Shaqueel van Persie has netted his first goal in Oranje to earn Netherlands U17s a 2-1 win over Germany.
It has been a difficult week for the Netherlands U17s as they lost 3-0 to Spain and 2-1 to Portugal at the Algarve Cup. Their final clash was against rivals Germany.
The best chance of the first half fell to Kees Smit but his free kick was well saved by German goalkeeper Alessandro Blazic.
In the second half, Germany took the lead as Bence Dardai netted from a corner, but in the final phase of the game, Netherlands turned it around.
Ajax defender Dies Janse made it 1-1 with a close range finish following good work by PSV midfielder Tygo Land. Then in stoppage time, Feyenoord striker Shaqueel van Persie got the ball from Othniel Raterink and calmly finished to make it 2-1.
Germany could have equalised before the end after they were awarded a penalty but goalkeeper Jur Schipper saved the spot kick to earn Netherlands the victory.
The youngster Shaqueel is the son of Dutch legend Robin van Persie.
Shaqueel, 16, has played in the same position as his striker father and appears to have gained his knack for tallying goals. His first call-up to the international team follows a season in which he scored 16 goals in 13 games for Feyenoord U17, the club where “RVP” retired. His father is the one who has been monitoring his progress.
After retiring, Van Persie, a legend of Arsenal and Manchester United, went into the club’s young coaching programme, which seems to have benefited his family.
Can Shaqueel be as great as his father?
Robin Van Persie now serves as head coach Arne Slot’s assistant, yet just last month, he was seen out to dinner with Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. Shaqueel was given a deal with Feyenoord last May, and senior Van Persie tweeted: “Congrats Shaq.”
Shaqueel may still opt to play for Morocco after being called up to the Oranje because of his mother Bouchra’s family history. But for the time being, he will be representing Holland on the global stage, presumably with the long-term objective of trying to surpass his father’s record of 50 international goals.
Since joining Feyenoord from Fenerbahce, the 16-year-old son of Robin van Persie has been a highly regarded prospect. Still, this season he is truly demonstrating that he can follow in his father’s footsteps. The forward has at least two goals in each of his past four outings and has scored in each of his last seven games.
Shaqueel Van Persie is a key member of the U17 team’s European Championship qualification group in 2023.