Fans’ Q&A: Donny van de Beek

Having collated a selection of submissions from supporters, we caught up with Donny during the Australian leg of Tour 2022. 

Our midfielder revealed his best friend at the club, another sport he has a passion for, what he likes about life in Manchester and more. 

Scroll down to see everything he had to say during the chat…

Who is your best friend at United?
Javel, United States

“My best friend at United? That’s a good question. I have a few guys who I’m good with, I’m good with Luke [Shaw] for example but a few other guys as well who I do some stuff outside of football with. Luke is one of the guys I have a good connection with.”

What type of things do you do outside of football with Luke or these guys?

“A few other guys as well: in the past we had Nemanja Matic or Juan Mata, we go out for dinner sometimes or for lunch after training. I think it’s good to do that to relax sometimes. Yeah, this is the kind of stuff we do.”

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Hanif, Brunei

“Superpower? That’s a good question. I like to watch darts as well outside of football, so to be a top-class darts player would be nice!”

Do you have any nicknames? If so, what is your favourite?
Belinda, United Kingdom 

“A few, yeah. In the Netherlands, a few people call me ‘Donsco’ [shrugs shoulders] – I don’t know why they call me this sometimes! This is one of my nicknames.”

What is your favourite food?
Manny, United States

“I like sushi.”

Any particular type of sushi or any kind?

“Yeah, sushi with the salmon or prawns. Yeah, I like it.”

Who is your footballing idol?
Ardi, Indonesia

“It’s hard, I have a few players I like but I don’t really have an idol. There’s so many good players and especially in my position. I like, for example, [Luka] Modric a lot, he’s an amazing player. I will not say [he’s] an idol, but I like to watch him.”

Who has the best taste in music at United?
Jay, United Kingdom 

“I think Bruno [Fernandes] does a lot of music songs in the dressing room. But before, I don’t know who did this. Now, I see Bruno with the box, so he does all the music. I like a few of his songs but not everything. I think he’s good.”

What type of music is Bruno playing?

“Different, all the things, even one time he put some Dutch music into the dressing room. Different kind of stuff. Last season, everyone had to put a song [in] and we mixed that.”

What is your morning routine?
Omar, Norway

“My morning routine is… wake up, most of the time we have training, so I drive straight to the training ground, have my breakfast, and then a nice coffee after. I like to drink coffee and be awake a little bit and then we have training before we go into the gym [and do] the prep. We play a little bit of darts, we have a dartboard as well at the club so we play a few games with some people and then we train. So, this is my morning routine.”

What is your coffee order?

“Espresso.”

Double or single?

“Depends: if I’m really tired, I take a double!”

What’s your favourite thing about United?
Claus, Ghana

“So many things because it’s such a big club but we have so many fans, so I would say the fans. Everywhere we come, now for example in Australia and Bangkok as well, there are so many fans all over the world. I think the fans have a big impact on the club.”

Who inspired you to play football?
James, Ireland

“Myself. I think the first time when I was on the pitch was with my father. He was playing football and he brought me to the club, [which was] an amateur club. I was in love with the ball, the only thing I wanted to do was play football, so I take it on from myself, it was in my DNA.”

When you were growing up, did you play any other sports, or was it purely just football?

“I did tennis as well, but my heart was [in] football.”

As a child, how many times would you play football a week and for how long?
Conor, Ireland 

“To be fair, when I was in the amateur club, I was going to school and when I came home, I would play every day because this is my passion and [in] my heart. I practiced every day and that was what maybe made me successful and [got me] where I am now.”

Did you practice on your own or did you play with friends?

“It depends, both. Sometimes, I was at home, I would go out and play alone. Sometimes, I would go with my friends to play football or on the street. It depends.”

What position did you play in when you first started playing football?
Ronan, United Kingdom

“Always in the midfield. I mean yeah, when you are really young, you walk everywhere but I always have played midfield.”

Except for football, what do you think is the best thing about Manchester?
Lee, United Kingdom

“The city. I think there is a good atmosphere, nice people and you have a few good restaurants as well. The people are always nice, and I like it.”