Benefoot Revelations

BENE
FOOT
THE BEST OF BELGIAN AND DUTCH FOOTBALL - IN ENGLISH
jupiler pro league & eredivisie revelationS
BENEFOOT
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Yaya Tour, Luis Surez, Dante, Jan Koller and of course the
likes of Kompany, Van Persie, Robben and Courtois: all players educated in the Low
Countries, the breeding room of international football. Belgium and the Netherlands
are renowned for producing technically gifted and tactically intelligent players. Their
admirable devotion to developing youth and belief in giving their young players a
chance to prove themselves has lead the two leagues to produce a constant stream of
talent. The fast-paced attacking football the leagues teams play allows youngsters to
develop their technique, decision making ability and passing ability, among many other
valuable attributes.
As the richer teams from more lucrative leagues come scouring around for the next
rising stars, the Jupiler Pro League and Eredivisie clubs must keep pushing through
generation after generation of supreme talents to remain competitive and entertaining.
Due to the constant turnover of players and the selling nature of even the biggest
clubs, there are always a large number of young players emerging to entertain us and
light up the league. The JPL and Eredivisie dont buy stars, they make them.
Thus, we at BeNeFoot.net have produced this publication profling who our writers feel
are the top 10 revelations of each of the Belgian and Dutch top flights in the 2013-14
season. Most of these players just enjoyed their frst full season as regular starters for
their respective clubs and showed a great deal of promise. They have the potential to
go on and achieve great things in the game. We reckon this might be the frst thing you
read on some of these prospects, but it defnitely wont be the last.
PETER MCVITIE, EDITOR DUTCH FOOTBALL AT BENEFOOT.NET
This list was decided and written by BeNeFoot writers: Peter McVitie, Michiel Jongsma, Gary
Niblock Luke Harvey, Bjorn De Cock, Chris Mayer. Designed by Laura Pera.
Images : Pro Shots, ANP, vitesse.nl, ANP, Reuters, Belga, RTBF, Standard TV, Sporting Charleroi TV, Club Brugge, AFP/F.Coffrini
Statistiques : Soccerway
2
BENE
FOOT
EREDIVISIE revelations
Filip Kostic
Lucas Piazon
Joel Veltman
Kamohelo Mokotjo
Jasper Cillessen
Richairo Zivkovic
Hakim Ziyech
Quincy Promes
Davy Klaassen
Memphis Depay
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
BENEFOOT
4
FILIP KOSTIC
Age : 21
Nationality : Serbian
Contract until : 30.06.2015
Current club : FC Groningen
Position : Left Wing
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 41
Goals : 12
Assists : 8
Yellow cards : 3
Minutes : 3,298
Filip Kostic
When you are brought in to a club to replace a
player who delivered seven goals and 21 assists in
his debut season, the latter a feat only Mesut Ozil
and Lionel Messi only could top across Europe, you
know there are bound to be high expectations. This
was precisely the pressure bestowed upon Filip
KOSTIC in 2012-13 when he was made the succes-
sor of fellow Serbian countryman Dusan Tadic at
FC Groningen, however, he failed to inflict a similar
degree of damage on opponents in his maiden
season.
KOSTIC, brought in at 19 years of age, came to the club but
never lived up to the hype that had surrounded him in his
frst year. Struggling to adapt to his new environment, not
able to speak a lot of English let alone Dutch and fnding a
manager in Robert Maaskant who has never really been in
the business of polishing rough diamonds, his game time
was limited to fve substitute performances in the league.
Rumours came out about the player lacking motivation and
having trouble keeping his weight in check. FC Groningens
1 million investment was deemed redundant within 12
months.
A year on, the contrast couldnt be greater. Under new
manager Erwin van de Looi, KOSTIC was given a chance
in the frst team and from the frst time out he seemed
adamant to cement a spot in the frst-team. With unrelen-
ting pace, effort and a lot of flair and skill, he started to run
at defences, giving a league return of nine league goals and
seven assists. KOSTIC has turned himself from a fringe
player into an instrumental fgure for Groningen and it is
a surprise to see the 21-year-old grace the green shirt for
another season. His ability to run at defenders and show a
will to power off every player coming his way is not as much
reminiscent of Tadic, but of another FC Groningen alumni in
Luis Suarez, albeit on another level.
After a tough year, it appears the diamond is smooth and
ready to keep shining and with the robust left forward
constantly improving in skill, delivery and fnishing, it is hard
to see where his ceiling lies.
EREDIVISIE REVELATIONS 10 BY MICHIEL JONGSMA
10
6
Lucas Piazon
From mesmerising, electrifying, clinical, fascinating
and generally magnifcent to dull, ineffective, sterile
and extremely disappointing, Lucas PIAZONs sea-
son in the Eredivisie was one of two extremes.
The 20-year-old Brazilian joined Vitesse on loan from
Chelsea last season and immediately began to shine in the
Dutch league.
The skill of this left winger is really quite impressive, but
when coupled with his speed and technical ability as well
as his direct style, he left fans, pundits and even opponents
in awe. Throughout the opening half of the season, PIAZON
was on fre. By far Vitesses most productive player and
simply a sublime performer, he was absolutely critical as
the Arnhem club looked to challenge the likes of Ajax, Feye-
noord and Twente for the league title.
With 11 goals and eight assists in the frst half of the sea-
son, he helped guide the club to the top of the table as they
became one of the favourites to win it compared to a rather
ineffcient Ajax and an inconsistent Twente.
However, following the winter break, Vitesse and PIAZON
essentially disappeared.
The Brazilians last goal came in the fnal match of 2013, af-
ter that, not only did he fail to hit the net, he also didnt rack
up a single assist. As a result, his team also struggled as
Vitesse completely capitulated in 2014, winning only three
league matches.
FC Hollywood on the Rhine even ended the regular sea-
son with a seven game winless streak, as they went from
title challengers with dreams of playing in the Champions
League, to having to fght for a place in the Europa League
through the playoffs, which they lost having succumbed to
FC Groningen 5-1 on aggregate.
Throughout the second half of the season, PIAZONs perfor-
mances dropped so much that he began to be substituted
off in games, then he was starting from the bench and, on a
couple of occasions, not emerging at all.
After such a magnifcent start to life in Holland, its very
diffcult to say what the reason is behind such a dramatic
drop in form. As a youngster, we can expect and forgive him
for going through such periods of indifference, however this
seems like much more than that.
It could be that he isnt happy, perhaps there are personal
problems, issues between him and coach Peter Bosz or his
team-mates. Netherlands has a completely different culture
to that of Brazil, perhaps hes homesick. Perhaps, even, he
feels his displays in the frst half of the campaign showed
that the Eredivisie is beneath him. However, not only does
that seem to be at complete odds with his personality, gi-
ving up completely isnt the best way to go about proving to
Chelsea hes ready for the step up.
At this point, we can only really speculate. His decline has
been beyond belief, but so has that of Vitesse.
PIAZONs remarkable performances throughout the frst
half of the current term showed that he is a player who, if
he can come back after the summer break and fnd his form
again, has incredible potential and really can go a long way
in his career.
EREDIVISIE REVELATIONS 9 BY PETER MCVITIE
9
LUCAS PIAZON
Age : 20
Nationality : Brazilian
Current club : Chelsea
- on loan at Vitesse in 13/14
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 34
Goals : 12
Assists : 9
Yellow cards : 3
Minutes : 2,110
8
JOEL VELTMAN
Age : 22
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : Ajax Amsterdam
Position : Centre Back
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 37
Goals : 3
Assists : 2
Yellow cards : 5
Yellow/red cards : 1
Red cards : 1
Minutes : 2,158
Joel Veltman
As far as breakthrough seasons go, there are few
as rewarding and exciting as that of Ajax defender
Joel VELTMAN.
If landing an Eredivisie winners medal in his frst season
wasnt good enough, the young centre-back put in some
excellent displays in a tough Champions League group and
even made his debut in the Netherlands national team. For
a young player still developing, he has given himself quite
the platform on which to build an excellent career.
While his tackling success rate last season was underwhel-
ming, standing at 69%, his blocking (10) and interception
(51) fgures are very respectable, however, VELTMAN is
more than just a standard defender - he is very much a typi-
cal Ajax centre-back.
His strengths and importance to the Amsterdam giants
stems from his technical ability and decision making on
the ball. With a passing accuracy of 89%, he is excellent at
bringing the ball out from defence and instigating moves for
his side. There is also a hint of Jan Vertonghen in him as he
shows no fear in bombing forward himself to inject some
pace into Ajaxs attacks Vitesses Jan-Arie van der Heij-
den is the only defender who has completed more dribbles
than he, although VELTMAN completed a higher percentage
of those he attempted.
The 22-year-old is another product of the Amsterdam
giants world famous youth academy, having been a
member of the club since the age of nine. Along with cur-
rent Ajax frst-team players Stefano Denswil, Davy Klaassen,
Lesley de Sa and Viktor Fischer, VELTMAN played a key role
in the heart of defence as the Under 19s reached the fnal of
the inaugural NextGen Series. After some solid displays in
the competition, it seemed the youngster was destined for
the frst-team.
As the 2013-14 season approached and centre-back Toby
Alderweireld neared the exit door of the Amsterdam ArenA,
it seemed a big mistake from coach Frank de Boer that
he had passed up on signing Groningen youngster Virgil
van Dijk to replace the Belgium international. However,
VELTMAN compensated for the loss of the current Atletico
Madrid player, building an excellent partnership with Niklas
Moisander and, when the Finnish defender was out injured,
Denswil. Strong, defant and developing great leadership
skills, he has shown throughout the campaign that he can
reach great heights in his career.
His performances in his frst season in the Eredivisie and
the Champions League in which Ajax narrowly missed out
on reaching the second-round earned him his debut with
the Netherlands national team and he was part of the World
Cup squad that fnished third, above all expectations. Joel
VELTMAN got his frst taste of World Cup football coming
on as a substitution in the exhilarating game versus Spain
the 5-1 that shook the world.
However, its just the beginning for the defender, who still
has a long way to develop before he is anywhere near the
fnished product.
8
10
Kamohelo Mokotjo
Having played in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord in
each of the prior three seasons, it might appear pe-
culiar to consider Kamohelo MOKOTJO a revelation
in the Dutch league last term.
However, the 23-year-old has been such an illustrious,
consistent and top notch performer for PEC Zwolle since his
summer move that he simply has to be declared as such.
The Overijssel club enjoyed an excellent frst season back in
the Eredivisie in 2012-13 but, despite losing their coach and
a few key players, they improved even further ahead of last
season, capping it off with an unbelievable 5-1 over Frank
de Boers Ajax in the KNVB Beker fnal.
Coach Ron Jans has taken the team a step further since
taking over from Art Langeler in the summer, with Mateusz
Klich, Ryan Thomas, Guyon Fernandez and Mustafa Say-
mak all having good seasons for the team in blue and white.
Central to everything Zwolle did well last year, though, was
MOKOTJO.
The South African midfelder played 35 matches in the
Eredivisie over the course of three years in the Feyenoord
frst-team.
Clearly a talented player, he was never really able to impose
himself upon the team and cement a place as a regular
starter due to Jordy Clasies stranglehold on the central
midfeld position. Seeking better frst-team opportunities,
the midfelder opted to leave De Kuip, joining theBlauwvin-
gersin the summer, joining on a three year deal.
The former SuperSport United player slotted perfectly into
Zwolles midfeld and began pulling the strings with his
accurate and intelligent passing, setting the tempo of the
games and playing a huge role in most of the sides attacks.
In the cup fnal mauling of Ajax, he completely outshone his
counterpart Daley Blind, who won the Eredivisie player of
the year award at the end of the campaign. Throughout the
meeting in De Kuip, MOKOTJO was quicker, more aware and
vital in his sides electrifying display.
As well as adding a lot to Zwolles attacks, the 57 player
has put in his fair share of defensive work for his team this
season, having kept up a 91% tackle success rate and made
60 interceptions this term.
Although the 2013-14 campaign has been MOKOTJOs
frst as a regular starter at senior level, he has played like a
seasoned veteran at times and has grabbed the chance of
frst-team football with both hands and it has benefted him
and his team immensely.
The midfelder will play in the Europa League this season
after the sides cup victory and, if they are to improve even
further in 2014-15, he will be absolutely critical for the team.
After his progress was stinted through a lack of frst team
opportunities in Rotterdam, he is fnally getting his time to
shine in Zwolle.
7
KAMOHELO MOKOTJO
Age : 23
Nationality : South African
Current club : PEC Zwolle
Position : Central Midfelder
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 33
Goals : 2
Assists : 5
Yellow cards : 1
Minutes : 2,314
12
JASPER CILLESSEN
Age : 25
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : Ajax Amsterdam
Position : Goalkeeper
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 36
Conceded Goals : 27
Clean sheets : 17
Minutes : 2,204
Jasper Cillessen
In the world of the Eredivisie, forking out 4 million
for a player is quite a huge call to make. When that
call surrounds a goalkeeper, it becomes a lot more
signifcant and brave. When you factor in that the
other goalkeeperstill has the confdence of the
reigning manager, its even greater.
When Jasper CILLESSEN, a talented goalkeeper of N.E.C,
was brought in at Ajax, the overall opinion was that this
would either mean the end of Vermeer or Ajax had invested
a lot of money for something they really didnt need. On
hindsight, the latter was very much the truth for the frst
couple of seasons, while the former is the outcome of the
third season.
CILLESSEN was basically the exclusive KNVB Beker keeper
for Ajax when he joined, but in that role he excelled. While
Vermeer was a standout in 2011-12 and 2012-13, his form
faded away quickly at the start of the season next and it
was here where CILLESSEN seized his chance. Curiously,
the Groesbeek-born man was on the brink of leaving Ajax
for Roda JC on loan only a couple of months earlier, with
only a signature separating CILLESSEN from a permanent
move. But things went in a completely different way. Lined
up as a starter for the frst time after a calamitous error
from Vermeer saw the floodgates open in a 4-0 loss at
PSV, CILLESSENwent on to keep seven clean sheets in his
next 11 league outings, conceding only four in the pro-
cess. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal had alreadyiden-
tifed the talent of CILLESSEN earlier, but felt he was now
given the excuse to turn the then 24-year-old Dutchman into
his frst choice keeperfor Oranje.
As the season progressed, the need for excuses became
less and less. The new frst choice keeper was hugely im-
portant in Ajaxs title surge and stepped up whenever it was
needed, putting in fne performances against PSV, Feye-
noord and Vitesse. With CILLESSEN as their main goalk-
eeper, Ajax lost only one of their 24 Eredivisie matches
resulting in a fourth consecutive league title. And in the
wake of an excellent season with the league champions,
he also picked up the mantle as the No. 1 goalkeeper of the
Netherlands as he was trusted by Van Gaal to defend the
goal in what turned out to be the frst unbeaten World Cup
campaign for the Dutch, fnishing third.
It is the burden of every Dutch goalkeeper of this and the
last generation to be named as Edwin van der Sars natural
successor and it appears that in Jasper CILLESSEN one is
fnally found. Similarly to the current marketing director of
Ajax, CILLESSEN lacks flair on the pitch and lacks, as did
Van der Sar until his early 30s, a knack for stopping penal-
ties, but he more than makes up for that with his all-round
game as a keeper.
Blessed with incredible reflexes, confdence to attack every
ball entering the box and good with both feet, and never
panicking, it is only a matter of time before big European
clubs see CILLESSEN as the answer whenever goalkeeping
questions are raised.
6
14
17-year-old Zivkovic ready
to take Holland by storm
While loads of young footballers fade away after
upon big clubs in their teens, there are always
some exceptions. Richairo ZIVKOVIC was ru-
moured to be approached by Manchester City, PSV
and Ajax among others as a youngster, but chose to
stay at FC Groningen and has now, at 17, fnished
his frst full season in professional football with
over 30 matches and 11 goals under his belt.
His excellent performances earned ZIVKOVIC a 2.5 million
transfer to Ajax. The Amsterdam club is rumoured to have
looked for other strikers, with Arkadiusz Milik coming in to give
the teenager some extra time to develop. But given that ZIVKO-
VIC has been more productive than Ajax top scorers Kolbeinn
Sigthorsson and Lasse Schone with 10 league goals, is it really
necessary to protect the Dutch U19 youth international from
vying for a frst team spot?
ZIVKOVIC is the youngest player to score 10 Eredivisie goals in
the last decade and his talent was always quite obvious. When
he joined his frst football club, amateur club FVV Foxhol, as an
eight-year-old, he almost immediately moved up an age catego-
ry, going on to score 32 goals in one season. The Assen-born
forward moved to Groningen at 11-years-old and when he was
interviewed that year for FC Groningen TV, the commentator
signed off with saying that maybe we could see him in the frst
team of in about 10 years.
The years that followed up to his debut were a bit rockier than
the mere fve years that separated his debut and the interview
suggest. ZIVKOVIC, whose father stems from Curacao but was
brought up by his Serbian mother, struggled to fnd the right
motivation around the age of 15 and in an attempt to get him
motivated again, was moved up an age class. It was then he
started to show his class again.
Within months, he moved from the 14-16 age category to the
Groningen reserves, prompting interest from some of the
biggest clubs in Europe. In an attempt to win the young forward
over, he was promised a chance to fght for a frst team spot
soon and after signing his frst professional contract, he was
handed his debut in the senior squad against Heracles by
manager Robert Maaskant. With his six minute cameo in that
game he became the youngest Groningen player ever (16 years
and 88 days), breaking the previous record of Arjen Robben.
It wouldnt be the last record he took from the current star
player of Bayen Munich. In the rest of the 2012-13 season, he
struggled with the sudden rise he had encountered, but on the
frst matchday of the following campaign, he was back. He had
set himself a few goals and ZIVKOVIC took his frst objective
scoring in his frst league appearance that season (vs. N.E.C.
1-4). With that, he branded his name on another club record,
becoming the youngest goalscorer for the Pride of the North. In
the following matches, he was brought on by new coach Erwin
van de Looi and quickly added to his tally, making his name as
an impact sub.
On the 3rdof November, Van de Looi found the time right to
trust his young prodigy with a starting place.With that, he
became the youngest starter in the Eredivisie for over three
years.ZIVKOVIC gave a decent account of himself over the
course of a few matches, but when the more experienced
Michael de Leeuw was back from injury the youngster was put
out of the limelight for a while again.
From what they had seen in the playing time he was given
though, Ajax had seen enough. This forward could become a
top player for years to come. One and a half years after their
earlier approach, Ajax sealed the deal, meaning the 17-year-
old striker would join the Amsterdam club in the summer for a
reported fee of 2.5 million plus add-ons. The confdence boost
brought on by his pending transfer, he quickly reclaimed a star-
ting spot in the Groningen team.
With fve goals in seven matches, as many in his 22 matches
before, he was instrumental in his sides bid to set a new club
record of consecutive wins. Despite his age, ZIVKOVIC pre-
sented himself as a very mature striker. From his frst game,
he had shown his ability. His pace, his strength, his vision and
technique. But most of all, the youngster seems unimpressed
by whatever happens on the pitch. He was pushed over out of
nothing during the last league game of the regular season and
instead of being angered, he later told a reporter that he saw it
as a compliment, apparently he had a hard time stopping me.
Groningen fnished seventh, earning a spot in the Eredivisie
play-offs and eventually winning them by beating AZ 3-0 over
two legs. In the semi-fnal for a Europa League spot, theTrots
van het Noordenran rampant over Vitesse, beating them 4-1
in Arnhem after winning the home leg 1-0. In that match in
the GelreDome, ZIVKOVIC once again showed his composure
as he made it 2-1 to his side. Instead of celebrating wildly, he
remained so calm afterwards that some thought the goal was
ruled out. Some may confuse this with arrogance or a lack of
joy. But the young attacker just feels he should be able to score
in each and every game.
Judging by his frst full season as a professional player, he
might be right.
5
RICHAIRO ZIVKOVIC
Age : 17
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : Transfered to Ajax
Amsterdam
Position : Centre Forward
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 40
Goals : 12
Assists : 2
Yellow cards : 2
Minutes : 1,681
16
HAKIM ZIYECH
Age : 21
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : SC Heerenveen
Position : Attacking Midfelder
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 38
Goals : 11
Assists : 10
Yellow cards : 8
Minutes : 2,728
Heerenveen
s Hakim Ziyech
outshines Finnbogason
Despite his 29 goals and ten assists in 31 games
in the Eredivisie, it is really no huge shock that the
leagues top goalscorer and Heerenveens star stri-
ker, Alfred Finnbogason, didnt win the clubs Player
of the Year award.
Instead, the Icelandic goal machine was left in the wake of
21-year-old attacking midfelder Hakim ZIYECH, who won
the hearts of the clubs fans as well as the acclaim from pu-
ndits with his remarkable performances in his breakthrough
season.
The versatile youngster, who is most effective in the at-
tacking midfeld role but can play deeper in midfeld or on
the left wing, has been a critical part of Marco van Bastens
squad as club from the north of the Netherlands reached
the Europa League playoffs.
Having been with the Frisian club since he was 11-years-old,
the Dutch youngster of Moroccan descent broke into the
frst team this season, playing an increasingly crucial role
as the campaign wore on.
As Finnbogason set the league alight with 14 goals in his
frst 12 games,De Superfriezenbegan to build an overre-
liance on their talisman and, as he grew unhappy and frus-
trated at the club for several reasons and opponents began
to mark him more closely, the team began to struggle.
However, the young apprentice stepped forward, ready to
take the brunt of responsibility from the frontmans shoul-
ders and place them on his own.
With his excellent dribbling ability and pace as well as his
creativity and passing accuracy, the attacking midfelder is
developing into an all-round fantastic player. He is extre-
mely effective in the opponents fnal third as he can pull
the strings and link up with the striker or burst forward with
pace and threaten on his own.
With nine goals and nine assists in the league this season,
he was by far Heerenveens most productive and important
player after Finnbogason and the speed at which he has de-
veloped and taken on that role in his frst season has been
incredibly impressive.
As the season progressed and his performances improved,
there were growing fears that, with his contract expiring
in the summer, he would head for the exit door of the Abe
Lenstra to join one of the leagues giants for free. Ajax were
said to be interested, with coach Frank det Boer praising
him earlier in the season. Hes a true technician, with a lot of
creativity and skill in his left foot. Hed defnitely ft in at Ajax.
As well as the Amsterdam powerhouse, PSV also showed
their interest in the player, contacting his agent about his
availability.
Heerenveen managed to convince the attacker to sign a one
year extension, suggesting they would have another season
with him.
I think I will stay for another year, ZIYECH toldFox Sportsbut
refused to rule out a move this summer. Never say never.
You never know how it will go.
There is still a chance he could leave, though, with FC
Twente sniffng around as they look to replace Dusan Tadic,
but Heerenveen will do their utmost to prevent him from
joining Van Basten and Finnbogason on the way out. With
players like Bilal Basacikoglu, Daley Sinkgraven, Joost van
Aken and Luciano Slagveer coming through, ZIYECHs im-
portance will only increase next season.
Although a young player himself, having more youngsters
in the squad will make Heerenveen a quick and dangerous
team and with Finnbogason having joined Real Sociedad,
even more responsibility will be heaped upon ZIYECHs
shoulders. The teams main creative outlet may be called
upon to hit the back of the net more often as well.
However, if ZIYECH continues to develop at this rate, next
season will be a prosperous and exciting one for him, with
even more to follow.
4
18
From playing in the Dutch second tier to gearing up
for a Champions League fnal within 12 months, the
rise of Quincy PROMES has been quite remarkable.
But according to his agent, Ersin Akan, it was all
possible for his protg Quincy PROMES.
The 22-year-old FC Twente winger made a seldom specta-
cular entrance in the Eredivisie, returning from a loan spell
at Go Ahead Eagles. Atletico Madrid and Napoli were quick
to show interest and while a transfer in the winter break
didnt materialize, he did get a reward in receiving his frst
call-up for the Dutch national team. In Stade de France, the
youngster gave a good account of himself, despite the 2-0
loss against France.
As with most footballers whose careers skyrocket at a
certain point, PROMES talent was never in doubt. The
Amsterdam-born winger grew up in the west side of the city
and his potential was quickly identifed. He was brought in
at Ajax and trained and played there for six years, hoping he
could achieve the ultimate dream of playing in the Ams-
terdam ArenA. In the end, he would fulfl that wish, but in a
whole different way to what he wouldve imagined.
In 2008, PROMES was told by Ajax that his stay at the club
was over. Whereas other talents like Joel Veltman, Davy
Klaassen and Stefano Denswil were deemed good enough
to progress, it was an attitude problem and lack of maturity
that held him back. That summer, PROMES was done with
football. But in HFC Haarlem, a second tier club nearby, he
re-gained some of the fun in the game. According to then
frst team manager Jan Zoutman, he was close to making
his debut for the Haarlem club, such a flourishing talent was
the 17-year-old. But things turned out differently.
The club of renowned former players such as Ruud Gullit
and Gregory van der Wiel went bankrupt in 2009. FC Twente
had seen enough though and decided to offer PROMES a
second chance in the youth system of an Eredivisie club.
Under the wings of Theo ten Caat and Cees Lok among
others, the teenager matured. In 2011-12, he even became
captain of the FC Twente reserves, managed by Patrick Klui-
vert. That season, he was handed both his frst professional
contract and his debut, although his frst team involvement
remained restricted to three appearances.
Deemed not ready for a chance in the frst team by Steve
McClaren, a manager known for favouring experience over
youth, he was loaned out at the start of 2012-13. And at Go
Ahead Eagles, the frivolous right winger exploded. Thirteen
goals in 32 appearances and numerous assists, PROMES
proved that he was right for the step up, guiding his tempo-
rary team to the Eredivisie.
With McClaren gone and Michel Jansen and Alfred Schreu-
der in charge for the season after, PROMES was given
a chance to show he was worthy of a starting berth at
Twente. Eleven Eredivisie goals later, it is clear he has taken
that chance. The creative forward has pace, is technically
excellent, has incredible skill and has the power to go on
and become a force on the international stage too. His crea-
tivity and inventiveness turned him into a serious contender
for Brazil, with Van Gaal one of his admirers.
PROMES meanwhile shows he isnt fazed by all of the
attention. In a last bid to convince Van Gaal of his talent,
he scored a majestic hat-trick leading the Netherlands
u21s to a 6-1 win over Scotland u21. Van Gaal had ad-
mitted PROMES had made it diffcult for him not to take the
youngster, but unfortunately the 22 year old wasnt part of
the Dutch their surge to a bronze medal. In the meantime,
PROMES remains cool and composed as ever.
Even though there was plenty of interest, the attacker has
decided to sign a new three year contract with FC Twente.
The youngster has been good, but wants to be better. And
his dream of once playing in the Amsterdam Arena? That
has been fulflled, but with the 3-0 defeat his team suffered,
you can expect PROMES to come back motivated next sea-
son to show that he is of an international standard.
3
Promising Promes has risen
to the top
QUINCY PROMES
Age : 22
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : FC Twente
Position : Right Wing
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 31
Goals : 11
Assists : 8
Yellow cards : 2
Minutes : 2,730
20
DAVY KLAASSEN
Age : 21
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : Ajax Asterdam
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 42
Goals : 12
Assists : 4
Yellow cards : 4
Minutes : 2,102
Davy Klaassen The shining star of
the Ajax midfeld
The winner of the 2013-14 Johan Cruijff Award
for Talent of the Year, Davy KLAASSEN has proven
beyond doubt in his frst season in the Ajax starting
XI that he is the latest graduate of the clubs youth
system capable of reaching great heights.
The youngster frst emerged in 2011-12, an excellent frst
taste of frst-team football as he featured against Real
Madrid, Lyon and Manchester United in Europe and even
scored a few minutes after emerging in his Eredivsie debut.
He alsocaptained Ajaxs youth side to the fnal of the frst
edition of the NextGen Series.
However, just as he was set to announce himself to the wor-
ld and become a regular for theGodenzonenthe following
season, disaster struck. A groin injury in the third week of
the 2012-13 campaign came as a massive blow, wiping out
an entire year of his development at a crucial stage.
Furthermore, such a massive upset was a mental disas-
terfor a young player on the cusp of breaking into the team
for which he had played since the age of 11.
For a long time I thought it was all over, he toldNOS. But
he soon had extra motivation to recover and emerge from
his long recovery period even stronger as he was sent to
Barcelona to see a specialist about his injury, recommended
personally by Ajax and general football icon Johan Cruijff.
Incredibly, Cruijff visited him twice in the hospital in Cata-
lonia, something which had a huge lasting effect on the
midfelder.
It was a huge boost that Mr. Cruijff was going to do his best
for me, he toldVoetbal International.The frst two times he
came in person to the hospital to see if everything was going
well.
I had never met him before. Then suddenly the biggest Dutch
footballer of all time is there in front of your nose, coming to the
hospital specifcally to see you. That impressed me.
KLAASSEN bounced back this season and played a crucial
role in his side claiming another Eredivisie, stretching their
streak to four consecutive league titles for the frst time in
their history.
The 21-year-old had played only one full game before being
included in the starting XI for the Amsterdam sides 1-0 win
over Celtic in November. It was a signifcant encounter as,
after a series of horrendous performances following the
sale of star player Christian Eriksen, coach Frank de Boer
made some important tactical changes.
With left-back Daley Blind being moved into midfeld and
midfelder Lasse Schone moving onto the wing while
attacking midfelder Siem de Jong moved into the centre
forward role, it freed up some space in the centre of the
team for KLAASSEN, as he became the heir to Eriksens
throne.
From then on, KLAASSEN and Ajax never looked back.
Acting as the link between the attack and the rest of the
team, with his quick brain, exquisite close control, great
speed and intelligence, the dynamic midfelder played a cru-
cial role from that Champions League match as Ajax sailed
to another league title.
With his 10 goals and three assists, he is his sides joint top
scorer in the league, level with striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson,
an excellent return for a midfelder in his premier season.
His hat-trick in the Eredivisie match against NAC in No-
vember remains his standout performance. Three brilliant
goals which showed how broad his skillset is. A neat run
from deep to capitalise on the gap left in NACs backline and
tidy fnish, then a spectacular volley followed by a delicate
frst touch to bring down a long pass and set him up perfec-
tly to knock beyond Jelle ten Rouwelaar. It was a glorious
display overall which drew further comparisons to club
legend and current assistant coach Dennis Bergkamp.
The youngster has a long way to go before he can be held in
such regard as the former Netherlands star, but in a league
renowned for bringing through some exceptional young
talents, KLAASSEN is certainly one of the brightest.
A remarkable season and a Talent of the Year award is just
the beginning for the Hilversum-born midfelder who has an
exciting future ahead of him.
2
22
A 20-year-old with remarkable skill, speed and
talent, PSVs Memphis Depay is certainly one of the
standout talents in the Eredivisie, as this campaign
has proven.
DEPAY frst emerged as a frequent late substitute towards the
end of the 2011-12 campaign, chipping in with three goals in
his eight appearances to help PSV secure a third place fnish.
The following season he was used much often but again gene-
rally as a substitute as he made just to league starts, scoring
twice and setting up three.
It was clear throughout that integration that he was a player
to watch, although, his attitude seemed a potential hazard in
his formative years as he was seen as a cocky, pretentious
youngster.
The attitude problems appear to have abated, however, as this
season he has shown to be a bright, tricky winger with dazzling
skills, impressive pace, a good touch and, on occasion, an
excellent shot. The youngster has not only been PSVs best
player throughout this tumultuous campaign, but is clearly one
of the best young players in a league full to the brim of bright
prospects.
The Netherlands international is the most dangerous winger in
the league by some distance. FC Groningens Filip Kostic, with
225, was the only player last season to attempt more dribbles
than DEPAY, who tried to beat his man 198 times. However, he
completed a staggering 101 of those dribbles (51%), while Kos-
tic has a success rate of 39% and Renato Ibarra of Vitesse is
the only other of the Eredivisies top ten dribblers to keep their
completion rate over 50%.
While there have been several positives from DEPAY, it hasnt
been all smooth for him. He didnt spend the last campaign as
a consistent maverick who has taken the world by storm. Far
from it. Throughout the opening half of the campaign, he was
really quite a frustrating to watch.
DEPAY hit more shots than any other player in the Eredivisie
last season. The youngster racked up 132 shots and scored
only 12 goals. That he hit 28 more shots than the next highest
shooter in the league shows that he is indeed too trigger-hap-
py. It is startling that not only were more than half of them off
target but that he has a shot conversion rate of just 9%.
By comparison, PSVs central striker Jurgen Locadia played a
game less than DEPAY and hit only 53 shots and scored one
more goal.
This is merely a snapshot of his troubles last season, however.
Clearly a remarkably talented player, throughout the opening
half of the campaign it appeared he was simply a one trick
pony. Justifed by his bright performances which saw him net
four goals and grab two assists in PSVs frst 12 games in all
competitions, he developed a habit of tearing down the left
wing, cutting inside and fring towards goal. This tactic worked
fne during PSVs misleadingly magnifcent start to the season.
However, as this team of young players who had never played
together before and were led by a coach in his frst full season
in charge settled in, performances started to drop and victo-
ries eluded them. Regardless, DEPAY continued with his habit
of charging down the flank, bringing the ball inside and fring
towards goal, but without it leading to something.
Too flashy, ineffcient, and seemingly incapable of learning
that his persistence wasnt paying off, fears grew that he was
growing into a one-dimensional player.
In some ways, DEPAY looked as if he was struggling to fnd
his identity. He appeared caught in the middle of trying to be a
crossbreed of Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo instead of
taking it slow, developing fully and becoming his own player.
Since the turn of the year, however, it appears someone at PSV
has taught him how to think, or, more likely, with some good
coaching, he has gained the confdence to try something new,
look up, and pass, cross, or shoot, depending on the situation,
not just pulling the trigger immediately.
Since then, DEPAY has become a much more productive player,
scoring six goals and setting up three goals in the last 11 ga-
mes of the season as PSV shot up from as low as tenth place
near the halfway mark in the season to fourth, securing Europa
League football for next season.
The 2013-14 campaign has proven that DEPAY is an excep-
tional talent, arguably the most talented youngster in the
Netherlands at the moment. If he can replicate his form from
the second half of the campaign and throughout the entirety of
next term, he will develop even further over the next year.
His frst steps towards stardom have been set. In the Eredivisie,
but also after an impressive World Cup that saw the youngster
coming on twice to score a goal and Van Gaal even trusted him
to start versus Mexico. It earned the 20-year-old a nomina-
tion for the FIFA Young Player award at the World Cup, but the
youngster eventually lost out to Paul Pogba, not bad company
for a player that was still a reserve in the Eredivisie last season.
Rumours are Van Gaal has been so impressed by the youngs-
ter, who progressed during the competition learning from the
likes of Robin van Persie and especially Arjen Robben, that he
is now a candidate to move to Manchester United. It might be a
bit early for Memphis, but it is certainly the stage he will reach
in the next few years.
1
Memphis Depay is the Netherlands
brightest youngster
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Age : 20
Nationality : Dutch
Current club : PSV Eindhoven
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 43
Goals : 14
Assists : 10
Yellow cards : 3
Yellow/Red cards : 1
Minutes : 2,704
24
BENE
FOOT
jupiler pro
league revelations
Neeskens Kebano
Dino Arslanagic
Sbastien Dewaest
Fernando Canesin
Julien De Sart
Chancel Mbemba
Bjrn Engels
Alexander Scholz
Youri Tielemans
Hans Vanaken
28
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
46
BENEFOOT
26
NEESKENS KEBANO
Age : 22
Nationality : French
Current club : RSC Charleroi
Position : Midfelder
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 27
Goals : 6
Assists : 5
Yellow cards : 2
Minutes : 1,966
Neeskens Kebano
Sporting Charleroi signed no less than ffteen
players in the last summer transfer window and
added six more during the season when the win-
dow briefly reopened, all up they essentially signed
a whole new team, and then some a risk for a
club looking to establish themselves in Belgiums
top league.
Amongst the summer signings was French attacking mid-
felder Neeskens KEBANO who had just been released from
his contract at Paris St. Germain. Unsurprisingly found not
needed at the French giants he came to Belgium following a
fleeting spell with Ligue 2 side Caen.
As is often the case nowadays, players can fnd themselves
struggling in the major European leagues but are able carve
out a home for themselves in Belgiums top flight. Not that
this is a detriment to Belgiums premier competition but
there is certainly a lot less pressure on a player to perform
in this environment, and it can often be that mental side of
the game that a player needs to overcome before he can
fnd his feet.
And fnd his feet KEBANO did. Named after Dutch star
Johan Neeskens, the younger version has also managed to
flourish in his role in the middle of the pitch. With a touch
less defensive instincts KEBANO makes up for it with his
tireless running and attacking drive that can cause issues
for his opponents.
Making his debut off the bench in Charlerois frst game of
the season, replacing Mohamed Daf another new signing
KEBANO was unable to influence the outcome of the
match which ended in a 0-0 draw with OH Leuven. However
he must have convinced Felice Mazzu of his worth as he
started the following week and then scored the opening
goal in a 2-0 win over Cercle Brugge. Neeskens KEBANO
had truly arrived in the Pro League, but could he sustain it ?
The answer is he sustained his form as much as a 22-year-
old in his frst full league season could be expected to.
Much like his club he had some ups and downs and ma-
naged to score fve league goals in total and one in the cup.
Not a massive amount but not a total drought. His brightest
spark surely scoring the second goal in a 2-1 victory over
Anderlecht, arriving late in the box and then thundering a
shot in off the post made a lot of fans sit up and take notice
and should KEBANO perform next season as well as he did
this season, while improving on certain areas of his game
and perhaps adding a few more goals to his statistics then
Charleroi could be in for a happier looking season.
PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 10 BY LUKE HARVEY
10
28
Dino Arslanagic
The central defender of Standard Lige was
highly impressive this season, nobody would have
thought that Dino Arslanagic would have played
more than 15 matches this year least of all Arslana-
gic himself.
At the club Antonio Kanu and Laurent Ciman were the
undisputed central defenders last season but ARSLANAGIC
showed this season that they will have to perform at their
very best if they want to keep their spot in the starting ele-
ven. ARSLANAGIC had to wait until November 3 2013 for his
frst start of the season where he played against KAA Gent,
a match which Standard won 1-0.
Following that match ARSLANAGIC got more chances and
produced some impressive performances and Laurent
Ciman and ARSLANAGIC became the new central duo of
Standard Lige. Guy Luzon probably had enough of Kanu,
whos a great defender, but his aggressive playing style
makes him a liability. ARSLANAGIC is a young defender
who has played for Excelsior Mouscron and Lille OSC be-
fore moving to Standards youth academy.
Johan Walem, Belgium U21 coach, is a big fan and predicts
a bright future for the youngster. Arslangic already played
11 matches for the Belgian U21 side, which is impressive
when you factor in how many matches a player usually
plays for the U21 side. The defender is now 21 years old
and is eager to become Standards next central defender for
the foreseeable future.
Laurent Ciman and Antonio Kanu are respectively 28 and 30
years old, entering the twilight of their careers. Both players
still have some years to play but ARSLANAGIC will give
them a hard time next season and is undoubtedly the future
heart of the Standard defence. Hes a very intelligent de-
fender with very accurate passing and a precise tackler. He
also reads the game very well for a defender which makes it
much easier for his defending midfelder(s).
In a central defending duo you always have a leader and
someone who blocks every ball with every little piece of his
body if necessary. Dino Arslangic is the frst one. Winning
the title with Standard Lige would be a great achievement
for the youngster but even if his side dont close out the
league it will still be a great breakthrough year for him.
In his seventeen starts so far, Standard Lige only lost
two matches and conceded just ten goals. He was also
responsible for ten clean sheets: some nice statistics for
a young defender. Another astonishing stat is that he only
takes a yellow card every 382.5 minutes, an impressive feat
when you consider his position. A bright future is waiting
for this young defender of Bosnian origin. Hopefully for
Standard Lige they can still keep him a couple of years,
he can still improve here in the Jupiler Pro League and the
experience of someone like Laurent Ciman and Jelle Van
Damme will only make him a better player.
PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 9 BY BJORN DE COCK
9
DINO ARSLANAGIC
Age : 21
Nationality : Belgian
Current club : Standard Lige
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 29
Assists : 4
Yellow cards : 4
Minutes : 1,530
30
SEBASTIEN DEWAEST
Age : 23
Contract until : -
Current club : RSC Charleroi
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 32
Goals : 5
Yellow cards : 3
Minutes : 2,272
Sbastien Dewaest
Before this 2013-2014 season Im sure that a lot
of people had never heard from this 23-year old
defender. Last season, Sbastien Dewaest was still
a second tier player in Belgium where he played for
Belgacom League club KSV Roeselare. Sporting
Charleroi bought him in April last year and signed
him for two years with an option for another two
years.
Sbastien DEWAEST is one of the many Belgian players
who had left Belgium to join Lille OSC. The French club are
famous because of their highly rated youth academy where
players can often flourisjh, but Sbastien Dewaest couldnt
bring what Lille expected from their youth players and they
let him move back to Belgium. DEWAEST needed to fnd a
new club and joined KSV Roeselare in 2011.
His frst season he only played a couple of games. His se-
cond and third season were much better and he impressed
with his over my dead body mentality. Sporting Charleroi
has an eye for good defenders and the choice for Sbastien
Dewaest was easy for the Carolos.
The central defender didnt play the frst fve matches for
his new club. Since his debut against KRC Genk, after
Steeven Willems got injured, he started every single game
in the Jupiler Pro League for his team. His move to Spor-
ting Charleroi seemed to have turned out very well for the
Belgian defender and the club will be happy to have a young
defender who can either perform for them long term or they
will be able to sell on for proft if the time comes.
Sbastien DEWAEST is not only a typical hard tackling
defender but is also very dangerous on set pieces. He has
already scored fve goals in his debut season with Charleroi,
not bad for a centre back and he likes to make war in the
18-yard box of his opponents. Before you start to think hes
a brutal defender I can tell you that Dewaest only received
three yellow cards after having played 30 matches for Spor-
ting Charleroi.
I dont know yet if the central defender is set for a big career
in Belgium or Europe but he certainly has the fghting spirit
to do everything to achieve that goal. It would be a nice sto-
ry for him after Lille OSC didnt think he was good enough
for their side. Philippe Albert, Daniel Van Buyten and Dante
from Bayern Mnchen showed that Sporting Charleroi is a
perfect club to start your career.
8
32
Fernando Canesin
Who was going to win the title this season was
unpredictable but what everybody certainly ex-
pected was for newly promoted KV Oostende to
be relegated immediately after their frst year in
Belgiums top flight.
During the summer there were even rumours that KV
Oostende would sell their license to a new club in Antwerp
and that KV Oostendes former president, Yves Lejaeghere,
didnt had the fnances to run a club in the Jupiler Pro
League and was desperately seeking for an investor.
Most of us were surprised when Marc Coucke showed his
interest in the newly promoted club, the former pharma-
cist has built his empire in that realm and is the owner of
the giant Omega Pharma. KV Oostende fnally found their
wealthy president, who immediately signed some impres-
sive players for a newly promoted club: Brazilian midfelder
Fernando CANESIN was one of them.
Anderlecht had previously signed the playmaker in 2009
where he made a good impression in the Anderlecht youth
team and also had a promising debut season under Aril
Jacobs. He didnt play much under Dutch coach John van
den Brom and a loan period was the best option for both
Anderlecht and CANESIN at the beginning of this season.
But nobody expected the talented youngster to join KV
Oostende.
CANESIN was that type of player who needed a club who
dominated and like most Brazilian players he also needs
a lot of confdence from his coach to perform at his best,
his feeling of self worth is directly linked to his standard of
performances. The frst thing was not going to happen with
KV Oostende, they just did not have the fnancial clout or
reputation to attract the best players to dominate in the Pro
League, in fact they would go into nearly every match as the
underdogs. Yet the second part turned out, surprisingly, very
well. Fred Vanderbiest had clearly made CANESIN one of
his key players in the squad and the Brazilian thanked him
on the pitch with his performances.
CANESIN had a big impact on KV Oostendes good season.
The club ended ninth (of sixteen) in the regular competition,
a massive achievement for a club with such a small budget.
The Coastboys Brazilian star was, together with Franck
Berrier, the engine of coach Fred Vanderbiests team with
CANESIN the creative hub of KV Oostende.
Some weeks ago KV Oostende bought CANESIN from
Anderlecht. Despite the fact that Anderlecht still own 50% of
his transfer rights KV Oostende have clearly made a great
signing. Fans couldnt believe the news that CANESIN is
now offcially a KV Oostende player. A great signing for the
low budget club and a great opportunity for CANESIN to
become a better player in a club where gets a lot of res-
ponsibilities.
EREDIVISIE REVELATIONS 7 BY BJORN DE COCK
7
FERNANDO CANESIN
Age : 22
Nationality : Brazilian
Contract until : -
Current club : KV Oostende
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 36
Goals : 3
Assists : 7
Yellow cards : 5
Minutes : 2,215
34
JULIEN DE SART
Age : 19
Current club : Standard Lige
Position : Goalkeeper
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 18
Goals : 2
Assists : 3
Yellow cards : 4
Yellow/Red cards : 1
Minutes : 2,215
Julien De Sart
Julien De Sart was always a good youth player but
nobody thought that he was talented enough to
ever make it in Standard Liges frst team. Thanks
to Israeli coach, Guy Luzon, who rotated a lot in the
frst half of the season De Sart got his frst chances
this season to show everybody his potential.
The son of Jean-Franois De Sart, ex Wsportive director of
Standard Lige, impressed everybody and showed that he
has the qualities to become an important player for the Bel-
gian club and proved that it isnt just his family name that
has him where he is now.
Johan Walem was also surprised of Julien DE SARTs
performances and added him to his Belgium U21 squad. A
magical moment for the midfelder. His father had been the
Belgium U21 coach for a very long time and by this virtue
the younger DE SART had always watched the U21 games
from the sideline and it was a dream to wear the Belgium
jersey. He had already been capped for younger versions
of the Belgium national squad but it is when you make the
U21 squad that you become fully aware how limitless your
potential might actually be.
DE SART got his frst club appearance in Standard Liges
league match against Mons on 25th of August. DE SART
replaced Yoni Buyens in the 40th minute after the latter got
injured and the young midfelder probably had other things
in his mind to start the season. His debut ended in relative
ignominy as he was sent off in the 83rd minute for picking
up two yellow cards. It was hardly the dream debut that he
probably had in mind, but Standard won the match 2-0.
After his red card Guy Luzon give the youngster some time
to think, it took fve games before his coach give him some
playing time against Sporting Charleroi. Since that match
DE SART has played most of Standard Liges matches
showing that Luzon did not rule him out of his future plans
based on a less than stellar frst impression. Yoni Buyens
and William Vainqueur also had some injury problems but
even when both players were ft he didnt had to move to the
bench again. For Guy Luzon his two hard working men in
his 4-2-4 formation were William Vainqueur and Julien DE
SART, the experienced Yoni Buyens had to take a step aside
for the 19-year old defensive midfelder which should be
praise enough for DE SARTs abilities .
DE SART scored his frst goal this season against Mons, the
same opponent where he received his red card on his debut.
This time young midfelder had a match to remember,
scoring an amazing goal from outside the box and ultima-
tely DE SART was voted as man of the match. Since then
the youngster became one of the fans favourite players
and Standard Lige were proud to have another talented
youngster out of their own academy and impressing in the
frst team.
I expected more playing time for Ibrahima Ciss in that
position this season but Julien DE SART made a huge step
forward this season and got usurped the very talented
Ciss in the hierarchy. DE SART works very hard to reach
his goals and shows everyone that you need more than only
talent to succeed in this game. He will probably never have
the same career like Junior Malanda or Michy Batshuayi
who are of a similar age and have been courted by some
of the continents biggest teams. Yet after what Ive seen
this season he could maybe surprise us all in a few years,
and regardless, not every player can be a superstar. Teams
need those dependable players who will bring them stability
when its called for, and Julien DE SART could very well be
one of those players for Standard.
6
36
Chancel Mbemba
Chancel Mbemba has had a debut season to re-
member for Anderlecht. Regardless of whether or
not his side lift title number 33 this season he will
always be able to look back at the 2013/14 season
as the year he truly arrived.
With Anderlecht having lost Kouyat to West Ham it was im-
perative that Anderlecht solved their defensive issues quickly.
Since Kouyat has moved into his preferred defensive midfeld
role it is allowing Chancel MBEMBA to flourish at centre back
with Bram Nuytinck and the pair have formed an authoritative
partnership, evidenced by their 4-0 demolition of Genk recently.
Like many Belgian based players these days MBEMBA is from
Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which to the learned
amongst us will know as a former Belgian colony and thus
explains the high proportion of players of Congolese descent
within the Pro League. And like many countries on the conti-
nent, it suffers from rather lax record keeping when it comes
to dates of birth. As such Chancel MBEMBA has come under
scrutiny having previously played with a date of birth of 1988
and now playing registered as having a birthday in 1994.
Now this article isnt here to condemn a player, who likely has
no control of the situation, for an issue that may or may not
be prevalent. No. This article is instead to lay praise on the
19-year-old, which we will take as correct from here on out, for
his stellar frst season in Belgian football.
Like many young central defenders these days there is a com-
mon word that can be used to describe MBEMBA. Power. Most
of it raw. Hes a monstrous proposition and incredibly strong,
any picture you see of him in action will quickly prove testa-
ment to his sheer strength but masks his phenomenal athletic
ability. MBEMBA truly looks like the sort of player who, had he
not been a footballer, could probably have succeeded in any
sporting path he chose such is his all rounded athleticism.
He only arrived at Anderlecht in 2012 from the Congo so his
ascension from hopeful prospect to essential player has been
nothing short of rapid. One of Anderlechts most important
players this season he has on the whole been dominant and re-
liable in his centre back role and as such has made a health 38
total appearances this season the vast majority of them as
a starter, and in matches he didnt start he was often brought
on as a substitute showing how relied upon he was by former
coach John van den Brom and former assistant and now cur-
rently head coach Besnik Hasi.
That MBEMBA has come from a diffcult background and a
much lower level of footballing ability it would seem likely that
it would take MBEMBA some time to adapt but there were no
such dramas. He slotted into the team like he had been in this
high pressure environment his entire life and lived up to the An-
derlecht fans lofty expectations. Like any 19-year-old playing in
a demanding position in the centre of a team he is prone to ups
and downs but no matter how many times his rollercoaster ride
takes a dip he is always ready to put things right.
Towards the tail end of the season his performances had
begun to take a dip after his initially faultless performances,
perhaps a sign of weariness showing through after a long frst
season but it is one of several highs as well. Chancel MBEMBA
has scored four goals for the club in the domestic league, and
scoring against Standard Lige and Genk in previous encoun-
ters shows he is as evident in the big games as the not so big
games.
Perhaps his greatest moment in an Anderlecht shirt came 18
minutes into his Champions League match with Benfca at the
Stade Constant Vanden Stock. He chested down an NSa-
kala pass on the edge of the area, a major whiff of handball
going undetected by the referee, and then poked the ball past
the onrushing Artur Moraes with a calmness even the most
ruthless striker may not have possessed. His lowest moment
perhaps followed just after half time when he inadvertently
scored an own goal to put Benfca 2-1 up such is the cruel
nature of football.
Benfca have since gone on to cement a place in the Euro-
pa League fnal, Olympiakos were narrowly knocked out by
Manchester United, PSG unfortunate to lose out to Chelsea and
thus Anderlecht were never likely candidates to escape their
group. But MBEMBA did feature fve times, showing the trust
and faith placed in him by his team.
Already capped for his national team four times MBEMBA is
crossing achievements off his list with increasing speed. A
league title may be on the horizon this season and if it is that
would be another target achieved. It may be that MBEMBA
starts to outgrow Anderlecht at a quicker pace than expected if
his performances continue to dazzle like they have so far this
season, and it may only be a matter of time before more repu-
table clubs with higher expectations and higher bank balances
give his agent a call.
JUPILER PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 5 BY LUKE HARVEY
5
CHANCEL MBEMBA
Age : 19
Current club : RSC Anderlecht
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 40
Goals : 6
Assists : 1
Yellow cards : 4
Minutes : 2,800
38
BJORN ENGELS
Age : 19
Current club : Club Brugge KV
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 35
Goals : 5
Assists : 2
Yellow cards : 7
Red card : 1
Minutes : 2,937
Bjrn Engels got his frst minutes of his football
career from Georges Leekens, the former Bel-
gium national coach. Club Brugge were losing
2-0 against Bordeaux in the Europa League and
Leekens thought it was time to bring in a youngs-
ter and give them some game time in a pressure
situation.
Perhaps it wasnt Leekens smartest decision as ENGELS
was unlucky and ended up scoring an own goal. We
wouldnt see ENGELS start a game again that season.
Lately Club Brugge have been the only top club in Belgium
who havent produced a lot of their own youth talents from
their academy. Anderlecht, Standard Lige and Racing Genk
are all famous for their youth academies in Europe, in fact
they are vital for the teams survival. Club Brugge felt that
they urgently needed to rectify their philosophy, and so club
president Bart Verhaeghe has two main goals, frstly to build
a new stadium and secondly, improve Club Brugges youth
system, on top of winning prizes of course.
This season Club Brugge played with one of the youngest
defending lines of all teams in the Pro League: goalkeeper
Mathew Ryan, Thomas Meunier, Brandon Mechele, Bjrn
ENGELS and Laurens De Bock. All of them talented youngs-
ters who have made a good impression this season. Ryan
and ENGELS in particular can look back at a great individual
season.
Up until 2006 ENGELS played for Sporting Lokeren and it
was there that Club Brugge spotted his talent and asked
him to move to their youth academy. Today we all know
ENGELS as a purely central defender but he was more of an
attacking player in his younger years and transformed from
an attacker to a defender during his youth. This process
made him a complete defender, not only is he developed in
his defensive skills where he anticipates the game very well
but he knows how an attacker thinks from his time playing
those positions. In addition to his great reading of the game
ENGELS also possesses a good header, great tackling skills
and manages to scores from time to time.
The defender got his frst minutes this season against
KV Oostende. ENGELS had an immediate impact on his
team after scoring a header against the team known as
the Coastboys, and his side went on to win the game
2-1. Michel Preudhomme believed in ENGELS and would
make him the leader of his defence despite his young age.
Already played more than 2800 minutes this season and
scoring 4 goals in the Jupiler Pro League ENGELS has taken
just seven yellow cards and one red card.
Club Brugge have heavily relied on the central pairing
of their aforementioned young defensive line. Brandon
Mechele and ENGELS have done a great job and coach
Preudhomme always had the intention to continue with the
two youngsters. Due to some injury problems both Mechele
and ENGELS have missed some games which is to expec-
ted from a long season, and it was during their absence that
their team came to miss their presence, Oscar Duarte and
Timmy Simons were only ever a temporary solution.
U21 coach Johan Walem was so impressed by the central
defenders performances and called him up for the squad.
Together with centre back team mate Brandon Mechele
he had the chance to play against the best youngsters in
Europe. Walem is a big fan of Club Brugges central duo and
fnds theyre very mature for their age. Both players, to-
gether with Dino Arslanagic, have a big chance to for a spot
in Marc Wilmots Belgian national squad.
Club Brugge ended third this season which is enough for a
Europa League berth. ENGELS will have a chance to show
that his own goal against Bordeaux was only an accident
de parcours or an unlucky change from coach Georges
Leekens.
For ENGELS he defnitely seems like a player who could
become the leader of Club Brugge over the next years,
the 19-years old defender is very mature for his age and
certainly seems to have it in him to lead his team to beau-
tiful things. Club Brugges Australian goalkeeper Mathew
Ryan already said that he feels very comfortable when Bjrn
ENGELS plays and while the experienced Timmy Simons is
the currently captain of Club Brugge, I have the feeling that
Bjrn ENGELS could possibly take over his role next season.
JUPILER PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 4 BY BJORN DE COCK
4
Bjrn Engels
40
Last season Alexander Scholz already tasted a bit
of the Jupiler Pro League with Sporting Lokeren,
showing some promising things but this season
was defnitely his breakthrough year.
Sporting Lokeren coach Peter Maes started the Danish
defender in 36 of his 40 league matches, proving just how
vital SCHOLZ has become to the Lokeren defence this
season. SCHOLZ is a stylish defender whose frst duty is to
protect his goalkeeper and ensure a clean sheet is kept, but
while his defending skills are considerable, SCHOLZ is also
very dangerous in the opponents eighteen yard box. He may
only have scored one goal himself this season but he contri-
buted in the build up to several more goals and his presence
when coming forward is undoubted.
The Dane has an excellent disciplinary record, especially
considering his position. He only recieved three yellow
cards during the entire season and not a single red card,
which shows not only how well he can time his tackles
when needed but also how he gets his head down and plays
the game, rather than shouting at the referee over decisions.
The 22-year-old is known for his secure defending skills,
you will never see him make an aggressive tackle and ins-
tead he always tries to be one step ahead of the opponents
attackers, reading the game and looking to cut out a key
pass before it can do any damage. This combined with his
accurate distribution of the ball makes him one of the best
defenders of the Jupiler Pro League.
SCHOLZs life story is rather interesting. Some years ago
the central defender stopped playing professional football
unsure if a football career was really a dream for him. He
travelled the world so he could clear his mind and decide
what he wanted to do with his life. Having missed football
greatly when he returned from his backpacking he realised
it was what he wanted to do long term and decided to
pursue his dream. Something we are all grateful for. Peter
Maes, coach of Sporting Lokeren, started the season with
SCHOLZ at leftback. Mijat Maric and Jeremy Taravel formed
the central duo but the 21-year-old shone thanks to his
versatility.
In December 2013, Taravel tweeted that he would leave Lo-
keren for Dinamo Zagreb and SCHOLZ had already showed
his potential as a central defender when either of the
starting duo were injured. Peter Maes was confdent that
SCHOLZ was ready to take over Taravels role at the back.
Alexander SCHOLZ is a very solid defender. He also tries to
infltrate from time to time which makes him unpredictable for
the opponents. Hes dribbles very well for a defender and his
passing is excellent. You wont fnd many more with his capaci-
ties here in Belgium, he told Sporting Telenet.
SCHOLZs highlight this season was the fnal of the Cofdis
Cup against Zulte Waregem. Sporting Lokeren won the Cup
after beating Zulte Waregem 1-0 and it was a SCHOLZ goal
that separated the two teams, scoring with both his shoul-
der and ear. There are already some Belgian clubs linked
with SCHOLZ. Both Anderlecht and Racing Genk are eager
to sign the central defender. Anderlecht would like him to
replace Cheikhou Kouyat and Racing Genk need a new
central defender after Napoli bought Kalidou Koulibaly so
there is serious interest there from reputable teams with the
fnances to back it up.
The former Danish youth international started his profes-
sional career in his own country with second tier Velje BK.
He made his frst appearance in 2010 and then moved to
Iceland in 2012 to play for UMF Stjarnan. Sporting Lokeren
scouted him that season and bought the defender in 2013
when they had some injuries at the back. Today, May 20th
2014, hes one of the best defenders in Belgium. It will only
be a matter of time before SCHOLZ makes his frst Danish
international appearance having already played for the
underage teams. Both Bjrn Engels and Alexander SCHOLZ
deserved this third place but weve chosen SCHOLZ be-
cause he had a similar season to Engels but with a club
with a much smaller budget. SCHOLZ probably had more
diffcult situations to cope with as Bjrn Engels but I
wouldnt dare to say who has the biggest potential. One
thing is sure, the two have a bright future ahead of them.
JUPILER PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 3 BY BJORN DE COCK
3
Danish defender Alexander Scholz
ALEXANDER SCHOLZ
Age : 21
Nationality : Danish
Current club : KSC Lokeren
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 44
Goals : 2
Assists : 1
Yellow cards : 4
Minutes : 3,289
42
YOURI TIELEMANS
Age : 17
Current club : RSC Anderlecht
Position : Defensive Midfelder
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 35
Goals : 2
Assists : 6
Yellow cards : 2
Minutes : 2,017
Sensation Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans rise from a promising youngster in the
Anderlecht youth team to an indispensable part of the senior
teams midfeld has been remarkable. His aura on the pitch is
so great that when this vital cog is missing from the An-
derlecht midfeld, the whole thing can break down.
Fromthe moment he made his debut in the Pro League against
Lokeren at the start of this season you could tell there was something
special about this player. Keen fans would have known about him
earlier, but the rest of the world didnt take long in waking up to TIE-
LEMANS undoubted talent.
One of TIELEMANS biggest assets seems to be his ability to drift in
and out of space at will. Like a trequartista will fnd space between
the opponents defence and midfeld, TIELEMANS seems able to fnd
the space there as well as between the opponents midfeld and attack
lines. He reads the game well, sees where he is needed and always
looks like he wants the ball like any good central midfelder should.
Hes also the delivery man between the defensive section of the team
spearheaded by Cheikhou Kouyat and the more attack minded area
of the team, hes a ball courier who links the teamtogether like a fne
thread and this is why hes such an integral part of the Anderlecht
eleven.
Before TIELEMANS it was mostly Sacha Kljestan in that role for An-
derlecht. Nowthe United States midfelder is undoubtedly a talented
player and could probably forge a starting role in one of the bigger
leagues in Europe albeit with a bottom-half side, but when you have a
proposition as exciting as TIELEMANS in your squad it would be wise
to play him. True, the pair have often featured together in the league
this season but with Chancel Mbemba, our number fve in this top ten
countdown, forging a brilliant partnership with BramNuytinck and
allowing Kouyat into his former midfeld position it has gradually
squeezed Kljestan out of the squad. The affable American may now
be off to Genk.
As we have often seen in the past, burnout can be a major problemfor
players given their head at such a young age. TIELEMANS is a fragile
and precocious youngster of the most delicate kind and overplaying
himis not the way to make himcomfortable within the squad. I think
it was a real danger that former coach John van den Brommay have
given the player his frst minutes of senior football but similarly, like
Dennis Praet and Massimo Bruno previously, was on the borderline of
possibly giving TIELEMANS too much, too soon.
As it transpires Besnik Hasi was the man to guide Anderlecht to the
title. TIELEMANS has already played in the Champions League and
won a Belgian league title all by the age of 17. Afrightening prospect
when you compare that to what you or I were probably doing on our
17th birthday. Its even more frightening to think that he was born after
Tony Blair became the UKs Prime Minister. That TIELEMANS is the
future of Belgian football seems pretty obvious, or as much the future
of a sport as you can be when the country is fast producing creative
central midfelders of his ilk at a rate of knots.
Is TIELEMANS the future of Anderlecht, though? Well its unlikely.
Weve written here before about Youri TIELEMANS and howhe is
walking in the footsteps of Vincent Kompany and that is true, TIE-
LEMANS parents seemadamant that their son will fnish is education
in the country before making a move abroad to a bigger club. That
means it is likely he will remain with the club for one more season
while he fnishes his education before Europes elite make their
undoubted interest concrete even if Borussia Dortmund are already
preparing a big-money bid. He could, you think, walk into nearly any
teamand force his way into the starting eleven relative early. That he
is Anderlechts greatest talent for a while would probably be unders-
tating it, he will undoubtedly be compared to fellowBelgian players
such as Charly Musonda Jr., or Thorgan Hazard amongst others but
TIELEMANS really does have it all and his price tag will be a clear
reflection of his abilities.
It seems the best Anderlecht can hope for is one more amazing
season fromtheir gembefore selling himfor a massive proft. And
Anderlecht will be okay with that. Every teamin Belgium, even the
biggest, knowhowthe game works and once TIELEMANS flies the
nest it will be onto the next talented player to shape and mould before
selling on for a massive proft again, such is the life of a Belgian
football club. So what can you expect fromTIELEMANS? Hes a future
leader you feel. I say a future leader but as Besnik Hasi explained on
VRT showExtra Time, he is already exhibiting leadership qualities
among many others.
TIELEMANSwill become even better. Players who come fromthe youth
teams often have problems with their positioning when they lose the ball
and Youri needs to be more aware of what is behind him. He can only de-
velop though. He is also well protected by his parents and coaches. Com-
pared to (Lucas) Biglia, Youri has a better long-range pass. He is also more
talkative in the dressing room. Youri is not shy of opening his mouth.
When the teamneeds to raise their performance he can nearly always
be counted on to fnd that defence shattering pass after dropping into
space that seemingly didnt exist moments earlier. He wont pull the
rest of the teamup by their bootstraps and carry themall on his back,
its more a case of himhelping each man up individually, dusting
themdown and whispering some encouraging words before sending
themon their way with a pat on the back. While his character may not
seemas tenacious you can see a sense of influence about the way
he plays. Howhe would stand over set pieces earlier in the season,
aged just 16, as if he was born with a ball at his feet and that it was
birthright to take set pieces for the most successful club in Belgium.
When TIELEMANS does hit the ground in Europe youll knowabout it.
And itll be tempting to cast himas another Belgian player set to show
howgood they are at creating youth players, but theres a different
feeling about TIELEMANS. He just feels a little bit special.
JUPILER PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 2 BY LUKE HARVEY
2
44
Every season in Belgium even the biggest and best
teams have to shuffle their deck constantly, the
best players are snapped up by bigger teams and
so everybody down the food chain needs to read-
just accordingly.
So to be voted the biggest revelation in the Belgian Pro League
is a big deal. To have beaten the likes of Alexander Scholz and
Youri Tielemans to the prize after the mammoth seasons they
have had is fantastic, so congratulations to BeNeFoots number
one Belgian revelation of the 2013/14 season Hans VANAKEN.
What VANAKEN brings to the party is seemingly what every
young Belgian star is doing right now. Hes flourishing in the
number ten role on the pitch, dropping into the spaces between
the oppositions defence and midfeld and he guile to fnd the
openings when they present themselves. The influx of Belgian
players who all adapt in the same role can only be the years
and years of training as youngsters where they are encouraged
to play with the ball at their feet, create neat passing triangles
and looking for the open man.
VANAKEN seems to be the whole package for Lokeren and
was a major reason for their success in the Cofdis Cup, which
they won this season. It was the 21-year-olds frst taste of
silverware after fnishing runners up in the second division with
previous club Lommel United and you fgure it may not be his
last. To say Lokeren have thrown their attacking maestro in at
the deep end is an understatement, VANAKEN has started 46
matches for the side this season in both the league and cup
and doesnt seem fatigued one iota it must be his youth.
His rise to prominence this season caught many by surprise
only those who followed Belgiums lower leagues would have
caught a glimpse of VANAKEN. Originally learning his craft
alongside many other Belgian prospects at PSVs youth acade-
my, VANAKEN returned to home soil join second tier side Lom-
mel United, featuring alongside his older brother Sam. It was
clear that the younger sibling was above this level, excelling
in his last two seasons scoring 10 goals in each campaign for
Lommel. His consistently excellent performances caught the
eye of Lokeren boss Peter Maes in 2013. Maes, who had played
at Lommel alongside Hans father Vital, had seen enough to
warrant bringing VANAKEN to the Tricolores.
Given the reasonable step-up in quality between the frst and
second tier in Belgium, you could forgive VANAKEN for taking
time to adjust to new surroundings. His league debut for Lo-
keren came against the reigning champions Anderlecht at the
Constant Vanden Stock. Some youngsters would be overawed
by the challenge laid down in front of them. However this No.
10 had other ideas, causing panic for the Anderlecht defence
with his cultured feet. VANAKEN headed in the opener just 20
minutes in, combining with fellow Lokeren newcomer Jordan
Remacle to stun the home faithful. He gave Lokeren the lead
a second time with a ferce half-volley, helping Maes side to a
memorable opening day win over Paars-wit.
Making his inaugural appearance even more impressive was
the fact that he had stitches in his foot on the day, caused by
stubbing a toe on stone with flip-flops.
VANAKENs double set the tone for Lokerens season, scoring
11 times in 44 appearances for the club in his rookie year.
The calibre of opposition he found the net against is also
impressive Anderlecht and Genk numerous times, as well
as Standard and Zulte Waregem. His presence arguably aided
Lokerens Tunisian front man Hamdi Harbaoui on his way to the
Golden Boot in Belgium, playing in great fnal passes for him
and many others. His distribution is second to none, something
which was overlooked on his debut due to the arrival of Youri
Tielemans on the feld, a fellow revelation of the season.
Former coach Franky van der Elst didnt take long to heap
plenty of praise on VANAKEN after this game, stating it was no
surprise to him that hed made such a quick impression. Just
not that quick.
He is physically strong, has good vision and when you see his
technical ability in terms of his movement and his shooting, it
really cant be faulted, the former Belgian international said. Ne-
vertheless, the speed with which he has made the position his own
has surprised me a little.
VANAKENs stellar contribution to Lokerens season was
acknowledged with his nomination for Player of the Year.
Though he lost out to Zulte Waregems Thorgan Hazard,
VANAKEN can claim his frst foray in the Jupiler Pro League
has been a rousing success. His international career is in rude
health also, with a solid appearance for Johan Walems U21
side against Israel.
Its no surprise to see other suitors swarming, with rumours of
Club Brugge closing on a 5m deal for him. Peter Maes hopes
VANAKEN will stay put for a while, hinting at club stability but
Club Brugge and Michel Preudhomme look set to break open
the coffers to land their target, after another championship
near miss. Its a story that could run and run for much of the
summer.
VANAKEN wouldnt look out of place at either team next season
competition for places at Club Brugge shouldnt him back.
Lokeren does feel like a stepping stone to something greater
in the long-run for VANAKEN his ability with either foot, his
creativity and goalscoring from midfeld should see him beco-
me one of Belgiums brightest stars in seasons to come.
JUPILER PROLEAGUE REVELATIONS 1 BY CHRIS MAYER
1
Hans Vanaken
HANS VANAKEN
Age : 21
Current club : KSC Lokeren
STATISTICS :
Appearances : 43
Goals : 11
Assists : 11
Yellow cards : 7
Minutes : 3,359
46
jupiler pro league & eredivisie revelationS
by beneoot
BENEFOOT

Benefoot Revelations

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Benefoot Revelations

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BENE

You might also like