A persistent eye injury forces Volendam’s 24‑year‑old keeper Rob Goudriaan to retire from the first team. After months of battling blurred vision following multiple facial impacts, Goudriaan officially bows out.
Volendam goalkeeper Rob Goudriaan (24) has decided it’s no longer safe for him to continue as a squad member of the club’s top team. A lingering eye injury has been plaguing him: after repeated shots to the face, he has suffered damage to his retina.
Blurred spots in his vision make continuing his career impossible, and so Goudriaan – who made his international debut at the World Championship in January – has decided to part ways with Volendam.
Farewell message
In his farewell message, he expressed deep gratitude: “I am enormously thankful to the club for the unconditional support and trust I have always felt,” he wrote on Volendam’s website. “The love, dedication, and compassion from everyone visiting Opperdam in their free evenings or weekends cannot be described with a pen.”
He also thanked the coaching and staff members: “I of course want to acknowledge our fantastic staff. They helped me through several difficult periods and always understood how to work with my personality. I will miss the Opperdam, I will miss handball, I will miss my passion.”