A romantic start to the new year for Oranjeleeuwin Daniëlle van de Donk. The 32-year-old footballer from Valkenswaard is getting married. During a vacation in the Maldives, her Australian friend Ellie Carpenter proposed to her. “Yes, yes, yes!!!,” Van de Donk wrote on Instagram.
She shares a photo of herself standing on the beach with Carpenter and proudly showing off her engagement ring. “My character for life“My personality for life,” she writes.
De Valkenswaardse is nine years older than Carpenter and the two have been together for about a year and a half. They met each other at French football club Olympique Lyonnais, where they both play.
Van de Donk does not rule out that one day she will move abroad for the sake of her great love. “I think she will continue playing football for a longer time,” she said in an interview with Brabant Dagblad. “So now I think: Wherever you go, I go too. We both take it easy. Australia? Yes, that's good too.”
Van de Donk has also played for the Dutch national team since 2010. In 2017, she won the European title with the Orange Women. During the World Cup finals in South Africa last year, she was suspended before the quarter-finals after receiving two warnings. With the national team she has the opportunity to participate in the Olympic sprint this year.
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