Experience is the greatest teacher we are told, and there are few better examples of that in a footballing sense than Vicente Besuijen, still only 21 but already a veteran of playing football in the Netherlands, Italy and now Scotland. It’s safe to say that the last eight months have been something of a crash course in the beautiful game, Caledonian style.

“When I came here, I did not know too much about Scottish football, apart from the top four of five teams. But I now know that it is a very tough league and any team can beat any other on their day. Each game you have to give 100%. If you give 90% then you will not win the match. And that is something that I like.

“I think I can learn a lot in this league. Every game I need to approach in the right manner and with the right mindset – a winning mindset. There is always pressure on you at a club like Aberdeen and every game we want to win. We have to approach every game as a winnable game. As a player here, you have to learn to deal with it. I know we are capable of doing that.

“I think the Kilmarnock game showed what we are capable of doing. We have a great team and a great bunch of lads. We train well and every week I see us getting better. We really are like a team and everyone is together, which is a good thing to see.

“That is very important because at the start of the season, so many new players arrived to be part of the team. You need to give that time. Over time, the team will click more. You learn about each other’s strengths and what your team mate likes. You can see it now in the games and I think we are getting stronger together.

“What I can see on the training pitch is so much a higher level now and so much better. I know that we can reach a higher level, whether we have possession of the football, or when the opposition have the ball, how we press as a unit. We can also play better on the ball for longer periods, not for 15-20 minutes, but for 80-90 minutes. What we need to improve on is consistency. Winning the matches against the likes of Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee United would have given us more stability.”

Good teams are all about good partnerships, all over the field. They only come with time, but one that seems to have flourished very quickly is between Vinnie and Bojan Miovski.

“Playing with Bojan is very enjoyable. I am very happy that we have him. He is a very good player. I hope he can be the top scorer in the league as that will help us to victories throughout the season. What is more important than his goals, or me scoring, is the team. We have good strikers, he is one of our good strikers and he is in good form. We do it as a team, that is the most important thing, it is not about one player.

“But if we get the right kind of ball into the box then we know he will be there, and more often than not he will score. He is a real threat. But for him to do well he needs a good team round about him. I am happy I am scoring goals, but we do it as a team. Sometimes the guy who does not get an assist or a goal has a great match but they are not on the scoresheet. They can still have a very important part to play in the team.”

Vinnie might only have been at Pittodrie for nine months now, but he has certainly seen a real shift in the club during that time.

“There is a lot more confidence within the squad than when I first arrived. The dressing room is very different if I am being honest. More positives vibes, the energy is positive. It is more of a team. We are more of a unit and more together. There is more joy. Within the club there is a good atmosphere. It is a good thing for the players to be in an environment where everyone is happy and everyone is hungry to do well. Everyone wants to give energy to each other.

“I think we have a good mix. You have guys who have been around the club and who are legends like Joe and Jonny, guys who know the club. You have other older players like Anthony and Kelle who have come in and have good experience which helps the younger boys and that is needed because we do have a young squad.

“The trip to Spain in pre-season was very important, not just for the new players, but for the likes of myself as well. You got time to get to know all the staff as well as the players, something you did not really get to do during Covid times. We were able to come closer to each other.

“I have played in a number of other countries, and we did not really go and socialise outside of the training ground or go to each other’s houses. I have a few guys who live in my apartment block, so it makes it easier to see them. But I have been to quite a number of the guys’ houses and we get the chance to chill with each other.

“Here it is very nice, we take each other out for dinner, we spend time with each other’s families. It is just nice to relax away from football with our teammates, even if we are just playing against each other on the PlayStation! I spend quite a bit of time with Jayden, Leighton, Hayden. This is a thing I really like outside of football. It is very good that teams do this in Scotland.

“When I came here, I was told Aberdeen was like one big family and I saw that straight away. When you are winning and doing well, you can say that much easier, but that spirit and togetherness is very important when results do not go our way.

“I am close with everyone in the dressing room. I get on well with everyone. Jayden is probably my best friend but as a group we all get very well with each other. We have created a bond, a unit with people from different countries and cultures. We can all learn from each other. It is quite funny listening to Duk saying ‘wee man’!

“The dressing room culture in Scotland is very different to anything I am used to! It is a lot louder. There are a lot more jokes. Joe Lewis is a massive character in the dressing room. He is crazy! He has a great sense of humour, Jonny as well.”

Vinnie has his own role in the dressing room too, as the matchday DJ.

“I love music. I listen to music when I wake up, when I go to bed, when I am relaxing before a game, before training. I am more hip-hop, old school. Halo, Beyonce, that type of stuff. I try not to let Ross McCrorie get the chance to put his music on for too long – hardcore dance music! Matty likes it as well. Before a game, we let them get the first ten minutes and I get the last ten minutes. A few of the boys are into their music and have good taste. Anthony Stewart, Jayden likes his music too.”

As that underlines, Vinnie is certainly at home here in the Granite City.

“I really like living in Aberdeen. It is a great city to be in. All the people make we feel very welcome. There are a lot of nice parts and I also know there are a lot of areas that I still need to explore. I played for AS Roma, so Rome is different to Aberdeen! But my parents really like it over here, they have done quite a bit of travelling around Scotland. It is only an hour flight from Amsterdam, so it is easy for them to get here. They come over to a lot of the games.

“Since I came in, people at the club and all the people in Aberdeen have helped me a lot. I am very thankful to them for the help they have given me. The fans maybe don’t always see all the people who work behind the scenes or at the training ground or at the stadium. There is a lot going on and always a nice feeling when you walk into either location. The training ground each day is a nice place to be. I feel very blessed to be part of that.

“The fans have been fantastic this season as well. They give me an energy because you want to go out and give them a show. It gives us a lift when we need it in a game. Hopefully that shows on the pitch, I feel very much at home. I did not expect to adjust to life in Scotland that quickly. It is not always like that when you move to another country.

“I feel settled in Aberdeen, so I am very grateful and thankful to everyone who has helped me. I have tried to help my new team-mates. For the UK boys it is a bit different, it is easier for them to settle, but I can help the guys who have come in from abroad.”

As Vinnie points out though, even if you come to Aberdeen from overseas, everyone in football knows what this club represents.

“Aberdeen are a big club with a reputation in Europe. I had played against Aberdeen on the PlayStation! That is why we need to play in Europe. It is a big ambition of mine to play in Europe. Any player wants to play at the highest level they can possibly can, so in the league we must finish as high as possible, as well as doing well in the cup competitions.

“We have a new team but there is no reason why we cannot still finish in one of those European places, whether it be third or fourth. But to do that, we know we are going to have to win most of our games.

“A cup is different. It feels different. I so much want to win a cup when I am with Aberdeen. I have seen the photos around the stadium of the previous cup wins, and you realise what it means to the city. The photos of the bus parades down Union Street look incredible. Memories that will stay with you forever.

“We have a goal. The manager has changed a lot in the club and we are moving in the right direction. I know for sure that we will see it, show that things have changed behind the scenes by what we do on the park and how we play.

“Of course it is more enjoyable when you play well. When you play in a good team everything flows better. My game is getting better because I am an attacking player. Where we want to go, and what we want to do, we haven’t reached that level yet so that is something to look forward to. I know we will make more steps towards getting better.

“I like playing the number ten role, so I can link up with the main striker. I can set the attack up and I also get a free role from the gaffer so I can move onto the left or right. I think I am the type of player that needs that freedom so I can create some magic. I want to give fans something to look forward to when they come to a game. I want to put a smile on their face. That is why I play football.

“I cannot always go forward, I have to help the team defend as well, but as soon as I get on the ball, I try and make things happen for the team. The manager gives me a lot of encouragement. He tells me to excite the fans and make them enjoy the game. That is what is what the team are trying to do. That is what I am trying to do. I always try and go forward. I always try and create something.

“I get on very well with the manager. He has a lot of ambition. He sees the club as being a big club and has changed the standards around the place. He has given me the freedom to play number 10. He talks to me a lot after games about what I can do better, what he expects from me.

“I do set myself personal targets each season, but I keep them to myself! I don’t tell anyone. It is always better to do that because if for example I say that I want to score 20 goals, but I only have six or seven by Christmas, people will then criticise you for not being on target to reach them. I think I am developing quite well but as I have said before, I can still play better and become a more important player for the team. I am still learning, and so is the team.”