Justin Kluiverts name may sound familiar to you, even if youre a sporadic watcher of the Dutch Eredivisie.
Of course, Justins father is Patrick Kluivert, the famed Ajax and Barcelona striker.
The days of Patricks career have passed, and the family torch has been passed to Justin, a 19-year-old diminutive winger born in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.
Bearing the flame once carried by his father, Kluivert now has a burning urge to prove himself after completing his first career transfer to Italian giants AS Roma.
The first step he took to make that goal a reality was to break into the Ajax team.
At only 17, Justin Kluivert made his Eredivisie debut after rising through the Amsterdammers youth ranks.
This past season, he asserted himself into the Ajax starting eleven, initially winning Marcel Keizers trust before proving to Erik ten Hag that the Dutch international debutant is no fluke.
Kluivert scored ten and assisted five in his first league season as a true starter.
Played initially on the right flank of a 4-3-3, Justin eventually found his feet as Ajaxs starting left winger.
In an Ajax side ridiculed for its lack of tenacity and adherence to the promise of beautiful football , Kluivert was one of the only players to show a real ability to create brilliant and applause-worthy performances in the side.
Now, the young winger has gotten his move to AS Roma for about €17 million.
Will Justin Kluivert fail to make an impact at his new Italian club, or will he join the illustrious list of successful Dutchmen abroad?
Justin Kluivert Playing Style At Ajax
Standing at 1.71 meters, or 5 foot 7 inches, Justin Kluivert is categorically not a physical specimen.
Hes short and not particularly muscular.
However, what Kluivert lacks in bodily strength, he makes up for in physiological and technical proficiency.
Sitting as a left winger, Justin Kluivert uses his great dribbling skill and jaunty acceleration to surge past defenders.
He prefers to cut inside on his strong foot as a right-footed player.
For a team like Ajax, this provides many benefits.
An attack-minded left-back will find himself plenty of space to run into on the left wing.
At the same time, Kluiverts inward movements can create numerical and positional superiority in the centre of the park.
Combined with other technical passers, the Dutchman can pose a real threat to opposing defenders.
Although Kluivert is quite conservative with his passing — 96% of his passes in the league were short passes, according to WhoScored — the winger is extremely aggressive on the ball and will often take on his marker one-on-one.
Kluivert is not careless with his dribbling, often preferring to stop his move short if he sees an open teammate, but there is definitely an element of flair and surprise to his game.
When Ajax were stuck against a defensive side, Kluivert or Hakim Ziyech co
