Feel free to call me a chauvinist or a patriot, but we Dutch have produced some incredible talents the last few decades. We may live in a small country, but we've produced a number of exceptional talents.
We generally play an entertaining, aesthetic football with loads of passes and slickness but often lack the bite and the steel that decide major international championships. Still, as I said before, lots of talent down here.
Because most of you probably don't follow the domestic Dutch league, I figured it might be nice to highlight some of the up and coming Dutch starlets. Eleven of the greatest domestic talents, if you will.
11. Ismaïl Aissati
One of many Dutch/Moroccan talents to break through over the past few seasons. Aissati is a product of the PSV academy and he used to form a great duo with PSV winger Ibrahim Afellay.
He is the youngest Dutch player to ever play in the Champions League, making his debut at the tender age of seventeen in the quarterfinal match between PSV and AC Milan. Aissati was seen as a great talent and one of the most promising Dutch players for the future at that time.
Despite this status, he never managed to secure a spot in PSV's starting line-up. Fed up with waiting for a chance, he forced a transfer to Ajax this summer, hoping that new Ajax coach Marco van Basten would give him a chance.
10. Leroy Fer
A rookie midfielder from Feyenoord. He's only 18-years-old, but already holds a first team spot with one of the traditional Dutch top clubs. A skillful young player, physically strong and very determined to make it to the absolute top.
9. Diego Biseswar
Before the start of this season, people would have thought I was mad to include this winger in such a list. A product of the Feyenoord youth academy, Bisewar failed to make an impression in the Eredivisie during consecutive loan spells at Heracles Almelo and De Graafschap Doetinchem. Feyenoord re-called the young player, but he was told he was transfer listed.
No club showed any interest, so he remained at Feyenoord. This season, he was given a chance in first team due to an injury for Andwele Slory. The young winger has been one of Feyenoord's best players this season, tearing down the left wing with his powerful, penetrating runs and lovely crosses.
So far, he's racked up three goals and three assists and the season has only just started...pretty impressive, when you consider he would have been allowed to leave for a limited sum a few months earlier.
8. Siem de Jong
De Jong is another product of the famous Ajax youth academy. Despite being only 19 years of age, the attacking midfielder has already racked up nearly thirty appearances in first team, including matches in the UEFA Cup.
Ajax managers use the credo "if you are good enough, you are old enough." They don't care about age, if you perform well, you're given a spot in first team. De Jong isn't a typical Ajax player, his style of play could best be described as sober. Nothing spectacular, nothing too fancy, but he gets the job done.
7. Stefan "Stef" Nijland
The son of FC Groningen managing director Hans Nijland is, naturally, a product of the FC Groningen youth setup.
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