June 10, 2023|6 Minutes

Simons and Hato, Dutch shine

by Valentijn Driessen

AMSTERDAM – For young soccer players, the Golden Boy Award holds a status comparable to that of the Ballon d’Or. What is also striking is that young players eagerly anticipate the announcement of the winner long before the award ceremony. My three sons, aged 21, 18, and 15, create their own lists of favorites and predict the top three contenders for the Golden Boy Award.

The election of the Golden Boy Award received a huge boost in the Netherlands with Rafael van der Vaart’s win in 2003 at the age of 20. From that moment on, the winner has been publicized everywhere every year and looked forward to his career thereafter. Almost all the winners eventually became absolute top players at top European clubs. This adds an extra dimension to the value of the award.

It was a proud moment for the Netherlands when Matthijs de Ligt became the first defender to win the Golden Boy Award in 2018.. Especially since the Netherlands is precisely known for its top talents in attack or midfield. We are not very good at defending, which makes it extra special that De Ligt was chosen. It even earned him a million-dollar transfer to Juventus and later to Bayern Munich. That the winner has not yet learned, De Ligt has experienced firsthand. He played many matches at Juve, but above all learned a lot from Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. They taught him the craft of pure defense.

It would be fantastic for Dutch youth academies if we could win the Golden Boy Award again. For a while, Ryan Gravenberch seemed capable of doing so, but he is struggling to catch up with the European top at Bayern Munich.

At national champions Feyenoord, two talents have broken through this season. Left back Quilindschy Hartman, 21, and defensive midfielder Mats Wieffer, 23. However, both of them are already considered too ‘old’ to be eligible for the Golden Boy Award.

At PSV, Xavi Simons is the big star and the new leader of the team even though he is only 20 years old. As an attacking midfielder, he scores easily and provides many assists. Born in Amsterdam, he went through FC Barcelona’s youth training and left for Paris Saint Germain as a teenager, sharing the dressing room with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Neymar took him under his wing in Paris and he is still in close contact with the Brazilian. In terms of talent, Simons is destined to follow in the footsteps of players like Van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. He is a spectacular player, can pass other players, is lightning fast and still keeps a good overview. If he makes a nice transfer this summer to a big club in a big league, he could win the Golden Boy Award in autumn. Simons was not trained in the Netherlands, but is a Dutch product as an attacker and offensive midfielder. With his unusual braids, you will recognize him out of thousands.

Ajax is normally the breeding ground for the greatest Dutch talents, but unfortunately for Ajax and Dutch soccer, the flow is stagnating. The brothers Jurriën and Quinten Timber are the latest exponents. Yet there is something very beautiful to come.

Since John Heitinga has been Ajax’s trainer, he has given Jorrel Hato a chance as a 16-year-old defender. Since March 7, he is 17 years old and by now impossible to imagine Ajax’s defense without him. He is left legged and started as left back although he has always played left central defense in all his youth teams. Since four games he is also in that position in the first team and since then the build-up from the defense goes a lot better. Ajax has started to play soccer the way Ajax is supposed to. Hato doesn’t look fast, but he is fast. Hato doesn’t look strong, but he is strong and has dueling power. Hato does not look bold, but has swagger. If he continues to develop as he has over the past two or three months, the Netherlands will have a new gem and he may follow in the footsteps of Frank Rijkaard as a top European player. And in the footsteps of Matthijs de Ligt as the third Dutch winner of the Golden Boy Award. Or fourth after Van der Vaart, De Ligt and, why not, Simons.

Valentijn Driessen
June 10, 2023|6 Minutes

Simons and Hato, Dutch shine

by Valentijn Driessen

AMSTERDAM – For young soccer players, the Golden Boy Award holds a status comparable to that of the Ballon d’Or. What is also striking is that young players eagerly anticipate the announcement of the winner long before the award ceremony. My three sons, aged 21, 18, and 15, create their own lists of favorites and predict the top three contenders for the Golden Boy Award.

The election of the Golden Boy Award received a huge boost in the Netherlands with Rafael van der Vaart’s win in 2003 at the age of 20. From that moment on, the winner has been publicized everywhere every year and looked forward to his career thereafter. Almost all the winners eventually became absolute top players at top European clubs. This adds an extra dimension to the value of the award.

It was a proud moment for the Netherlands when Matthijs de Ligt became the first defender to win the Golden Boy Award in 2018.. Especially since the Netherlands is precisely known for its top talents in attack or midfield. We are not very good at defending, which makes it extra special that De Ligt was chosen. It even earned him a million-dollar transfer to Juventus and later to Bayern Munich. That the winner has not yet learned, De Ligt has experienced firsthand. He played many matches at Juve, but above all learned a lot from Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. They taught him the craft of pure defense.

It would be fantastic for Dutch youth academies if we could win the Golden Boy Award again. For a while, Ryan Gravenberch seemed capable of doing so, but he is struggling to catch up with the European top at Bayern Munich.

At national champions Feyenoord, two talents have broken through this season. Left back Quilindschy Hartman, 21, and defensive midfielder Mats Wieffer, 23. However, both of them are already considered too ‘old’ to be eligible for the Golden Boy Award.

At PSV, Xavi Simons is the big star and the new leader of the team even though he is only 20 years old. As an attacking midfielder, he scores easily and provides many assists. Born in Amsterdam, he went through FC Barcelona’s youth training and left for Paris Saint Germain as a teenager, sharing the dressing room with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. Neymar took him under his wing in Paris and he is still in close contact with the Brazilian. In terms of talent, Simons is destined to follow in the footsteps of players like Van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. He is a spectacular player, can pass other players, is lightning fast and still keeps a good overview. If he makes a nice transfer this summer to a big club in a big league, he could win the Golden Boy Award in autumn. Simons was not trained in the Netherlands, but is a Dutch product as an attacker and offensive midfielder. With his unusual braids, you will recognize him out of thousands.

Ajax is normally the breeding ground for the greatest Dutch talents, but unfortunately for Ajax and Dutch soccer, the flow is stagnating. The brothers Jurriën and Quinten Timber are the latest exponents. Yet there is something very beautiful to come.

Since John Heitinga has been Ajax’s trainer, he has given Jorrel Hato a chance as a 16-year-old defender. Since March 7, he is 17 years old and by now impossible to imagine Ajax’s defense without him. He is left legged and started as left back although he has always played left central defense in all his youth teams. Since four games he is also in that position in the first team and since then the build-up from the defense goes a lot better. Ajax has started to play soccer the way Ajax is supposed to. Hato doesn’t look fast, but he is fast. Hato doesn’t look strong, but he is strong and has dueling power. Hato does not look bold, but has swagger. If he continues to develop as he has over the past two or three months, the Netherlands will have a new gem and he may follow in the footsteps of Frank Rijkaard as a top European player. And in the footsteps of Matthijs de Ligt as the third Dutch winner of the Golden Boy Award. Or fourth after Van der Vaart, De Ligt and, why not, Simons.

Valentijn Driessen

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