Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

UEFA Champions League: Big stage beckons for Maduro

/noticias.info/ Following their 2-2 draw in Denmark a fortnight ago, AFC Ajax hope to seal a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage tonight with a win at home to Brøndby IF. Progress would mark another giant step for the Amsterdam side's midfield prodigy Hedwiges Maduro.

Rising star
Ever since his debut as an 85th-minute substitute in Ajax's 3-1 UEFA Cup defeat by AJ Auxerre on 24 February, the 20-year-old's star has been on the rise. Indeed, he made his international bow for the Netherlands just a month and two days later.

Shock selection
"I was surprised but very happy to get selected for the national team after playing only three matches for Ajax," Maduro told uefa.com. "But everything has been new to me. I made my debut in a European game, and now I have more international experience with the national team than with my club."

Inexperienced prodigy
The Netherlands captain at last summer's FIFA World Youth Championship on home soil, Maduro is keen to stress how little he has seen of European club football. "People tend to forget that the away leg against Brøndby was actually the first full European match I have played for Ajax," he said.

Easy mistake
It is an easy mistake to make, given the supreme composure the youngster has shown in every Ajax appearance to date. Brought into the starting lineup by coach Danny Blind during pre-season, Maduro has been unfazed by the pressure - and even made his first start for the Oranje against Germany last week.

Calm personality
"I am really living the dream at the moment, and enjoying it," Maduro said. "But I have always been a down-to-earth person. I come from a religious family, although not extremely, so that also helps in handling all these new experiences, as does talking with my girlfriend. We are pretty calm and relaxed. That is useful, because in the position I play in midfield, you have to keep your nerves under control.

Dictating pace
"You cannot lose your mind and do crazy, careless things," he added. "The position I play fits my character perfectly. When I see the team needs rest, I lower the pace, and when I see the team needs to put the pressure on, then I drive forward. Those are important decisions you have to make for the team."

Dutch examples
Such teamwork could make the difference for Ajax in the campaign ahead. After seeing Dutch sides AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and Champions League respectively in 2004/05, Maduro hopes to follow the fine example they set the rest of the Eredivisie.

PSV precedent
"We watched and supported Alkmaar and PSV," said Maduro. "They were Dutch teams, so you support them, but we also learned from them. PSV were very strong last year, not only in the Champions League but also in the Eredivisie, and that showed us that if we play as a team, in every match, then we can do just as well."

Useful knowledge
Such togetherness against Brøndby tonight would help put Ajax back in the group stage. The Danes' long-ball game caused Ajax problems in the first leg, but Maduro is confident about the Amsterdam return. "Now we know their threat we can adjust to that," he said. "We just have to finish the job." notas_de_prensa_archivo