Noa Lang reveals Netherlands teammates call him ‘trouble’ but Louis van Gaal ‘sets him free’ and says critics ‘are secretly big fans’ after interview where controversial Arsenal target talked up Real Madrid move

Confident winger Noa Lang has scored his first goal for the Netherlands and commented on the internet’s reaction to his outspoken interview, saying everyone is secretly a fan.

The Club Brugge forward looks to be on his way to Serie A winners AC Milan after an impressive season in Belgium, despite infamously hitting the headlines for a bold interview.

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The 22-year-old, who was once told to shut up by Erik ten Hag before being sold by Ajax, made headlines in June when he said, ‘I made Belgian football hot’.

Describing himself as an ‘entertainer’ and explaining that he will be missed when he’s gone, the interview was off-putting to some, but not Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal, who called him up to the national team.

Lang had previously been in the Dutch squad in 2021, but this is the first time he’s made an impact, after a season where he impressed in the Champions League in a group that included Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

A brilliant goal was followed by a shush to the bench in his second start against Wales in the Nations League, setting his side on their way to a 3-2 win, and he later revealed there weren’t any concerns.

“I don't really have that [nerves], no'', he said. “I do feel some healthy tension, that's part of it, but I'm never really nervous.

“I always think like this: I play in the Dutch national team because I can play football well. Why should I be nervous about something I can do very well? I always just like football.”

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Van Gaal - a famous disciplinarian who doesn't have much time for nonsense - would seem like an unlikely match for Lang, but the relationship is already there.

“[He said] I played very reasonable," Lang revealed. “I think it says enough that he didn't substitute me.

“That means I did pretty well. I notice in everything that the national coach has confidence in me. He does talk to me, but he also sets me free. I think he appreciates me for who I am.

“Mr Van Gaal had to laugh about [the interview],” he added. “I think he thought it was nice. And so did other people, you know. Especially the people who know me a little. They can appreciate that.”

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Asked if anyone had advised him to tone it down in the future, Lang replied: “No, not really. Maybe because they know it doesn't make much sense after all.

“They know how I am, I've always been like that. I like to just say what I think. And sometimes with a wink. People shouldn't take it all so seriously.

“Ah, that internet,'' he continued. “It doesn't bother me at all. I'm used to it, those people really can't touch me. And I think they're secretly a big fan of mine, to be honest. Otherwise you wouldn't worry so much about Noa Lang, would you? Why else would you waste your time on that?

“My chances will come, and you never know. I want to be there at the World Cup, that is my big goal. I know I have the qualities for that. I will do everything in my power to prove that in the near future.”

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Lang’s teammates Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay were applauding in laughter after being shushed by the youngster, who revealed, “This was a joke among us players, as they always call me ‘trouble’.”

Bayer Leverkusen’s Mitchel Bakker was another who finds Lang entertaining, having played together at Ajax.

"A lot of people judge a book by its cover," he said of Lang. “That is also the case with someone like Hakim Ziyech. Everyone has an opinion about those guys.

“But trust me, Noa and Hakim are really great guys. As a footballer you have to deal with people having an opinion about you without ever having exchanged a single word with you. That can be difficult.”

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Dutch outlet AD.nl described Lang as: “The uninhibited freebooter up front, blindly trusting his own intuition as always,” and he even showed humility at the end of the game after criticising his performance.

“In the end it was also a good step for me to go to Club Brugge,” he said of his interview. “It is not for nothing that I am a player of the Dutch national team.”

However he also had spoken earlier about the story, and was slightly more defensive.

"This is how I am,” he said after his first start against Wales. “Noa Lang is being interviewed, then you will get Noa Lang.

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“I know that deep inside a lot of people enjoy it. Imagine you can't be yourself in football. At least I say what I think. Like me or don't like me."

And asked what he thought when he was told Van Gaal would be swapping his eleven to get him another start, the confident youngster replied: “Showtime.”