The Dutch playmaker looks destined for the elite stage after a stunning breakout campaign at the AFAS Stadion
The Netherlands has often been described as 'the world's biggest football talent factory', having produced legends such as Marco van Basten, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp and Arjen Robben. These players were the embodiment of the 'total football' model designed to optimise creativity, skill and versatility that the Dutch national team still aims to uphold to this day, though it's fair to say they have been starved of game-changing performers of the same ilk in recent years.
However, according to , that may be about to change. The Spanish newspaper has claimed that the next 'total footballer' to come out of the Netherlands is Kees Smit: the 19-year-old who has become an overnight sensation at AZ Alkmaar.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have all been linked with Smit in recent weeks, and AZ face a real fight to keep hold of the teenager beyond the 2025 summer transfer window. has even claimed that Ronald Koeman is considering drafting Smit into the Netherlands' senior squad later this year, which is a testament to how far he has come in such a short space of time.
Smit could soon get the chance to test himself on the biggest stage, and all the early signs suggest he will thrive under the pressure of expectation. The question is: what exactly is it that makes the AZ playmaker such a unique talent? GOAL brings you everything you need to know about the Oranje's potential new superstar…
Where it all began
Smit was born in Heiloo, a town located in the North Holland Province of the Netherlands, on January 21, 2006. Encouraged by his parents, Smit immersed himself in Dutch football culture from a young age, and took his first formal steps into the game with local club De Foresters.
It was clear early on that Smit was an exciting prospect. "He was a very quiet kid, but he let his feet do the talking," former Foresters youth coach Milo Blei has told Dutch outlet . "He was only seven years old, but he already had so much control on the ball."
Just three years later, AZ swooped for Smit, and drafted him straight into their Under-12s team. He displayed a maturity belying his tender years right from the off, and showed impressive leadership qualities as he made his way through AZ's academy, eventually inheriting the captain's armband.
Smit's rapid development piqued the interest of Bayern, who tried to convince him to join their youth ranks, but the midfielder ultimately signed his first professional contract with AZ in January 2021. "I did think about it for a bit," Smit admitted to when quizzed on Bayern's approach. "But I'm in a good place here. You see other guys often struggle when they go abroad at a young age."
That turned out to be a wise decision. Smit started training with the AZ first team in December 2022, and the following month, he went viral for scoring an incredible solo goal for the club at the five-a-side indoor REWE Juniorcup tournament. After dribbling past three Fulham players, Smit smashed the ball at the wall so it rebounded into the net past the perplexed opposition goalkeeper, with fan culture website calling it "one of the cleverest goals we've ever seen".
It was a memorable moment that led to Smit being handed his debut for Jong AZ just three days after his 17th birthday. He played 16 minutes off the bench in an Eerste Divisie – Dutch football's second tier – match against Helmond Sport, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
AdvertisementThe big break
Smit also played a key role in the AZ U19s' surprise run to the UEFA Youth League title in 2022-23. AZ thrashed Barcelona and Real Madrid en route, with Smit scoring what was undoubtedly the goal of the tournament in the 3-0 win over the former.
After picking the ball up inside his own half, Smit sauntered towards the top of the centre-circle, spotted the Barca 'keeper off his line, and produced a perfectly weighted lob that dropped into the net off the crossbar. The technical difficulty of that long-range effort was off the charts, but Smit executed it in such a nonchalant fashion that it was like he was just enjoying a kick-around at the park with friends.
Despite his impact in the Youth League, Smit was made to wait for his senior AZ debut, and continued his development in the reserve side throughout the 2023-24 campaign until he was finally given his Eredivisie debut in March 2024 at 18 years and 48 days old, coming on as a late substitute in a 4-0 victory over Excelsior.
It was Maarten Martens who gave Smit that opportunity, having replaced Pascal Jensen as AZ head coach at the start of 2024, and Martens subsequently began using Smit more frequently last season, with his big breakthrough moment coming in a Europa League group-stage clash against Fenerbahce.
Smit scored a superb goal and provided an assist in a dazzling 26-minute cameo to inspire AZ to a 3-1 victory, and went on to impress in his first pair of Eredivisie starts against Sparta Rotterdam and Heracles before the end of the year, earning special praise from Martens. "He sees things that other players don't see," declared the Belgian manager.
How it's going
Surprisingly, Smit's momentum stalled in the first three months of 2025 as Martens went back to carefully managing his minutes. He was only given 19 in a 1-0 home win against Fortuna Sittard on February 23, and allowed his frustrations to boil over after the final whistle.
"I just want to play. I understand why I'm not always in the starting line up, or why I'm not always substituted, but I don't have a lot of patience," Smit admitted to . "I think I should be playing, and I believe it will happen. I'm just trying my hardest every day, and then I hope I might get to play a bit more soon. Apparently, I still have some work to do."
Questioning Martens' decision-making in public was a risky move that could easily have backfired. But fortunately for Smit, the AZ boss took it as proof of the teenager's strength of character, and put more trust in him down the finishing stretch of the season.
Smit started six of AZ's final eight Eredivisie matches as they secured a top-five finish, and made Martens' line up for their KNVB Cup final clash with the Go Ahead Eagles, which they lost after an agonising penalty shootout. Smit did, however, get another chance to finish the season on a high when he was named in the Netherlands' final squad for the U19 European Championship.
He grabbed it with both hands, too, scoring in each of the Netherlands' first four wins against Germany, Norway, England and Romaniam before putting in a Man-of-the-Match performance in their 1-0 final triumph over Spain. As if inspiring his country to their first U19 Euros title wasn't enough, Smit also won a share of the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament award, with coach Peter van der Veen describing him as a "joy to watch".
Smit did his best to remain modest, though. "I'm playing pretty well," he said with a smile after the semi-finals. "It's taking some getting used to, all this attention." You wouldn't know it from how the Dutch ace is performing. It's still very early in his career, but Smit looks like he was made for the big occasion.
Getty Images SportBiggest strengths
"I think he's special," former AZ winger Kenneth Perez told after watching Smit in AZ's KNVB Cup semi-final win against Heracles. "He has very strong legs. He dares to ask for the ball every time and generally does good things every time. Sometimes you can't quite explain it, but you can tell it's not a coincidence. There's a thought behind every single move. Not everything works out, far from it, but when you see him… This is just different, I think."
That was a long-winded way of explaining that Smit possesses the footballing intelligence needed to reach the top. He always seems to be one step ahead of his opponents and demonstrates mastery of the ball with both feet when it comes to dribbling, passing and shooting.
Smit also has the pace and strength to thrive in one-on-one situations, as well as the awareness and composure to operate in the smallest pockets of space. He never seems to run out of energy either, which bodes well for his chances of succeeding in one of Europe's major leagues, where the intensity is far greater. Until he makes that step, we won't know for sure how high Smit's ceiling is, but it's already fair to say that he has all the makings of an elite player and athlete.
