Valentijn Driessen does not believe a word of striking Ajax interview: ‘Oh, give it a rest!’

Valentijn Driessen has serious doubts about Tolu Arokodare's praise for his rival Marcos Leonardo. The Ajax striker spoke warmly about the Brazilian after Thursday evening's 1-6 win over FC Midtjylland, but Driessen isn't buying it.

Two goals and an assist made Tolu important for Ajax against FC Midtjylland. The 25-year-old Nigerian now has twelve goals and four assists in sixteen matches, but afterwards he was particularly pleased with Marcos Leonardo's goal. The Brazilian replaced Tolu in the 70th minute and made the final score 1-6.

After the match, Tolu told Ziggo Sport that he wholeheartedly wished his rival success. "I'm happy for him and hopefully this gives him more confidence," said the striker. "This is a team sport. If I don't score, hopefully Leo will."

Mike Verweij was impressed by Tolu's words and believes the striker was sincere. "This does seem genuine," the Ajax correspondent said on De Telegraaf's Kick-off podcast. Driessen was having none of it: "Stop being so naïve. It isn't genuine at all," the journalist responded sharply.

Despite Driessen's dismissal, Verweij stood his ground and asked how often he had actually spoken to Tolu in person. "That doesn't matter to me at all," Driessen replied. "I know professional football very well and I know what people are like."

Every professional footballer ultimately focuses on their own career, according to Driessen. "At the end of the day, once they've retired, they'll all say it's eleven individual businesses," he said. "If you don't get to play, you can't advance your career and you earn much less money. That's true for Tolu as well."

Although Verweij maintained that Tolu seemed different from many other footballers, Driessen was unconvinced. "He can say this now because he isn't being pushed into a secondary role," the journalist stressed. When Verweij suggested that Tolu probably did wish Marcos Leonardo well, but not at the expense of his own position, Driessen replied: "That's what I'm saying. Never at his own expense."

Driessen then cited Pierre van Hooijdonk as an example of a footballer who generally behaved professionally as a substitute, even though he too sat seething on the bench. "He didn't mutiny, so to speak," Driessen recalled. "I'm not saying Tolu will mutiny, but you don't become a professional footballer otherwise."