He was on a mission, he knew very early on that he wanted to become a football player.
He was already recruited very early at Ajax.
He has great potential. He’s played 25 matches for the first team so there’s still a very long way to go.
He’s very quick, agile, good technique and I’m very, very proud of him.
First Kluivert to score a hat-trick, which is great. I have always said that I wanted to further boost the Kluivert reputation
and these are the sort of moments to do that. So that is obviously great.
We’re at De Toekomst today for a special occasion, because Justin Kluivert,
you have been named the biggest talent in the world and winner of Goal’s NxGn series.
How did it feel when you heard it?
Of course, I was very happy.
It’s always nice to hear something like this as an 18-year-old.
That’s why you start playing football as a kid, to experience things like this
and it’s great that I’m able to experience this. This one is in the bag.
The future of your son - Justin is impressing everyone is Europe.
What do you think is going to happen with him [in future]?
Well Justin is doing very good at the moment.
I’m very proud of him. He’s doing very good at Ajax.
He’s now a first 11 player.
What will be happening with him? Well, If he [keeps] doing like this in long term,
he could be one important player in the future.
It's great that...
the son is following the footsteps of his dad.
Of course, he has a different physique.
Different attributes. He’s quicker, left and right footed.
Patrick was really the main striker
but for him it’s a great story.
Do you have any role models that you look up to?
I definitely have a few. My father is one of them,
but Cristiano Ronaldo is another also, because of what he’s doing off the pitch.
He doesn’t just think about himself, but also about others. He does a lot for charities
and is really dedicated to his life as a footballer. That’s something I can learn from
and I want to be doing myself as well.
So we don’t have to ask you whether you’re Team Messi or Team Ronaldo then?
I am Team Messi.
Messi is the best player in the world, but Ronaldo is a role model for me.
He is an example to follow because of the way he lives for the game.
That’s just great.
But you have been compared to Neymar a lot. How does that make you feel?
That is obviously great to hear,
but Neymar is world-class.
It is my goal to become as good as he is
and I train hard to get there on a daily basis.
Of course, you go through difficult spells as well, but I am still only 18.
I eventually hope to become as good as Neymar, though.
The only thing is he was always very little.
Now he’s coming out a little bit - he’s very quick.
But now his height helps him a little bit.
I noticed that your father is about 20 cm taller than you are…
That’s right, and my brothers are pretty tall as well.
Everybody has his own characteristics and skills I guess.
He’s a bit smaller but he’s faster and has an eye for goal.
I think that’s what they have in common.
What’s your dream club?
Spain, Barcelona. That is my dream club.
In the end. I would not mind going elsewhere,
but Barcelona are the dream.
Of course, I prefer that he goes to Barcelona but in football anything can happen.
He’s an adult.
He can make his own decision but he already said it’s a dream for him to play at Barcelona.
But you never know in football.
It was beautiful. You learn so much here.
I came here as an eight-year-old kid and I am 18 now,
so that’s 10 years of my development, not just on the pitch, but also off it.
You learn so much from the trainers as well as the teachers.
You develop as a player and as a person and that’s great.
Yes of course I'm extremely proud.
Ajax is all about development and giving young players a chance.
I think we have an outstanding academy.
All the hard work that the coaches put in
and of course, what the players have done themselves.
Justin winning it - It's extremely rewarding for us.
He was dedicated.
Not only on the pitch, but outside of the pitch.
Always on time, always at training. Never late.
I think that I always used to make plenty of sacrifices to achieve my goal
and to have a successful career – and I still do.
I think that is crucial for youngsters who want to make it.
Plus there is obviously the matter of talent and working hard in training.
Not only the coaches - the physical coaches, the teachers but also the parents
put in towards the development of their players.
Who taught you the most?
My father.
He has obviously been very important because he has already been there before himself.
He has experienced it all first hand and you can only learn from that.
If someone makes a mistake, he’s not likely to make that same mistake again.
So I am that person now and his experiences help me.
I learn from his mistakes in that regard.
Of course, I still make some mistakes, but I learn from those as well. That’s part of my development.
What’s the biggest misunderstanding about you?
Misunderstanding?
I think people might see me as an aggressive and annoying guy
because I got involved in a fair few fights on the pitch.
But I am nothing like that, I can guarantee you that.
I am very calm and quiet. I was quite surprised about myself when I saw that.
It’s not me.
I am not one of those guys acting all popular either.
People might expect me to be like that because I have a famous father,
but I won’t start acting differently because my father is Patrick Kluivert.
People have always appreciated that about me. I am a quiet and normal guy.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
This moment, being called up to the national team.
For Justin, it’s his first time. It’s a fantastic achievement
and it’s an encouragement to keep on going.
He must not stop now. It’s a motivator to accelerate even more.
You’ve won the NxGn now,
could you win the Ballon d’Or in 10 years’ time or so?
That’s definitely my goal, I can tell you that. That’s what I want and nothing less.
I will have to work hard to get there,
but I am only 18 and still have plenty of room for improvement.
I will definitely work hard for it and that is my goal.
There’s more to come from me.
You’ll stay at Ajax for a while, right?
Yes.
Enjoy it and good luck with the development of your career.
Thank you.