Guus Meeuwis was given a special surprise by General Manager Marcel Brands on Friday afternoon. As a token of appreciation for his series of seventeen concerts at the Philips Stadium, Guus Meeuwis was immortalized in bronze as a boy at the main entrance of the Philips Stadium.
'Groots met een zachte G' is inseparable from the Philips Stadium, which for seventeen years was the setting for the musical spectacle. This year the last series of concerts will take place. For PSV, reason to honor the Brabander with a bronze statue at entrance 8, showing 'little Guus'. The artwork by Sarah van Sonsbeeck is both a calling card for the Philips Stadium, a tribute to Guus Meeuwis and appealing to all visitors and football fans who have ever dreamed of becoming a football player.
Dreaming big
"Of course we could not let Guus' impressive track record pass without a murmur. His dream as a child was to one day play at Philips Stadium and he succeeded. Admittedly not as a football player, but nevertheless he achieved unprecedented success. And that is a gift to Guus," Marcel Brands said after the unveiling of the gift from PSV.
The relationship between Guus and the Philips Stadium has also been enshrined in the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records, it was announced Friday afternoon during a press day. Namely, he is the worldwide artist with "the most massively attended concerts, by an artist in one stadium.
"I've since resigned myself to the fact that the next few weeks involve things being rigged that I don't know about. There was a lot of secrecy surrounding this last Groots press day. A surprise was in line with expectations, but I was blown off my feet by both my team and PSV," Guus says "as happy as a little kid.
Kickoff
According to artist Van Sonsbeeck, the unveiled gem represents "connection. "Football connects, just like music. This little Guus stands in front of his goal: the Philips Stadium. This statue, standing in the middle of visiting supporters, is about a universal desire that every young supporter has and every older supporter may have had. The sculpture thus symbolizes connection for me and thus hopefully becomes much more than a tribute and beautiful thank you," she explains.
A beaming Guus: 'Like living in a boy's book. A grand dream! Absurdly honored, touched and gilded, I am. The latter now literally. Now that I have my own image as a footballer and a world record to my name, I think it's wise to keep talking in football terms: this is the best possible kick-off to the last Grand. I look forward to being here nine more times, throwing a very, very big party!
First verse of "All Our Life," by Guus Meeuwis:
Our grandfather used to take our father to PSV,
Our father also took my brur and me to PSV.
Well I am sitting with mine cheering in the stadium,
And later they also go again with their daughter or their son.
Because PSV is all our life, All our life PSV.
