5 best young talents from the Netherlands
Since their role in the reinvention of football during the 1970s, the Dutch have always been at the forefront of producing young talents until the last few years. A team that almost used to consistently make it to the final four of international tournaments did not take part in the UEFA Euro 2016 following a deplorable qualifying campaign.
Some blame it on the management while others criticise the players for the Netherlands’ poor form of late. Danny Blind, who has been in charge of the national side since June 2015, still seems to be in the process of finding his best playing XI.
Despite their recent setbacks, the youth system in Netherlands has continued to produce talented youngsters, some of whom have been called up to represent their country after excelling at the club level.
Here we take a look at five of the best young Dutch talents, who are aged 23 or lower:
#5 – Bart Ramselaar (PSV Eindhoven, 20 years old)
Bart Ramselaar has made great strides in his career since the 2015/16 season when he played 37 games for FC Utrecht in a campaign that saw them finishing an impressive fifth place in the Eredivisie. Before the 2015/16 season, Ramselaar had played for Utrecht only five times during the 2014/15 season.
His impressive performances for Utrecht saw him move to PSV Eindhoven at the start of the 2016/17 season. In eight appearances for his new side, he has scored two goals and has two assists to his name. What makes Ramselaar special is his excellent ball control and an ability to create opportunities out of almost nothing for his team.
The 20-year-old was also called up to the senior national side during May 2016. Ramselaar made his international debut in the recently concluded international break when he came on as a sub in the friendly match against Belgium on November 9, 2016.