Nathan Tjoe-A-On has been voted the Johan Cruijff Talent of the Month. The 20-year-old defender of Excelsior Rotterdam performed best in September based on statistics and votes from football fans.
Nathan Tjoe-A-On made his professional football debut on 9 October 2020 and already has his first monthly award after seven eredivisie matches. The 20-year-old Rotterdam player was also the first Excelsior player to be named the Johan Cruijff Talent of the Month. The last and only Excelsior Rotterdam player to win a monthly vote before was Elías Már Ómarsson (Eredivisie Player of the Month May 2019).
Although Tjoe-A-On recorded the highest score of any defender in the Eredivisie last month, he actually excelled in attacking terms as well. Only two eredivisie players created more chances from open play (8), a statistic that looks at assists (1) and key passes (7). Nathan also ranked in the top four players with passes to the opposition box in September (19) and - defensively - in the top three for interceptions (8).
In addition to the monthly award, the Excelsior Rotterdam left-back will also receive two cheques on behalf of the Friends Lottery. A cheque for €2,500 for his former amateur club VV Nieuwekerk and a cheque for €5,000 to support social projects of the Johan Cruyff Foundation in the area around Rotterdam.
About the voting
The Eredivisie Player of the Month and Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month Awards are based on statistics (StatsPerform) and votes from football fans (KPN Man of the Match). The vote is an initiative of the Eredivisie CV in collaboration with ESPN. The Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month is an initiative of the Eredivisie CV, in collaboration with ESPN, Johan Cruyff Foundation and VriendenLoterij (Friends Lottery).