Dutch prodigy speaks on Barcelona & Real Madrid links | OneFootball

An up-and-coming member of the midfield ranks at Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar has this week responded to the alleged interest of Spanish football’s two biggest clubs in his signature.

The player in question? Kees Smit.

Smit, for those not familiar with his name, is a 19-year-old midfielder, who is currently plying his club trade in his home country of the Netherlands, with the aforementioned AZ .

The starlet is fresh off something of a breakout season in 2024/25, which saw him rack up 25 appearances across all competitions in Alkmaar’s colours.

It was Smit’s performances at this summer’s U19 European Championships, though, which saw clubs across the continent truly take note of the youngster’s talents.

Smit played a leading role in the Netherlands ultimately clinching glory at the Euros, named Player of the Tournament back in June.

Amongst the sides credited with an interest in his signature were La Liga heavyweights Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

And this week, Smit himself has admitted that such links made him ‘proud’:

“I played reasonably well, I think. I did well, I scored a lot of goals. That definitely helped attract attention. I did see my name popping up a lot on social media back then. I was supposed to be in the sights of Real Madrid and Barcelona. That made me proud.”

Quotes via Mundo Deportivo

Conor Laird – GSFN