combined with moving to a new country, that’s quite tough. Everything is very human at this club, which is brilliant. It’s now up to me to give something back,” says Matusiwa.

Matusiwa expects football fans worldwide to be hearing a lot more from McKenna, who is just 39, in the coming years. “As a squad, we’re lucky to have such a good manager. I hope I can play under him for a long time to come, but Ipswich is definitely not his final destination.”

For now, Matusiwa is enjoying every moment in the Championship. “It’s just a fantastic league, where everything can change very quickly. You can struggle against any team. Amidst all the chaos, I try to hold on to my footballing qualities. I still notice in every match that I benefit from my Dutch youth training at Ajax. That foundation gives me composure on the ball.”

“The only thing I’m missing is a bit more sunshine in the stadiums,” laughs Matusiwa. “Although I’ve heard the weather in other parts of England is even worse. I’m absolutely delighted with this move and that I listened to my instincts, and we hope to achieve our goal in the coming months.”

Ipswich are well placed in the race for promotion. After 39 matches, the club sit in second place with 72 points. Middlesbrough and Millwall have accumulated the same number of points, but have played two more matches. Leaders Coventry City, on 84 points, are almost certain of promotion.

Match of the Day

In early March, Matusiwa scored his first goal for Ipswich during the home match against Hull City (a 1-0 win). “A wonderful moment. A very important one too, because it was against the fifth-placed side. At that point, Hull were even in fourth place and it was a difficult match.”

“When you can break the deadlock in the 70th minute with such a lovely goal, it really feels like you’re giving something back to the supporters and teammates for the warm welcome here. I don’t score often, but even if I did score a lot, this would be one of the better goals,” says Matusiwa proudly.

Portman Road is packed with 30,000 supporters for every home match. Thousands of Ipswich fans also travel to away games. “We really have brilliant supporters; they’re incredibly loyal. Even on weekdays, they travel hundreds of kilometres to watch us play. It’s just brilliant to play for supporters like that. I’d love to take them along on my Premier League dream.”

Even as a child, Matusiwa used to watch Match of the Day, the BBC’s legendary football programme, every weekend. “Back then, Manchester United dominated the league. Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo – you name them all. That’s why playing at Old Trafford is right at the top of my list. I’ve watched so many of that team’s matches...”

“Before we get there, we first need to secure promotion. We’re in a really good position, but in the Championship there’s no time to sit back and relax. Fortunately, I can sense that awareness within our squad,” said the sharp-witted North Holland native.

Akpom

In the Ipswich dressing room, Matusiwa gets on well with several players. “I still speak a lot of French with my teammate Cédric Kipré, so that helps me keep improving my French. I also have a good rapport with Chuba Akpom.”

“Of course, Chuba and I have talked about Ajax, every week in fact. He’s obviously played there recently and is still owned by the club. What can you say about it? These days, it’s no longer the Ajax I know… Let’s leave it at that,” says Matusiwa amiably.

Another notable name in the Ipswich squad is Ashley Young, who is now forty years old. “He’s a truly great player; perhaps people sometimes underestimate that. When you look at what Ashley has achieved… He played for years at that Manchester United we were just talking about.”

“I think it’s great that such a superstar has remained so down-to-earth. He’s cracking jokes with everyone all day long. It’s actually quite remarkable that Ashley is older than our coach. Forty years old and still playing at such a high level. I don’t think I’ll make it that far, certainly not if I stay in the cut-throat world of the Championship.”

Outside of his club commitments, Matusiwa loves being at home with his wife and young son. “The days are long at Ipswich, because I invest a lot of time in my career. So when I get home, I cherish every moment with my family. It’s really special to watch my little boy grow up. All the little interactions are just lovely. He keeps trying to pick up his ball with his hands, so I’m slowly trying to get him to use his feet instead. But if he wants to play tennis later on, that’s fine too!”

Matusiwa lives near the centre of Ipswich. “It’s a lovely town, but there isn’t an awful lot to do. The people are very friendly, though. If they recognise you, they might ask for a photo or an autograph, but they never really bother you. So that bit of appreciation is just nice and respectful.”

“We’ll be moving into a slightly bigger house soon. When I have a few days off, we sometimes pop over to London for a day and a half. Those sorts of trips are always fun. Later on, we’ll surely look back and think about how special those moments were,” says Matusiwa.

International career

Whereas Matusiwa used to speak openly of his dream of playing for the Netherlands, he is now focusing primarily on club football. “I want to get into the Premier League as soon as possible. The plan is to do that with Ipswich. After that, I’ll see what comes my way. When I was playing in France, I thought much more about the Dutch national team.”

“To be honest, that’s become a lot less of a priority since I became a father. Of course, I’m still open to it, but it’s no longer really my dream. During international breaks, I can now spend quality time with my family. That’s hugely valuable too. You’d miss out on moments like that if you were selected,” Matusiwa realises all too well.

In recent years, Matusiwa has been approached several times by Angola and Congo to switch international allegiances. “I’m not keen on that at the moment. I was able to play my youth internationals for the KNVB and really enjoyed that time, partly because everything was so well organised. When I see what happened during the Africa Cup of Nations final, that’s one of the reasons I’m not keen on a switch. Ridiculous! Unfortunately, there’s simply no structure...”

“Perhaps I’ll feel differently one day, but I can’t imagine that right now. In the short term, I’m just focusing on Ipswich and our promotion battle. I want to compete against the best players in the world in the Premier League. Then I’ll finally be on Match of the Day,” concludes Matusiwa with a wink.

Click here to read article