He’s played in three of the world’s greatest leagues, represented one of the strongest football nations and been in the same team as real legends of the game.

Yet Wesley Hoedt is a very humble, down-to-earth and plain-talking individual who is clearly grateful for his career and what it has afforded him, and wants to try and use his experience to help Watford and his teammates.

He does also, though, have some very good anecdotes.

“I played with Miroslav Klose at Lazio. A tremendous footballer and a great guy as well,” said Hoedt.

“That was what I liked about him, first and foremost he was a wonderful human being. He taught me a lot.

“I remember once in an early training session with him, I grabbed his shirt and with his knuckles he rapped my hand.

“This was before VAR and he said to me 'This is the way you get defenders’ hands off you!'

“He was an amazing striker and still holds so many records. He was a great player, a smart player and a really nice guy.”

Hoedt joined the Hornets towards the end of the January transfer window on a two-and-a-half year contract from Anderlecht

“Watford is a big club, a well-known club with a strong history,” said the 28-year-old.

“It’s the perfect place for me to come at this point in my career. I was doing well at Anderlecht and then some things happened with the financial part of the club which meant they couldn’t have me anymore.

“When Watford came along I was impressed by the project they have here and the way they want to get back to the Premier League.

“I know that over the last 10 years they have spent most of the time in the Premier League, and when you walk around the training ground you know it’s a place that is run like it’s in the Premier League.

“A team with ambition is always attractive.”

Watford Observer: Hoedt in action against Romelu LukakuHoedt in action against Romelu Lukaku (Image: Action Images)

There were stories around the time Hoedt left Anderlecht that he had been frozen out of the team for disciplinary reasons, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the club simply couldn’t afford him – and others – anymore, and he was left out and told to find another club.

So, when he played the first 45 minutes of Tuesday’s Under-21 game with Crewe, that was his first competitive football for months.

“I’d been training with the first team at Anderlecht, but once they told me I couldn’t play anymore that meant no games,” he explained.

“I hadn’t played in a game for months, other than a friendly, and my last competitive game was four weeks before the World Cup.

“It had been a long time and it was very nice to get back into a rhythm on Tuesday. Slaven Bilic told me it was important to get back that feeling of preparing for a game: putting on your shinpads, a warm-up, being in the dressing room.”

It must have been strange to suddenly not be playing but also to be fit and able to do so.

“That was the first spell in my career, and I’m 28 now, where I hadn’t been playing football for more than a few weeks.

“I’ve been lucky with injury and coaches have always picked me.

“But it is like riding a bike: once you get back into it you are fine, and you never lose your feeling for playing football. It’s only a case of fine tuning some stuff that you lose if you haven’t played a game in a long time.

“It felt great to be back out there and get minutes on the pitch.”

At 6ft 2in and clearly physically powerful, Hoedt looks like a classic central defender. However, his 45-minute cameo at Kings Langley on Tuesday also showcased a willingness and ability to carry the ball out from the back and fire passes to the flanks.

When we got onto that subject, Hoedt quickly shared that he had only switched to playing at the back 10 years ago.

“I was a midfielder until I was 17,” he said.

“So I always used to play the number eight or number 10 role. That’s why I love to have the ball and want to play football.

“I like to do more than just defend and then kick the ball away. When I became a centre-back with my hometown club Alkmaar, I made a lot of improvements to my defending.

“It was the same when I went to play in Italy and then also when I came to England to play in the Premier League. First and foremost, you are asked to be a defender and so to stop the other team from scoring.

“But if I say what I like to do then it’s a mix of both: I have developed as a centre-back and that is my first duty, but I will always try to bring football to the team and try to add that extra quality.”

Watford Observer: When Wesley met GerardWhen Wesley met Gerard (Image: Action Images)

That physique and size will undoubtedly help in the Championship though.

“I saw the physicality aspect against Reading,” he admits.

“It is actually a bit similar to the Premier League as even there you have teams who play a bit of kick and rush.

“But if you have that quality and can pass the ball faster from front to back then the opposition can’t apply the pressure.

“That’s where I see opportunities to be able to make a difference, but I’m also comfortable with the physical and aerial challenge of this division.

“When I was at Southampton we had a few cup games against teams from the Championship, so I know what a tough challenge they present.”

Having started his career at his hometown club, AZ Alkmaar, and spent two years with Lazio, Hoedt moved to Southampton and played Premier League football at just 23.

“Life is all about choices. It was an amazing opportunity for me to go from Lazio and join Southampton in the Premier League, but when I look back on it now I think, at that moment, I wasn’t ready for it.

“When I see how my physicality has improved over the last three or four years, I feel that now I am a completely different person and player. I’m way stronger, way faster and much more able to deal with the intensity of the games.

“I’m always straightforward about how things are, I try to be honest with myself and everyone.

“I thought I did quite well in my first season at Southampton – probably what they were expecting of me and I brought some football to the team.

“But then in the second season I was playing every game until the new coach, Hasenhuttl, took over. Then they made other decisions and it became hard for me to be at Southampton.

“But it was a great opportunity for me, and I enjoyed playing Premier League games.”

Watford Observer: Taking on Man City's Sergio Aguero.Taking on Man City's Sergio Aguero. (Image: Action Images)

Of course, the move from Lazio to Southampton came with a £15m price tag – how did that affect a relatively young player?

“I went on a free transfer from Alkmaar to Lazio, and then then they sold me for a lot of money. That made me proud for sure. It’s always nice to feel that valued,” he said.

“But we all know how quick things change in football. There is a feeling of being on top, and very quickly you are on the floor and everyone is walking over you.

“So I try to put aside in my mind things like transfer fees. You have to focus on your own performance and the things you have to improve in yourself in order to help the team.

“My time at Southampton was a rollercoaster ride, but that is part of football. That’s why football is exciting because you want those highs.

“But there are also parts of the game that are tough to take. You just have to deal with it because everyone has downs as well as ups.”

Having played in La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A, Hoedt is able to compare those three competitions.

“All three leagues are really great but also very different,” he said.

“When I was playing in La Liga, even the bottom team in the league play amazing football. There is no long ball, they build out from the back. Every team seems to play the tiki-taka football like Barcelona.

“When I first joined Celta Vigo we did a rondo drill in training and the level was so high. Players didn’t give the ball away.

“The Premier League has something majestic about it. It is so big and attracts so much media attention.

“Serie A is a really tough competition, but it’s also so tactical. It is quite low in terms of physicality, certainly lower than in the Premier League.

“I love all three of them. Not a lot of players can say they have played in all three and it’s something I am proud of.

“If I had to choose then I’d say the Premier League. It’s the league that everyone wants to go to and it has real magic about it.”

As well as playing in the best leagues, Hoedt has also had a lot of football A-list teammates.

“Virgil van Dijk was at Southampton when I arrived and I think we also had a couple of games together for the Netherlands national team.

“He is an amazing player but, like I talked about earlier, he has also had to go through difficult spells. He sets the standard for centre-backs though.

“I was in the Dutch squad with Arjen Robben, and the first time I got called up he sent me a text message to congratulate me and welcome me to the squad. I still have that message because it made me very proud.

“Playing for your national team is one of the highest and best things you can achieve in football, and the Dutch national team is one of the best.

“If you look at the players they have at the back now – Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Nathan Ake – these are world-class players.

“It was a great honour to be part of the national team and be able to play with the likes of Robben and Robin Van Persie."