Klaas staat met een klein stukje in het blad L’Uomo een onderdeel van de Italiaanse blad Vogue. Het neemt niet meer dan twee pagina’s in en de informatie die er staat is ook erg basic, maar er staat een leuke foto bij. Daarnaast is er op de site ook nog een backstage video te zien van de kleine fotoshoot.

Nicknamed “The Hunter“  for his exceptional eye for a goal, the young Dutch striker (27 year next August) has struggled to carve out his place in his team when he left Real Madrid for AC Milan in August last year. “It was more than anything else a problem of language”, minimises Klaas-Jan: “my team-mates would speak and I couldn’t understand anything. But now it’s a lot better. I like Italian football, the passion of the people. And I like Milan; it’s like Amsterdam. Madrid was too big for me”.

He has twice won the top scorer title in Holland: in the 2005-06 season (33 goals in 31 matches), and in the 2007-08 one (33 goals in 34 matches).

Often compared to Marco van Basten (“one of my idols, along with Bergkamp and Kluivert”), the Dutch player will be participating in the World Cupfor the first time. He says: “Playing in their national team is the dream of every footballer. I am proud and also very curious to find out what awaits us. Certainly, compared to the Europeans we’ll be a long way from home… My ideal final? Holland versus England. The top scorer? Fernando Torres or David Villa. But the important thing is to be there and to play well. The Netherlands has a strong team, but will face teams that are equally well prepared. It won’t be easy. Exciting, though, certainly.”

(In the picture: Suit and shirt, Dolce & Gabbana; sash Tino Cosma, Nike Air Max 90. Fashion editor Sarah Grittini)

Roberta Rotta, from L’Uomo Vogue, May/June 2010 (n. 411), p. 190 – 191