Memphis Depay is one of the best talents from the Netherlands. Having swift and accurate kicks, Depay often puts the opponent’s defense in difficulties.
Depay was born on February 13, 1994, in Moordrecht, about 20 kilometers outside Rotterdam, from the couple of Dennis Depay and Cora Schensema.
His born place was quite an unfriendly environment. The area he lived in was the place of immigrants from outside the Netherlands. To fill his spare time, Depay began to show his passion for football.
Depay’s talent began to be seen when he was studying at the Sparta Rotterdam football academy at the age of nine. Since he was a child, he had been known for his ability to score goals.
But the harsh character he had possessed made Depay became a selfish and undisciplined person.
He would prefer playing individually rather than passing the ball to his teammate. Wouden, the coach of the Sparta Rotterdam Academy, was getting troubled by Depay’s behavior. However, he had his own way of changing the bad attitude of this little guy.
“I tried to discipline him. At first, we fought. He wanted to show that he could act as whatever he wanted,”
“I then said, ‘You can’t do that, little friend,'” Wouden said as quoted by the Daily Mail.
As a result, Wouden could slightly change Depay’s character.
According to some sources, there are some factors which make this Dutch player having such characters.
Depay, who is the child of a Ghanaian father, had to accept the bitter reality when he was only four.
His parents got separated as his father left his mother. His parents had reportedly had a big fight which apparently led his mother screaming in pain.
Depay lived with his mother. But later, his mother had a relationship with another man who already had children. Depay’s suffering continued. Instead of getting affection, little Depay was ostracized and often bullied by his half-brother.
His half-brother claimed to be jealous of Depay who was good at playing football and able to earn money.
Despite going through difficult times, Depay continued to focus on playing football. Until finally, he was signed by PSV Eindhoven in 2011.
At that time, there was something that stole media attention. Depay was about to change their first name from ‘Depay’ to ‘Memphis’.
At the beginning of his arrival in Eindhoven, Depay still used his father’s last name in his costume. However, he changed the name on his costume from “Depay” to “Memphis” one season later and continued to use it during his match defending Manchester United.
According to the Dutch media reports, the decision was his form of “punishment” to his father. The little Depay wanted to erase the memory of Dennis, who he considered irresponsible.
As it was known, his father had left him when he was only four.
His resentment became the reason behind the decision of this 24-year-old player.
“The reason behind it is something that has become the part of my life story,” Depay said as quoted by The Independent.
Knowing this, Depay’s father felt devastated and sorry that he had never witnessed his child’s growth for a long time.
Because of his bad experience, Depay also put his life story into a body painting.
Behind his back, there was a tattoo with a picture of a lion. Depay said that the tattoo was really representing his life story. The hard and dark times during his childhood clearly expressed in the figure of the lion.
“I always feel that I grew up in the forest. I was in an unfriendly place and walking through various difficult times,”
“The lion symbolizes the story of my life. It means ‘staying strong despite facing various obstacles.’”
As his way of releasing his anger and disappointment over his life story, Depay often appeared with luxury items. He has a four-billion-dollar Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, a mansion he rented from Micah Richards in Cheshire and his own mansion which costs 21 billion in Eindhoven.
However, his habit had received criticism from various parties, including Ryan Giggs. As a Manchester United legend, Giggs felt that Depay was exaggerating things.
Depay, who was at that time still in Manchester United’s uniform, was considered undisciplined and not focused on football.
Had failed at Manchester United, Depay was born again with Lyon. Now, he has again found his best performance.
Behind his dark story as a child, Depay continued to advance various obstacles he may meet in the future.
