There are very interesting stories in this article. About the fight of Mark VAn Boil, about a hardworking Rood Van Nistelrooij, reactiviness of Denis Romedal, special characters of Guus Hiddink and Erik Geret.. And a lot of things..
Imagine that Georgian player played for PSV now and he was not called in the start lineups of the national team very often. By the way at that time PSV was stonger team than it is now. As for Gakhokidze he was not a weak player and most of all he used to play, while Roben was in the subtitutions.t

There was such competition in the national team at that time.

Roben, Van Bommel, Van Nistelroy, Romendal... There are the players of this uncomplete list who were playing with Gakhokidze. PSV was  the best team of Holland at that time and used to play for Champions League in such way that none of the DUtch club coud not manage it in these recent years. Gakhokidze retired at the age of 31due to of. Thr player of "Metalurgi" RUstavi  joined "DInamo" Tbilisi in 1995 and after one season he joined "Alania"VLadikavkaz. After that he joined mPSV, where he played for four seasons and than he played for "Twente" (2003-2006).

Gakhokidze played 21 matches for national team and scored 3 goals, one of these goals he scored against Buffon in 2001 June, when Tbilisi hosted Italian national team."World Sport" talked with him mostly about the career in Holland:

- "Alania" was very strong team at that time, but joining PSV was a big success at that time, how did it happen?

- Agent Saarsania knew Daniel Frank Arnesen, who was a really good player and was a brilliant player in Denmark national team and then in PSV. Then he used to work in "Chelsea" as the main selectioner. I joined PSV in such way. It also was possible to join "Dinamo"Kiev. In 1998 "Dinamo" KIev was a very brilliant team.

- It is clear that you chose Europe , but in your place many player would behave in other way..
- "Dinamo" Kiev offered me batter conditions than PSV. Valery Gazaev head coach of "Aalania" strictly stated  -the player of my team will not join "DInamo"KIev.
-  Why?
-  Gazaev used to say, when Andrey Shevchenko was 17-year-old he wanted to transfer him in "Alania" and they even did not talk to him. Thats why Gazaev was angry.
- Several years ago he was head coach of "Dinamo" Kiev..
- Yes he did, but at that time he was very disapointed, whatever wikl happen you will not join "Dinamo" Kiev said he. I also prefer PSV?
- what about Gazaev?
- He won titels and as it seems he is a strong coach. He is good at creating mood. I have never seen such thing: Gazaev used to look at you in such case that you can change the place for the mountain.

- You worked with several coaches in PSV. Lest start with legendary Boby Robson.. 

- It was a great coach and a person. He liked to drink, he always used to joke and then players also were joking with him. He was laughed and then he could not do his duties.
- Guus Hiddink…
- A lot of people might get surprised but to my mind Erik Gerets is a stronger specialist. Just, Gerets was not diplomatic and always had conflicts. As for result, it was perfect… he worked for three years, we became champions twice in a row, once we took the second place. We twice won Dutch Super Cup.
- And why he was fired? Due to conflicts?
- Yes, due to conflicts and they appointed Hiddink on this position. Gerets was like Maurinho: a very strong coach, but always had conflicts.
- Hiddik does not seem a calm person..
- In comparison with Gerets he is calm. It became evident when I had incident with Mark Bommel.
- What did happen between you and Mark Bommel?
- At one of the trainings he hit me an elbow to neck. I guessed that he specially did it.. I lost mind. I could not speak at all on that day and could not sleep at night due to pain. Imagine, when I want to cry now, I cannot do it. Next day when the training finished, I was taking off trainers and I asked – what did you do yesterday? He looked at me with a cynical way and asked me – what do you want? I was very fed up and started beating him. He was looking me so surprisingly that even did not show resistance to me. At that time Van Bommel was the captain of the team.

- And how did this story continue?

- I told that I would kill him and he was very scared. He did not expect me to get so cross and would tell him such things. Will you really kill me, he asked… I looked at him and thought that he was laughing at me, but he really had a serious face. I smiled.
-Did you reconcile?
- So so… Hiddik took us and talked to us. Hiddik knew very well who was guilty, but in any case he asked us to explain the situation. If I were in place of Van Bommel I would be punished seriously but he was the captain of the team, he was Dutch and I was a foreigner. When we joined our teammates they met us with applauses that we reconciled. It is newsworthy that when Van Bommel hit me an elbow to neck Hiddik came to him and asked – what are you doing and he responded:”shut up and fuck off!”, can you imagine…
- He dared to say it to Hiddink?
- Are you surprised? Van Bommel was young at that time, but he had a big authority. He could do everything with everyone. Do you know how modest he was with me after that conflict? I did not receive any notice from him during the matches. I do not love Van Bommel- not only due to elbow. Everyone saw that he was a timid. By the way after me Ivitsa Kral the goalkeeper of Serbian national team also threat him. I used to be his friend and Van Bommel had some conflict with him. And after the training when they were getting into the car, Kral met him there. He was screaming at Van Bommel and he was so scared that even could not say a word. I was standing near there and was laughing. But it must be mentioned that Van Bommel was and he is type of person for being a captain.

- A timid and a captain at the same time?

- Yes he is. Do you know what did he say me once? I was playing for “Twente” at that time and was playing against PSV. After the match he came to me, put his hands on my back and asked me- are you again offended due to this accident? I did not say anything. Then he said the following thing:” do you know, when I play for Dutch national team, some player use to look me proudly that they played for stronger teams and I play for PSV. But remember, they will stop playing soon and you will see how I will play and what kind of class I will achieve”. He was such type and it can be said that he achieved his goal. He won Champions League in “Barcelona”, lost the final of league in “Bayern”, played very well for “Milan”, he is a captain of Dutch national team and had chance to become World Champion.
-It seems that he likes regime…
- Yes he does. Supposedly Van Bommel has never been in café not to say anything about disco. Football, football and football… he never used to think nothing about. That’s why he was a captain.

- Tell us something about other players. For example, about Roben, what type of person is he?

- He used to be an ordinary, calm guy. In 2002 he was taken from “Groningen” and used to play in my position, but at the beginning I was in the start lineups. Roben was 18-year-old. I do not know how much it lasted in such way if one very unpleasant thing would not happen. Before the match against “Oser” France I was late for five minutes and that’s why I missed 8 matches in a row according to Hiddik’s decision. I was sitting on the tribune during the matches. Roben was flying..
- How you were late?
- I and my teammate Michael Lamey were in the same room. We slept in turn. He slept at first and then I woke up, then I fall asleep.. he also fall asleep. That’s why we were late. Lamey did not tell Hiddik that it was his fault. What shall I do.. it is also fortune.. I would behave in another way and would take responsibility on me.. 

- It was your last season in PSV?
- Yes it was. Hiddik took me back after eight matches and I used to play in substitutions, but I wanted to be in such club where I would have playing practice. I went to “Twente”. Today I can say that I had bad memories about PSV, there I always had to fight. I have better memories about “Twente”- I played good matches in Enskhede, in one season I even became the best assistant in championship.
- You are expected to remember one match in PSV very badly- against “Feyenoord”..
- PSV lost “Feyonoord” with penalties in the final of UEFA Cup and I could not score the only penalty. We played home match 1:1, we were close to victory in away match, some minutes were left and Van Hoidonk scored. In extra time Van Bommel was sent off. In penalty series I did not want to kick but our defender Vilfred Baum said that he was sick and could not kick. He played for 120 minutes and I do not know why he was sick.. before the kick I was thinking that I would send the ball in lift-hand side on the goalkeeper but then I kicked to the right side on him. Unfortunately, we lost and “Feyonoord” won UEFA Cup then. Its final was home match and beat “Dortmund”.

- Who was your friend in PSV?
- My friends were Van Nistelrooij, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Cejman and with others. By the way it is very difficult for foreigner to achieve something in Holland. They use to look at you as a foreigner. Maybe they do not say anything, but if they do not like you they will do everything against you. For example, Cejman always used to have problems.
- Tell us about Van Nistelrooij..
- He used to stay after the trainings and he had extra trainings. He used to ask me to stay too. He was a big professional. 

- You mentioned that it is difficult for a foreigner to achieve something in Holland. Did the fans of PSV respect Dutch more than foreigners?

- No, they did not. For example Cejman had problems in the club, but fans loved him very much. Cejman loved to play for public in a beautiful way.
- Who was the fastest football player in PSV?
- Romedal was. He was very fast player. He used to play in the right wing and I used to play in a left wing.
- What was your best match in Holland?
- The match against “Naymegen” when I scored one goal and assisted three goals.
- Supposedly you remember the goal against Buffon in national team..
- I scored more beautiful goal against Ukraine at the last minutes. We were to lose the match in Tbilisi and at the last minute I performed a penalty very well. I equalized and the match ended 1:1.

- Did not you have other offers before joining “Twente”?
- Gerets wanted me to join “Kayserlaustern”. Also “Gladbah”. But I joined “Twente”. I am not sorry and I repeat that I spent the best period in “Twente” than in PSV. It is true that their class is different but in had better memories about “Twente”.

- Fred Rutten was head coach of “Twente” at that time and now he is head coach of “Vitesse”…
- He is a strong specialist and it reflects on his result.
- You worked as a football agent in the recent years and you had close relations with “Vitesse”. How do you think, is it possible Merab Jordania’s club to become a champion in this season.
- It is not excluded. It is not accidental that “Vitesse” is among leaders.
- Giorgi Kinkladze is your partner. You are very often in Holland and it is interesting, do people remember him, Kinkladze used to play for “Ajax”…
- People remember him. It is another example that for foreigner it is very difficult to achieve something in Holland. Especially at that time, when “Ajax” had the best staff. Kinkladze had the same class than the others but no one dared to replace Litmanen during years. Gio used to play on the left wing and Litmanen used to play in centre. It is pity that such football did not achieve much in Holland. 

Ilia Nanobashvili