Max Verstappen is an avid soccer fan, and in his own words watches soccer “from all over the world”. There are two teams that hold a special place in the Dutchman’s heart- PSV Eindhoven, from his home country, and FC Barcelona from Spain. However, a third team has now been added to the mix.
Verstappen’s girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, is from Brazil, and the Dutchman spends a lot of time with her family in South America. A soccer-crazy country, their league, the Brazilian Serie A, is immensely popular, and Vasco da Gama is one of the most supported teams in the country.
As revealed by Verstappen, several of Kelly Piquet’s family members support Vasco. As quoted by AZScore, Verstappen said,
“One night we came up with the idea that I had to support Vasco. I thought: “OK. It’s fine with me”. I will support them now because I love watching football (soccer) from all over the world.”
Max Verstappen (Formula 1 driver): “Favorite football team? I support Barcelona… and PSV in the Netherlands.” pic.twitter.com/dmtF4DP45e
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 26, 2022
Verstappen also revealed that he received a shirt from Vasco because the 26-year-old is arguably their most famous “fan“. He then went on to discuss Vasco’s latest star signing, France’s Dimitri Payet. “He is an incredible player. He certainly makes a difference”, explained the Red Bull driver.
Max Verstappen’s love for soccer
Max Verstappen is a huge soccer fan and was once a regular at PSV Eindhoven’s home matches at the Philips Stadium. On several occasions, he also stated that he would love to become a regular amongst the PSV faithful once again, provided F1’s schedule gets easier on him.
Simplesmente Max Verstappen falando que torce pro Vasco da Gama.
É O GIGANTE! pic.twitter.com/RLK3ZsFrJh
— NewsColina (@newscolina) November 13, 2023
Verstappen is also a fan of the Captain of the Dutch football team, Virgil van Dijk, who plays for Liverpool. He revealed in 2023 (as per SportsBible) that he is a Manchester United fan, but still supports Van Dijk during the latter’s matches.
Verstappen then also made a stark comparison between Manchester City of the Premier League and his own team in F1- Red Bull. “I think Man City is winning a little bit too much,” he said. “But I guess I could say the same about us! The other ones just need to get better.”
This year, the UEFA European Championships take place, and Verstappen will be keeping an eye out for the Netherlands. Under Ronald Koeman, a former hero of the national team, Verstappen is expecting big things.
