Ruben van Bommel named as the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month for February
Nineteen-year-old Ruben van Bommel has received his first individual Eredivisie award. He was the best-performing player in February, aged 21 or younger at the start of the season. This is the first time the AZ forward has won the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month award.
The nineteen-year-old son of former international Mark van Bommel and grandson of former national team coach Bert van Marwijk appeared in four matches in February and scored two goals (both against Ajax). Ruben van Bommel needed only three shots on target for these goals. It marked the first time for the forward to score two goals in a single Eredivisie match against an opponent, which happened to be the same opponent his father Mark favored in the competition (6 goals in 19 matches).
Only three players have scored at least twice in an Eredivisie match for AZ at a younger age (Myron Boadu twice, John Metgod, and Adrie Hoogesteger). Additionally, Ruben van Bommel was the AZ player with the most dribbles this month (9) and, after Vangelis Pavlidis and Sven Mijnans, took the most shots for the Alkmaar side (6). Van Bommel was chosen as the KPN Man of the Match by fans in the game against Ajax.
Photo: Ed van de Pol.
Cheque prize for SV Meerssen and Cruyff Foundation
As part of the award, the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month receives a €2,500 cheque on behalf of the VriendenLoterij (Friends Lottery) for his former amateur club SV Meerssen. His selection also generated €5,000 to promote socials projects organised by the Cruyff Foundation.
Ruben van Bommel saw off competition from his teammate (Wouter Goes), Johan Bakayoko (PSV), and Oscar Fraulo (FC Utrecht) in the monthly election.
Eredivisie Awards
The Eredivisie Player of the Month, Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month, and the Eredivisie Team of the Month are selected based on statistics (Opta) and votes from football fans (KPN Man of the Match). These criteria also play a role in the shortlist for the Eredivisie Player of the Year and Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year awards. These awards, along with those in the Azerion Women's Eredivisie, are presented each season at the Eredivisie Awards (2 September 2024).
The Eredivisie Player of the Month election is an initiative of the Eredivisie CV in collaboration with ESPN and EA SPORTS FC™ 24. The Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month election is organized by the Eredivisie CV in partnership with ESPN, the Cruyff Foundation, and the VriendenLoterij (Friends Lottery).
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