Eloy Room #1

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It was during the 2014-2015 season when Eloy Room received a phone call from Patrick Kluivert, the then Curaçao head coach who invited the goalkeeper to represent The Blue Wave. Many other-Dutch born players were to follow. The keeper, who is known for his sharp reflexes, has experienced many memorable moments on international duty. Take the day Lionel Messi asked for his shirt. While most players have to chase the Argentinian’s shirt on this occasion it was Messi himself – who had just scored a hat-trick against Room – who approached the goalkeeper. “When the match was finished, he was basically standing right in front of me and made a gesture of swapping shirts,” Room recalls. It was possibly to do with the fact Messi had just scored his 100th goal for Argentina and wanted Room’s shirt as a memory of the milestone but he did compliment the goalkeeper for “some good saves” during the match.

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