As compliments go, being likened to Toni Kroos as a central midfielder must feel like the footballing equivalent of an up-and-coming actor being labelled a ‘young Robert de Niro’.
Bowing out of club football in the most fitting way imaginable – the veteran playmaker won a sixth Champions League of his remarkable career as Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund at Wembley – finding a readymade replacement for Kroos would maybe make finalising that long-awaited deal for Kylian Mbappe look like child’s play by comparison.
Players like this only come around once in a generation or so, after all.
But, three years after Rangers reportedly saw a £4 million bid rejected, could a man Steven Gerrard wanted at Ibrox be the ideal successor for the playmaker who – if he secure European Championship glory on home soil this summer – will legitimately be able claim that he’s ‘completed’ football at the highest level?
Steven Gerrard wanted Joey Veerman at Rangers
“Someone who has such a good eye for, almost all his passes (hit their target). Hardly anyone in Europe has those qualities, and certainly not in the Dutch team. Not even Frenkie (de Jong),” Joey Veerman‘s former Volendam team-mate Jack Tuijp tells ESPN.
“Because of his attitude, he continues to develop continuously. He did that at Heerenveen and is now doing so at PSV. Every time you think that a step is too big for him, you quickly see that he can handle it easily.
“Every time he comes in (at a new club), he will be the best within two months.”
Veerman, according to reports, was a leading target for Rangers back in 2021. Considering what we know now – Rangers losing their domestic superiority to Old Firm rivals Celtic and Veerman blossoming instead at PSV – it’s tempting to wonder if those on the blue side of Glasgow would have made a better fist of their title defence had Gerrard got his wish.
Real Madrid move talked up
Rafael van der Vaart, once of Real Madrid himself, feels that there may not be a better passer of the ball in European football than a man who ended 2023/24 with seven goals and 17 assists from his playmaker role.
“Is there a better passer than him in Europe?” Rafael van der Vaart asks Studio Voetbal, drawing comparisons with another legendary playmaker. “If he has the space, right? You don’t find many (players better than him).
“I have always compared Veerman with Andrea Pirlo.”
“It doesn’t matter to Joey whether he is playing football in a (town) square or in De Kuip or the Philips Stadium. You always see the same football player, against any opponent,” adds Robert Molenaar, his one-time Volendam coach equally confident that the Dutch string-puller could be trusted to step into Kroos’ shoes.
“His open-mindedness and technical skills ensure that he always reaches the next level. Real Madrid is not a logical step for anyone, except for Mbappe. But I think Joey is the same type of player as Kroos.
“So I would like to see (him join the European Champions).”
Veerman was orchestrator behind PSV’s Eredivisie-winning campaign under Peter Bosz in 2023/24, taking former Rangers loanee Malik Tillman under his wing.
