Kaj Sierhuis voted Eredivisie Player of the Month in March

Fortuna Sittard is enjoying an excellent season. In March, they triumphed over Excelsior Rotterdam (5-2) and PEC Zwolle (3-1) and drew against Ajax (2-2). The club from the southern province of Limburg was only outplayed by Sparta. This strong performance would appear to secure their presence in the Eredivisie and most supporters are already anticipating a place in the play-offs.

Kaj Sierhuis is currently on fire. In March, the 25-year-old striker scored the highest number of goals in the Eredivisie (5), had the most shots on target (12) and was voted KPN Man of the Match twice. To date he has clocked up 12 goals, seven of which were scored in the last two months.

Sierhuis showed particular class in the victory against Excelsior: the striker played a decisive role in all five goals scored by Fortuna Sittard with a hattrick and two assists. This was only the 13th occasion a Fortuna Sittard player scored a hattrick in the Eredivisie and only the second time this century (after Mark Diemers in 2019). On top of that, Sierhuis was only the second Fortuna player ever to score three goals within the first 34 minutes of a match in the Eredivisie (after Arthur Hoyer in 1985).

This is the first Eredivisie Player of the Month award for Kaj Sierhuis and for his club too: in the seven years since the award was initiated, the only Fortuna Sittard player to win the Eredivisie Talent of the Month was their former player Lazaros Lamprou in February 2019. In addition to the trophy, Sierhuis also received an Eredivisie Player of the Month card in the game EA SPORTS FC™ 24.

The Eredivisie Player of the Month, Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month and Eredivisie Team of the Month are selected on the basis of statistics (Opta) and votes from football fans (KPN Man of the Match). These criteria also play a role in establishing the shortlist for the Eredivisie Player of the Year and Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year awards. These awards, along with the Azerion Vrouwen Eredivisie awards, will be presented during the Eredivisie Awards ceremony (2 September 2024).

The selection of the Eredivisie Player of the Month is an initiative of Eredivisie CV, in partnership with ESPN and EA SPORTS FC™. The selection of the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month is organised by Eredivisie CV, in partnership with ESPN, the Cruyff Foundation and the VriendenLoterij (FriendsLottery).