Before PSV Eindhoven – Monaco: After leaving PSG, Xavi Simons is already seducing PSV

“I saw wonderful sequences“. Ruud van Nistelrooy had a radiant smile on Saturday when he presented himself at a press conference after the victory of his PSV against FC Emmen (4-1). The coach had decided to launch his youth army to rest his executives before the second leg against Monaco on Tuesday (8:30 p.m., 1-1 first leg).Former coach of the youth team, the former Manchester United centre-forward has every intention of highlighting the local pool, like Ki-Jana Hoever or Johan Bakayoko.

But one player was more scrutinized than the others: Xavi Simons. Because with him, expectations are necessarily higher than for others. And because it looks like one of the curiosities of the season in the Netherlands, the young man’s country of birth who has never really seen this nugget in action. Exiled very early in Spain, erected as a star of La Masia during his training at Barça, a marketing beast hatched by Mino Raiola, Simons is above all a player who only asks to grow. At the sight of his first tenure, the seeds sown are attractive.

Champions League

Champions League … and World Cup: Ben Yedder plays big

19 HOURS AGO

“Barça’s values ​​are a little flouted with the De Jong case”

For his age he is already above

Against FC Emmen, he will have distinguished himself with a decisive pass but above all a constant activity for 90 minutes, already obtaining his first man of the match distinction. For PSV followers, the kid has something else. “With his happily dancing blonde dreadlocks and seemingly somewhat frail posture, Simons is primarily associated with the beautiful game but he also showed another side to his game on Saturday night“, wrote thus the Telegraaf on Sunday. “A creator of good taste“, summed up AD in his match report. A week earlier, Simons had scored his first goal in his new colors during the demonstration against Ajax Amsterdam (5-3) in the Dutch Supercup.

“Everyone expects him to make the difference with the ballestimated van Nistelrooy afterwards with Voetbal International. He can do it with his technique and he has the qualities to choose the right area. But we also saw that he is very fast in duels. […] When Xavi loses the ball, he switches very quickly. He has fantastic qualities. He knows what he wants. He has already lived twice abroad and he stored this experience with him. For his age he is already above.”

For his age, he mostly needs to play. As it stands, his choice of leaving PSG to join PSV is completely understood. “Before signing for PSV, I spoke a lot with the coachexplained the person concerned at the time of his arrival from ESPN. He was very clear in telling me what he expected of me: to create danger by moving just behind the leading striker. ” Facing Monaco, he could therefore evolve in support of Luuk de Jong, whose finishing qualities require a passer to the height.

Ruud van Nistelrooy congratulates Xavi Simons

Credit: Getty Images

More followers than his club

In Eindhoven, it is also the marketing department that did not expect such a fallout, to the point of hounding Ajax since the start of the season on interactions on social networks. No need to search long for the explanation. With his 4.2 million subscribers on Instagram alone, he easily exceeds his club’s total (667k). The popularity at the time of the networks has its reasons that the counter of matches in pro still ignores. Even he seems almost surprised by such media coverage. “It’s crazyhe laughed at ESPN. Maybe it’s because of my football or my hair? I do not know. It’s crazy to have more followers than the club, because it’s a really big club. Me, I just turned nineteen, I’m about to start my career…”

In recent hours, some in the Eindhoven dressing room have come to ask his opinion on Monaco, a team “physique“, according to him. Perhaps they forgot a little quickly that he had only accumulated eleven appearances with the PSG first team in three seasons. Something tells us that this total should greatly increase on the side of Philips Stadion. Just to finally know what this promising kid has under his crampons.

Xavi Simons in the jersey of PSV

Credit: Getty Images

Ligue 1

“They cloned Mbappé”: Between Efekele and the PSG star, a parallel that ignited the web

A DAY AGO

Ligue 1

Jewel of Messi, incorrigible Lopes and festive atmosphere: the tops and flops of the 1st day

YESTERDAY AT 10:34 PM