Pierre van Hooijdonk sees something of himself in Cyriel Dessers. The former Feyenoord player points out some similarities between the Belgian striker and himself and sees Dessers as an important factor in beating upcoming Conference League opponent Olympique Marseille. Van Hooijdonk recalls in The Telegraph the last time Feyenoord got as far in a European tournament as it does now.
Van Hooijdonk made himself immortal in South Rotterdam in 2002 when he was partly responsible for the UEFA Cup win with important goals against SC Freiburg, Rangers and Borussia Dortmund. With the current Feyenoord team, Van Hooijdonk sees a player in Dessers who can follow in his footsteps. “We are a little bit alike. Both strikers with not a very polished style, who also throw their physique into the fray. And we both shot NAC to promotion, so there are some parallels.”
On Thursday evening, Feyenoord will play a European semi-final for the first time since the 2001/02 season. Van Hooijdonk points out the importance of the European campaign to the Feyenoord players. “For most players, you only get one chance in your career to play for such a prize,” warns the former free kick specialist. “For us, this UEFA Cup win is the pinnacle of our career. We were certainly not sated with prices. The current team must also realize that such an opportunity does not just come again.”
According to Van Hooijdonk, the team that won the UEFA Cup in 2002 formed a very strong collective. He noticed a ‘true winner’s mentality’ and a good mix between experience and talent, with a broad middle group. Van Hooijdonk sees a similar situation with the current Feyenoord team. “This is also a group with character. And it is important that with Bryan Linssen, Cyriel Dessers, Jens Toornstra and Gernot Trauner you also have older boys in addition to the young talents”, Van Hooijdonk sums up.
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