Justin Kluivert of AFC Bournemouth (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
From Marcus Thuram to Timothy Weah to Federico Chiesa, more and more players are escaping the shadows of their legendary footballer fathers and making a name for themselves at the game’s top level. One such case is Bournemouth forward Justin Kluivert.
Born in Amsterdam, Kluivert grew up in a footballing dynasty: his grandfather Kenneth represented the Suriname national team, whilst his father Patrick scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Netherlands and was named as one of the 125 greatest living footballers by Pelé in 2004. Like his father, Justin honed his skills in Ajax’s famed De Toekomst academy, joining in 2007 and eventually making his first-team debut on January 15, 2017.
He quickly burst onto the scene for club and country, reaching the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League Final, winning the AFC Ajax Talent of the Future award, and eventually making his international debut under Ronald Koeman. Kluivert played in friendlies against Portugal and Italy in March and September 2018. Little did he know it, but he would have to wait until November 19, 2024 for his first senior start for the Netherlands and his competitive debut, playing 66 minutes in a 1-1 draw vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League.
Garnering Attention Across Europe
Kluivert’s performances attracted attention from all across Europe, including Roma. Following a telephone call made by Roma legend Francesco Totti to his father, Kluivert decided to take his talents to the Italian capital in 2018, with the Giallorossi paying €18.75 million for his services. He became the youngest player to score for Roma in the UEFA Champions League and showed plenty of promise, but his game-time would dwindle during Project Restart, failing to play a single minute in six of their last eight league matches of 2019/20. Thanks
Desperate for opportunities, Kluivert was loaned out to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, where he emerged as a valuable impact sub and scored against the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United. From there, he went to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, where he reached the 2021/22 Coupe de France Final, and then LaLiga outfit Valencia. Whether playing on the flank or up top, Kluivert was finally able to get back on track in Spain and increase his market value.
“He was one of the brighter spots in a really frustrating campaign,” says Valencia fan and Nigerian journalist Astorre S. Cerebróne in an exclusive RG interview.
“He was the biggest spark in our attack.”
While it wasn’t enough to convince Valencia to sign him permanently, it was enough to draw the interest of Premier League side Bournemouth. Kluivert joined for £9.5 million on a contract through 2028, becoming the club’s first signing under new manager Andoni Iraola, whose Rayo Vallecano team had faced off against Kluivert’s Valencia twice – conceding a goal to him in the away fixture.
Over the course of Kluivert’s first 6.5 seasons in professional football, he had been coached by Peter Bosz, Marcel Keizer, Erik ten Hag, Eusebio Di Francesco, Claudio Ranieri, Paulo Fonseca, Julian Nagelsmann, Christophe Galtier, Gennaro Gattuso, Voro (interim) and Rubén Baraja. This was Kluivert’s chance to finally find some consistency under Iraola, and slowly but surely, this move has paid off.
Finding Consistency
Kluivert impressed as the central attacking midfielder in Iraola’s 4-2-3-1 formation, threading the needle in the final third and linking up with wingers Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo and center forward Dominic Solanke. He became just the third player to score in each of Europe’s top five leagues after Florin Răducioiu and Stevan Jovetić, as well as the only player to score in the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Eredivisie.
Kluivert registered 9 goals and 2 assists across 36 appearances in all competitions as Bournemouth fended off an early relegation scare and finished 12th in the table. And despite losing Solanke – who scored 19 of their 54 league goals – Bournemouth have only gone up a level this season.
Last December, Bournemouth’s billionaire owner Bill Foley declared his ambitions of playing in Europe within five years, and they may just reach that objective ahead of schedule. The Cherries sit eighth in the table – 15 points above the relegation zone and one point behind fifth-placed Nottingham Forest – and after winning their last three games, they have their fans dreaming of Europe.
Kluivert has certainly played his part, bagging a goal and assist in their 2-0 win vs. Arsenal and becoming the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties in their 4-2 win against Wolves. He leads Bournemouth in goals (5), goal contributions (7), and expected goals on target (6.6), while he’s also putting in a shift off the ball and aggressively hassling opponents for possession. He’s also showing consistent signs of improvement, going from 1.45 shots per 90 minutes with Nice to 2.67 with Valencia to 2.9 this season. All in all, his ball-carrying ability, speed and finesse have made him a perfect fit for Iraola’s high-intensity tactics.
Cerebróne praised Kluivert for his work ethic and his versatility; pointing out that, if he can find consistency, the sky will truly be the limit.
“I think the best thing about him is that he's persistent – he’s going to keep running at the opponent over and over again. He’s an associative player who’s always looking to combine, which is interesting considering how direct he is, but he needs more consistency in his execution of actions.”
Kluivert may never reach the lofty heights of his father. He may never win a LaLiga title with Barcelona, or score the winning goal in a UEFA Champions League Final with Ajax, or finish fifth in the Ballon d’Or race, but he is establishing himself as a key figure at Dean Court. He’s back in the Netherlands team after a six-year hiatus, and he may just have what it takes to lead Bournemouth to a first-ever European qualification in their 125-year history.
Zach Lowy is a freelance football journalist who has written for leading outlets like FotMob, BetUS, Apuestas Deportivas, and who has appeared as a radio and television guest for BBC, SiriusXMFC, and various other platforms. After pursuing a global sports journalism degree at George Washington University, Zach has been able to tap into his multilingual background and interview major footballing figures in Spanish and Portuguese as well as operate the weekly podcast 'Zach Lowy's European Football Show' on BET Central.
