Teun Koopmeiners went from making his first-team debut to a Dutch Cup final and a 3rd place finish last season – all within six months. Can the AZ Alkmaar midfielder take another huge step this season to make his first appearance for the Dutch national team?

  • by Michael Statham
  • Follow Michael on Twitter @EredivisieMike

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The Dutch midfielder has been developing with AZ’s youth academy since 2009. AZ reaped the benefits of ‘Jong AZ’ (the Alkmaar outfit’s second team) when they won the Dutch third division in 2017; it gave Teun Koopmeiners a whole year of valuable, competitive football.

As a teenager, Koopmeiners made his first-team debut last October in a 0-4 defeat to Feyenoord. That was only the start of a terrific rise for the midfielder, as he became a regular with AZ very quickly to amass 26 appearances, a goal and four assists in the Eredivisie last season, as well as a Dutch Cup runner-up medal.

Now 20-years-old and with a contract until 2022, Koopmeiners is one of the first names on the AZ teamsheet, the Alkmaar side’s set-piece taker and he has been called up to recent Dutch U21 squads.

Style of Play

Koopmeiners has all the right attributes for a Dutch midfielder playing in the six position; he has very good ball control and passing skills. The midfielder is also known for his hammer of a left foot. He can smash shots from distance (despite only scoring one shot from distance in the Eredivisie – with his right-foot) and unleashes rugby-style, long-range passes across the pitch to set up attacking moves or set free a forward running down the wing.

What’s more, having spent six months as a centre-back in his youth, Koopmeiners is also confident playing in defence. So much so, that manager John van den Brom deployed him there for a few games during the last campaign during a defensive injury crisis.

What to expect from Koopmeiners this season

With a similar rise to last season, Koopmeiners could well be on the periphery of the Dutch national team. Oranje would do well with a new number six in midfield ready for Euro2020.

Of course, the 20-year-old still has a long way to go. One should expect Koopmeiners to play a lot of games for AZ in this campaign and anticipate an even more crucial role for the midfielder. Eredivisie fanatics should look out for more stunning passes and hope for more smashing strikes.

Click here to see his first ever goal for AZ – scored on his first start for the club!




Michael Statham (802 Posts)

Writer/interviewer/YouTuber for Football-Oranje. Massive Dutch football fan from the UK. Follow me @EredivisieMike & subscribe to Football-Oranje on YouTube.