2019 FIH Women's Player of the Year: Eva de Goede

On February 14th 2019, Valentine’s day, Eva de Goede was announced as FIH women’s field hockey player of the year. In winning the heartfelt award, the Dutch Captain won the award ahead of Argentina’s Carla Rebecchi and Janne Muller-Wieland of Germany, who finished second and third respectively. This great achievement means the midfield maestro won the FIH Player of the Year for the second time in a row.

De Goede has been a mainstay in the Netherlands national team since 2007. She was part of the midfield that won the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Her success corresponded with that of the national side. The team also won gold in the next Olympics held in London in 2012. She also won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

After receiving the award in Lausanne, Switzerland she said:

It feels great to win this individual prize. It really means a lot to me. I never tried to be the best, but I really tried to be the best version of myself.

If we look at her game, Eva is a threat to the opposition goal from many angles. She is proficient at the reverse shot and at striking the ball with accuracy while charging through the center. Her penalty flick shot is fast and accurate. It also helps that she plays in a talented Dutch team, that is adept at picking her out.

In the vote, which comprised of national associations (50%), media (25%), and fans and players (25%), de Goode won with a 33.5% share. Carla Rebecchi of Argentina was not too far behind with 28.8%, while Germany’s Janne Muller-Wieland’s 11.7% share.

Eva was delighted to win the award the first time in 2018, which alone was a great achievement. She commented at the time:

This award is only possible because I have been lucky to be part of an incredible squad over the years. Ever since I have started playing international hockey, the goal for me was to always try and give my best for the team. It’s an honour, thank you so much.

Eva’s form continues to get better. Newly named as captain, Eva’s team won the inaugural 2019 FIH Pro League. The tournament started in January 2019 finished in June 2019 in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The tournament also served as a qualifier for the 2020 Summer Olympics, with the four best teams qualifying for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers. Out of 16 games, the Netherlands only lost once. With Eva as captain, the Netherlands defeated Australia 4–3 in a shoot-out after the final ended in a 2–2 draw.

Eva de Goede revels in trying to be a team player, tweeting:

“This is me. This is the player and person that I always strive to be. Head up, looking for my teammates. Looking for that one pass that can maybe change the game. This is what I play for. This is who I am. This is for my team’

Her winning habit, and that of the national team did not stop there. She won gold at the EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp, where they beat Germany in the final. Belfius euro hockey reported, ‘the Oranje scoreless. That was until Eva de Goede danced into some space down the left channel and picked out an inviting pass for Kelly Jonker to attack and she ramped the ball into the goal 1-0 in the 12th minute.’

A ‘brilliant’ Oranje performance earned the team the tenth women’s EuroHockey Championship title. De Goede is not ready to retire yet. She said all she ever wanted to do was play hockey. At 31 years old, with 230 caps for the Netherlands, she is determined to play in the 2020 (delayed) Olympics, despite already having two gold medals. She currently plays as a midfielder for Dutch club AH&BC and is looking forward to competing for the title in 2020.

Adidas hockey’s stable of world-class field hockey stars was ramped up by the sponsorship of Eva de Goede, 2018 and 2019 FIH best hockey player. She has enjoyed a partnership with Adidas for several years. Check out our latest review of Adidas’ latest range here>>