Top stars of Feyenoord: Orkun Kokcu, Sebastian Szymanski, S. Gimenez

Feyenoord’s rich history speaks for itself. They have 16 Eredivisie titles, 13 Dutch Cup titles, one European Champions clubs' Cup (69/70), and two UEFA Cup titles (73/74 and 01/02) but, in the last few years, they haven’t had too much success.

Although they were considered the third-best Eredivisie team coming into the 2022/23 season, they outplayed Ajax and PSV and comfortably won the title.

A few of Feyenoord’s players have taken leading roles in the club’s success this season.

Orkun Kokcu (Age: 22, Market Value: €30,00m)

Eredivisie is usually considered to be a league that gives chances to the younger players. Feyenoord’s captain Orkun Kokcu could be the next big thing to come out of the talented Dutch football league. Although he is only 22 years old, the midfielder played a prominent role at the club that dominated the whole year. Orkun Kokcu finished the season with eight goals and three assists, but it seems we’ve only scratched the surface of what the player could become in the future.

Orkun Kokcu through seasons

Given that Feyenoord’s head coach Arne Slot is one of the candidates for the Tottenham manager role, there are reports that Slot could take Orkun Kokcu with him to London. Also, Manchester United’s head coach Erik ten Hag would prefer to see the player at Old Trafford next season.

Sebastian Szymanski (Age: 24, Market Value: €14,00m)

Another important piece of Feyenoord’s championship puzzle was the Polish attacking midfielder Sebastian Szymanski. He came to the new Dutch champions last summer on a season-long loan spell from Dynamo Moscow. Szymanski played well in the Russian league too but, at Feyenoord, he took his game to another level. Szymanski finished the 2022/23 season with nine Eredivisie goals while adding four assists.

Sebastian Szymanski career stats

Feyenoord are very satisfied with Szymanski and want to sign him on a permanent deal this summer. The only problem is that Dynamo Moscow are asking for about ten million euros for the player, while Feyenoord doesn’t want to pay that much to a Russian club that is openly linked with the war in Ukraine.

Santiago Gimenez (Age: 22, Market Value: €9,00m)

Before moving to Feyenoord in 2022, Santiago Gimenez, a 22-year-old Mexican, had spent his career at Cruz Azul. While he didn’t play a significant role in Mexico, Gimenez exploded once he came to Feyenoord for four million euros. This season, he scored 15 league goals for the new Dutch champions. Also, Gimenez scored five goals in the Europa League and three KNVB Beker goals.

Santiago Gimenez points scored

Santiago Gimenez’s current contract with Feyenoord expires in the summer of 2026, but he could leave De Kuip already in a few months. Several clubs in Europe want to sign Gimenez next summer. Lazio is the most interested, but a few more teams from England, Spain, and Portugal are also following the performances of the young Mexican.