Dumfries: It’s hard to imagine surpassing Haaland in the Ballon d’Or; he can be a leader in a non-Dutch style

Hupu News on October 7th: Inter Milan wing-back Dumfries accepted an exclusive interview with the Dutch People's Daily.

Looking back on my career

When I look back on this experience, as I did after the recent Golden Globe Awards, I'm so proud of myself.

Can I tie my goals and assists record? It’s hard sometimes, but it’s always good to broaden your horizons. With so much going on, sometimes you forget to look at where you're coming from.

Where am I now? Can I feel content? Reaching two Champions League finals with Inter in three years, that's why I'm proud.

You always look so calm and serious. My mentality is this: I can't get hurt, I can't do this or that. This is how my life is, subconsciously.

Because of this mentality, I enter a state of constant change, like a tunnel. I have to keep moving forward, and I’m very demanding on myself.

At your peak, you must always maintain discipline and rigorous standards for yourself. I'll be 30 in April and I'm at a different stage in my career. There are still some goals I want to achieve.

I am a father too and the most important thing is to find the right balance. It was a challenge, even in my youth days. We’re growing, we’re making an impact: that’s awesome. We hear stories of young people leaving professional football and then going back to school or finding a job, and I think that’s the best way for us as humans to survive.

Can you bring something different to the Netherlands?

I can take the initiative, motivate the team, and lead the team in a slightly un-Dutch way, because other countries clearly have an advantage in terms of national unity.

In this sense, I can think outside the box and ensure that the team takes the next step in its growth process. Argentina, for example, do everything they can to win: they leave no stone unturned.

We were maybe a little too organized, but that's part of the game. This is not the most important, but it can improve our winning rate, especially if we can break the ceiling or commit unnecessary fouls to stop the opponent's offense.

Yes, at Inter Milan, we are masters in this area. If you don't do it there, the results will be worse than if you do it later. We didn't hesitate to foul or even overstep the bounds. Here we should do more.

He ranked 25th in the Golden Globe Awards.

Being able to stand alongside so many world-class stars is a very special experience. I feel extremely honored to be among the top 30 in the world. I wore a very nice suit and received a lot of compliments.

Wow, I ranked higher than Haaland; last season was really exciting, it was the pinnacle. But I’m also thinking about what else I can improve on, and I have to be realistic.

It is almost impossible for a defender to get more goals and assists. Is this a desire, or am I trying to improve other aspects of my game?

This is what I emphasize. Sometimes I want to be more present and dominant in running the offense. I'm at an age where I'm trying different things and even at the end of the tournament I'm trying to take on a leadership role. I also use words. I'm not shy, but there are always steps that need to be taken.