« We don’t really know how to classify it. Is he just an “action finisher” or an excellent football player? Does he know how to do nothing or can he do everything? Should he be a starter or does he not have his place at the Euro? » Youri Mulder, former Dutch international striker (1994-1999), summarizes the debates surrounding the figure of Wout Weghorst, the Netherlands center forward at Euro 2024. « We can compare him to Olivier Giroud at home “, underlines Mulder, all things considered, taking care to point out one facet very much ” less consensual » from the Dutch character: “ he often does too much, and in the Netherlands, we don’t like that. »
Wout Weghorst at the high level, an untrodden path
Wout Weghorst, 31, is in dazzling form before facing France at the Euro on Friday June 21. The Hoffenheim striker, in the Bundesliga, has scored 7 goals in his last 11 matches for the Netherlands. Mostly as a substitute, hitting the mark on his first or second opportunity.
It was already him who had revived the Netherlands with an improbable double at the end of the match against Argentina, in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup, despite the elimination after the penalty shootout (2- 2, 4-3 tab). It was his decisive goals in the last matches of the Euro qualifiers which allowed the Netherlands to qualify for the event in Germany, and it was again he who offered victory against Poland (2-1 ) during the first match of group D.
Very popular among Dutch fans for his sporting value, Weghorst is even more popular for his life journey and his dedication on the field. “ When I played as an amateur, in the eighth division, I already had the same work ethic as today. I was paying close attention to my diet and sleep, doing my own extra workouts and strength training…I was holding on to my dream », he confided for the media Elf Voetbal in 2016.
Deserving, Wout Weghorst is all the more so as football did not represent any necessity for this son of a successful business director in the Netherlands. “ As an amateur and even among the pros, it was said that I only owed my presence in a team thanks to my father, who was a club sponsor. I was also told that I wasn’t technically gifted enough. This is why I worked so hard. I am what I am because it was not natural for me to become a professional footballer. I still feel it », assured the attacker of Orangewho was still a communications student at 18.
Even today, despite his crucial goals and his status as the Netherlands’ X-factor, some observers continue to reduce him to his Golgoth physique and his less refined style of play than others. “ It’s crazy that this failed footballer manages to perform as a substitute at the end of the match. When he plays the entirety of a high-level match, he’s not much », said the famous commentator Johan Derksen on Dutch television on Monday June 17. “ If we need someone to make the difference at the end of the match, we might as well send (central defender) Virgil van Dijk and attack », also affirmed consultant Theo Janssen before the Euro, pleading for a sidelining of “WW. »
Why so much hatred? “ This has a bit to do with our way of seeing football in the Netherlands, with this dominant principle of the beautiful game. », explains Yuri Mulder. “ We have always been accustomed to technically virtuoso attackers like Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp or Marco Van Basten, who played for the biggest clubs in Europe. Wout Weghorst comes from a village in the east of the Netherlands and played in the Dutch championship until he was 26… »
“We want to tell him: “stay normal, don’t overdo it””
The antithesis par excellence of Dutch football, Weghorst is also more generally that of the average Dutchman. If his rage to win and his devotion to Orange have made him the darling of Dutch supporters, his personality contrasts with expected standards. “ He can be a little excessive in his reactions », souligne Youri Mulder. « When he’s on the verge of crying during the national anthem, with his hand on his heart… In the Netherlands, we’re not really fans of that kind of thing. We want to tell him: “stay normal, don’t overdo it”. » Manchester United supporters also remember his reaction during the FA Cup final lost against Manchester City (1-2) last year: “ he only came on with 12 minutes to go, but it’s as if he alone lost the final and not Manchester United », summarizes journalist Sjoerd Mossou at ESPN .
Through his personal history, Wout Weghorst “ experiences football more intensely than most other players » (as he affirmed to Eleven Football), which can create some friction. “ He put so much effort into himself that he got upset when his teammates didn’t do the same. », Confessed his former coach in Emmen to RTV Drenthe.
Volcanic, unvarnished and sure of himself, Weghorst could not hide his annoyance when coach Ronald Koeman announced to him that he would be a substitute during this Euro. But “WW” quickly shifted towards his mission, which he has successfully accomplished since a young age, as the former coach of his childhood club recalls to the Telegraph : « You put him on the bench. It’ll make him boil. And just as it’s boiling, you bring it in with 15-20 minutes to go. And he scores, as he does with the Netherlands. » Exception made against the France team this Friday?
