Jeremiah St. Juste returned to Feyenoord last winter, but failed to convince. This season, though, he has made a strong start and become a regular in the starting XI under head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Speaking to Feyenoord ONE, he looked back on the support he received from Van Bronckhorst and Robin van Persie.
Against Sparta (0-1), he formed a central partnership with Thijs Kraaijeveld. Against Go Ahead Eagles (2-2), Tsuyoshi Watanabe lined up alongside him. The defender appears to have taken a different approach and returned strongly after the summer break.
"I have been through a difficult period, privately as well. So mentally I am much calmer now, I feel far better in myself and that absolutely helps my body too," St. Juste explains. "That is a total difference from how I came in here."
At 29, he had fallen by the wayside at Sporting Portugal and returned to Rotterdam South in January, where he also played between 2017 and 2019. "At the time I actually still was not fit and I really wanted to show myself. I did not have the mental capacity for that, but I have turned that around."
St. Juste acknowledges it was a major challenge. "Every footballer has mental challenges and sometimes you take them with you to work. In the period when I returned, I found that difficult to deal with."
Now he feels strong support from Feyenoord. The centre-back is grateful for the help he has received from people inside the Rotterdam club. "Robin played an important role in that and now especially Gio, who has a lot of faith in me."
Both coaches held plenty of conversations with St. Juste. "If there was anything, I could simply talk to them about it," said the quick defender. He also expressed his gratitude to his team-mates. "We have a very good atmosphere and we are creating an ever closer bond that must ultimately show itself on the pitch," he concludes.