Three to watch: Dutch aces not yet household names
Xavi Simons – RB Leipzig
One of Dutch football’s fastest-rising stars, 20-year-old Simons was capped at every international age-grade up to U21 before making his senior debut at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Named after Spain and Barcelona great Xavi, the Amsterdam-born player came on as a substitute in the Netherlands’ 3-1 victory over the USA in the last 16.
Despite his tender age, Simons has already been on Barcelona, PSV and Paris Saint-Germain’s books prior to signing for RB Leipzig on loan at the beginning of the current campaign.
The attacking midfielder has made an instant impact in the Bundesliga. Simons helped his new club to a 3-0 DFL-Supercup final win over Bayern Munich in his first start and netted six times in 18 appearances.
Set to add to his nine senior international caps, Simons looks tailor-made for Ronald Koeman’s attack-minded Netherlands setup.
Mats Weiffer - Feyenoord
As recently as last September, Mats Weiffer’s name was being heavily linked with a possible transfer to Liverpool, AC Milan or Lazio.
That’s understandable considering the high regard Europe’s top clubs have for Feyenoord’s Eredivisie title-winning defensive midfielder.
The 23-year-old’s versatility at playing in a more attacking role or as an additional centre-back makes the Feyenoord star an intriguing prospect.
Weiffer recently shot to prominence during his club’s run to the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. The midfielder scored the winner in a 1-0 first leg defeat of Roma before losing out to the Italians 4-1 on aggregate.
Capped six times, Weiffer has quickly adapted to life in the Netherlands’ senior squad, standing out during in Euro 2024 qualifying appearances against France and Gibraltar.
Tijjani Reijnders - AC
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