Ruben van Bommel meets Stankovic brothers at Serbia international

Ruben van Bommel (22) will tonight, playing for the Netherlands against Serbia at the Rajko Mitić‑stadion, meet the two Stankovic brothers, Aleksandar (21) and Filip (24) – childhood friends with whom he played for hours on the streets of Milan as a child, and their father Dejan Stankovic, former Inter midfielder, will also be present.

Childhood in Milan

As a seven‑year‑old boy, Van Bommel played on the squares of Milan with the brothers Aleksandar and Filip Stankovic, while their families lived next to each other. The three boys attended the same school and shared countless street games. This summer Ruben met the boys again on Ibiza, where their contact blossomed once more.

Fathers and Their Legacy

Dejan Stankovic defended Inter's midfield from 2004 to 2013, won fifteen trophies and lifted the Champions League trophy in the 2010 final, in which Mark van Bommel was on the field for Bayern Munich. Mark van Bommel was from January 2011 to June 2012 the director of the midfield at AC Milan and during that period often stood beside his son Ruben, including during the preparation for Euro 2012 – a moment captured by Getty Images. The photo shows Mark with seven‑year‑old Ruben and four‑year‑old Aleksandar on Dejan's shoulders after the Champions League final.

Careers and the Evening Meeting

Ruben van Bommel recently earned his first starting spot in the Champions League with PSV and made his debut for the Netherlands last Thursday, immediately providing a fine assist to Cody Gakpo. Aleksandar Stankovic, who now has eight caps for Serbia, returned this summer to Inter for €23 million after a championship season with Club Brugge and ten Champions League appearances. Filip Stankovic is a goalkeeper at Venezia FC in Serie A, a reserve goalkeeper for Serbia and made his debut in June against Cape Verde; between 2021 and 2023 he played on loan for FC Volendam.

“Our families got along fine with each other,” says Ruben van Bommel looking back. “Coincidentally I also met those boys this summer on Ibiza, during the holiday. It was again like old times, very warm and spontaneous. We also attended the same school in Milan.”

The international match takes place tonight at 18:00 in the catacombs of the Rajko Mitić‑stadion, where supporters expect a personal encounter between the old friends. The atmosphere promises to be warm, with much attention to the shared childhood memories.

The photo of Mark, Ruben and Aleksandar after the Champions League final has been distributed via Getty Images and serves as a visual anchor for the story. In addition, earlier this year Mark van Bommel visited his old neighbourhood in Milan for the football travel programme Roadtrip FC together with his daughter Renée, where he showed the old family apartments.

If they see each other tonight in the catacombs of the Rajko Mitić‑stadion, the meeting will be warm and will evoke memories of their youth in Milan.