Marc Overmars steps down at Royal Antwerp after years of health problems catch up with him

When someone who spent years at the top of European soccer says he can't go on any longer, it's worth paying attention. That's exactly what happened with Marc Overmars, who announced his departure as sporting director of Royal Antwerp because of health problems that, as he explained himself, had been building up for some time.

The announcement came in the form of an open letter to the Belgian club's fans, published this Wednesday. Overmars, who had joined Antwerp in 2022, held nothing back in describing his condition, speaking of "all the fatigue built up over the years" and "an enormous amount of stress." It doesn't read like a routine statement. It reads like someone who had reached his breaking point.

It's worth remembering that Overmars suffered a minor stroke in December 2022, just a few months after taking the job in Antwerp. His health was never quite the same after that, something he acknowledges plainly in his farewell message.

Everyone knows my health hasn't been optimal. But now I feel very clearly that I can no longer keep up with this hectic and stressful professional life.Marc Overmars

The former winger, who wore the shirts of clubs as demanding as Ajax, Barcelona, Arsenal and the Netherlands national team, spent nearly a decade as director of football at Ajax, the club where he came up as a player. His exit there was far from smooth: he left the role after it emerged that he had sent inappropriate messages to several female colleagues, something he later apologized for publicly.

A decision that leaves no room for half measures

What stands out most about this farewell is the tone of medical warning Overmars uses to explain it. He doesn't talk about ordinary tiredness or needing a vacation. He talks about real risk.

My energy is now completely drained. If I don't listen to my body now, my doctors say there's a very high risk that things could end badly. That's why I have to make a drastic decision and completely stop my professional activities for the time being.Marc Overmars

Those are strong words coming from someone used to operating in transfer offices under constant pressure to deliver results. And they make clear this isn't simply a career shift, but a pause forced by his own body.

Overmars had arrived in Belgian soccer looking to rebuild his career away from the noise that followed his exit from Ajax. At Antwerp he had taken on a key role in the club's sporting planning, but all of that is now on hold. There's no word yet on who might take over his duties, and Overmars himself speaks of halting his professional activity "for the time being," leaving the door open, though with no certainty at all, to an eventual return once his health allows it.