It was a stunt by N.E.C., a grand thank-you for the decades of support Boekhoorn has given the club. Sometimes to cover a transfer, sometimes to fill a hole in the budget, his personal contributions add up to many millions, possibly tens of millions.


“How much exactly, I haven’t kept track of in years,” he once told De Gelderlander. “I always write it off right away, so I don’t get a stomachache over it.”


N.E.C. director Wilco van Schaik said:


“We asked ourselves, what can you give to a man like that? Something that can’t be bought. N.E.C. and Nijmegen have a special place in his heart, and that’s how we landed on this idea. It’s a gift with a smile. He’s in America right now but already knows the city is full of him. He did ask, ‘Should we really do this?’ but he also admitted it brought him to tears.”

Marcel Boekhoorn grew up near the Goffert Stadium. His father often took him to matches, and he became a lifelong, passionate supporter. On his father’s deathbed, Boekhoorn promised to always support N.E.C.
He built his fortune through successful investments, including Telfort, but buying the club has never been his intention.

“That’s completely separate from my company, Ramphastos,” he said in the same interview. “There I look at every investment with a business mindset. But football is emotion. If you put money into N.E.C., it shouldn’t be an investment. It should be out of love. Otherwise you’ll sit in the stands, see one of your players take a hit to the knee, and have a heart attack. I’m not doing that.”

As the oldest city in the Netherlands and a former Roman settlement, Nijmegen was the perfect setting for this theme. ROSH embraced it fully, lifting Boekhoorn onto a pedestal as Emperor Marcel, ruler of the “Imperial City” Nijmegen, and shaping a full campaign around his 65th birthday in collaboration with his beloved N.E.C.

In secret, on the night before the match against Heracles, the city was covered with Emperor Marcel posters. A full-page ad ran in De Gelderlander on his birthday.

Ahead of the match, N.E.C. players wore special Emperor Marcel warm-up kits. During the game, the emperor appeared on LED boards and from fan section 080, where the birthday hero was sung to and celebrated. He also received a custom bronze statue, a tribute from the club and the city.

What do you give someone who already has everything?
Gratitude and love, the most valuable gifts there are. That gratitude was deeply felt by Boekhoorn and even moved him to tears.

Mission accomplished.