FOOTBALLER Kevin van Veen returned to football days before he admitted carrying out a two-year campaign of abuse against his former partner.
The Dutch striker, 34, played for FC Eindhoven in a 3-1 defeat away at MVV Maastricht on Friday night.
Van Veen told reporters in Holland he had been ‘depressed in bed’ but was happy to have returned to the field.
He then jetted to Scotland to admit tormenting the woman during incidents in Cancun, Mexico, Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, and Renfrewshire.
In an interview after the game, shamed van Veen said: “I’ve been depressed in bed for a long time and haven’t been outside for a long time.
“I’m personally very happy to be here now, and I think my family is too, because everyone was worried.
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“Hopefully I can start scoring again and be on the pitch with a smile.
“I still have some things to deal with privately, so hopefully that will be fine.”
Speaking to ESPN NL, he added: “Now, standing here in an Eindhoven shirt, as an Eindhoven boy, still breathing, I’m happy and proud that I didn’t give up.”
Van Veen pled guilty to a charge of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards her between September 2021 and December 2023.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed ‘red flags‘ had emerged early in their relationship but she thought he was a ‘gentleman, charming and respectable’.
She told an earlier hearing she would be accused of ruining his performances for Motherwell if he had not played well.
The woman said a holiday in Mexico was ‘two weeks of mental torture’ because of him ‘shouting and screaming’ in her face as well as being accused of being a ‘slag and a slut’ over a dress he deemed too tight.
He also kept tabs on her Instagram account in case she had liked photos of other men.
His lawyer said van Veen had been diagnosed with autism and claimed the couple had been in a ‘contemptuous’ relationship.
He will be sentenced next month at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
Van Veen had been on loan at St Mirren from Dutch side Groningen but his contract with the Paisley side was ripped up following his initial court appearance last October.
He previously had spells at Motherwell and Kilmarnock but now plays with Eindhoven after Groningen let him go.
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