Daan Reiziger might have a huge future
Northern-Dutch football fans, scouts, and Football Manager players have a new name on the tips of their tongues after Daan Reiziger (18) put in a huge performance for Jong Ajax in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League against Atletico Madrid. As reported by the Groninger Internet Courant.
In a move somewhat reminiscent of Louis van Gaal’s famous goalkeeper switch in the 2014 World Cup against Costa Rica, the Jong Ajax manager Johnny Heitinga (known outside of the Netherlands for his time at Everton FC in England) brought Reiziger on in the final minutes of extra time.
In 2014 Tim Krul came on in similar circumstances and ended up saving a penalty and scoring his own in the shoot-out, allowing the Netherlands to progress. Reiziger went two better, saving three penalties and dispatching his own to win the tie.
Reiziger started playing at Be Quick 1887 in Haren (Groningen). Before he left for Ajax, Reiziger also briefly played in the FC Groningen youth academy between 2013 and 2016.
The UEFA Youth League is an annual football competition where under-19 teams from some of the biggest clubs in Europe battle it out in a group/knockout tournament. The draw for the quarter finals will be made at the end of this week: Jong Ajax could meet the under-19 teams from such footballing powerhouses as Real Madrid, Juventus, Benfica; and Derby County.
Image: Paris Saint-Germain’s under-19 team lining up for a match against RB Salzburg in 2016. Via Wikimedia user Werner100359. License here.