Passion, obsession and creativity: Xavi Simons in a nutshell

Xavi Simons' star is rising. The 21-year-old Leipzig midfielder has made rapid progress over the last two years at club level, and the same can be said of his international career.

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, his playing time was limited to seven minutes as a substitute against the United States. Yet here in Germany he has featured in all of the Oranje's group stage matches, including two in the starting XI.

"It's very special," he told EURO2024.com. "I was just a 19-year-old boy at the World Cup, and it was the first time I'd been called up for the Dutch team. For these European Championships I knew I would have a role in the team, which makes me very happy. As a player, you just want to perform for your country and experience great things."

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman described Simons during a recent press conference as a "big talent" that he was "totally confident" in. We asked the 21-year-old attacking midfielder to define himself as a player in three words. "Passion, obsession and creativity," he said. "I've had that passion for football in me since I was young, actually since I was born. My older brother helped me develop my love of the game, and every time I'm on the pitch I enjoy it and do all I can to win. I'm also obsessed with improving every day, and achieving my childhood dreams. I'm prepared to do everything I can to make that happen."

In terms of creativity, Simons quickly cites the player who he idolised more than any other: Neymar. "I grew up at Barcelona when he was playing there. I saw some of his matches and cheered when he scored. He's the one who inspired me. Years later, I was fortunate enough to play in the same team as him as a 16-year-old. Experiencing how much he gave to the sport was really nice. He's such an incredible player."

Simons is a self-confessed football fanatic, which helps in the preparation for the round of 16 confrontation with Group E winners Romania. "I follow the game really closely, so I know a bit about some of the Romanian players who play for teams outside Romania," he says. "In the days before the match we'll obviously sit together with the coach to analyse our opponent in more detail."

His focus is solely on the game in Munich on 2 July. "I know there's a potential rematch with Austria in the quarter-final, but I refuse to look that far ahead. Now it's all about Romania. We don't underestimate them and we respect them a lot, especially when you look at what they achieved in the group stage."

The Oranje No7 realises there's no margin for error now. "We've had our wake-up call against Austria, and we know that it's for real now. If you don't do things right, you're out. It's all or nothing."