by Justin Kluivert has a simple explanation for why he joined Bournemouth. “It was love at first sight,” he says, laughing, and there is a lot of laughter when the striker explains what it’s like to be the youngest player to score in Europe’s top five leagues, the “stability” he now needs in his career, his life. as the son of the great Patrick Kluivert and whether the Kluivert family (father and four children) will one day be able to have their own indoor soccer team.
“To be fair, it’s not recommended,” Kluivert says of his extraordinary European tour that took him from Ajax to Roma and then loan spells at RB Leipzig, Nice and Valencia before finally moving permanently last summer to Bournemouth.
During each of those loans, clubs wanted to buy him, but either the coach left (Julian Nagelsmann from Leipzig to Bayern Munich and Christophe Galtier from Nice to Paris St-Germain) or Valencia couldn’t reach an agreement.
Kluivert could also have been in the Premier League even earlier, before moving to Spain.
“I was going to go to Fulham [in August 2022],” he says. “Everything was agreed and then they told me ‘you don’t have a work permit’ probably because of Brexit and so on. To this day I don’t really know why and it was a shame because I was looking for a new start, a new step and a step to the Premier League.
“At the last moment everything fell apart and I had to make a quick decision, but I didn’t want to make a crazy decision, so I went back on loan, this time to Spain and a beautiful season with Valencia. They also wanted me to stay, I would have loved to stay but a lot of things happen in football: how much does it cost? – and at that moment Bournemouth said: we have a plan, you are someone we need. And that was all I needed to hear. Love at first sight!”
There is a pause before adding: “I have lived in Valencia, in Rome, in the south of France and now in Bournemouth. Always the south, eh? Maybe I chase the sun.” But there is a serious point. Kluivert admits that he craved “stability” and explains: “I’m a ‘feelings’ person. I like that. Bournemouth were interested in me very early and 100 percent and for me that was enough.
“I wanted to be in a club and not on loan. He was right at the point he needed and wanted to listen. I didn’t think twice and I was very motivated and also because the club has a lot of ambition, which I also have. I am 24 years old and from now on I look up and I want to be in a club that is going in the same direction.
“It’s not just about what they say but what they show. Next year there will be a new training ground, then a new stadium and there are the players they attract. That speaks louder than words. “Everything looks good.”
Certainly so it is. Under new manager Andoni Iraola (another factor in Kluivert’s signing), Bournemouth are flying after a difficult start. They visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday and are the most in-form team in the Premier League with 13 points from their last five games and just six from their previous 11. It’s a change of direction.
“The coach has to get used to many things, especially because he is the one in charge of the team,” explains Kluivert. “Then when you win some games, you have the feeling of ‘okay, this is how we play, this is how, for example, [Marcus] Tavernier is good at. Now I know what Dom [Solanke] is good at. They know me best. They know ‘ah, Justin is this type of player.’ They didn’t know me before and I didn’t know them.
“Yes, at first it was difficult. If you are losing then you come to an environment where you are more afraid to take action because you don’t want to lose and now we are in a different momentum and the results speak to that. “We are willing to push, we are willing to do more and that comes from victories, from confidence.”
Bournemouth’s confidence in Iraola, signed after turning down a new contract at Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, impressed Kluivert.
“It’s not that we lose three or four games and they want to change coaches,” he says. “They want to give it time and that is the key. Sometimes it goes fast. Four games and they can fire you. But if a club has ambition and a coach has an idea, it’s good to see them supporting him.”
Iraola’s appointment was announced just four days after Kluivert’s deal was revealed (he was Bournemouth’s first signing of the summer) and the two spoke beforehand.
“I played against him, I scored against him [for Valencia]. I keep reminding him of that. The team he coached was one of the teams he didn’t know before playing against them, but afterwards I thought ‘ah, they have a plan.’”
Although not ideal, the moves through Europe, says Kluivert, have made him a better player: “Without a doubt, and that is the best. At Ajax I was a true winger, I stayed on the line, one against one. At Roma I learned different positions: number 10, inside back, second striker. “I have learned a lot and I am grateful for it and I want to learn even more and be better in every position I can occupy.”
It wasn’t intended for Kluivert to tour all five major European leagues, but it meant he set a notable record. His recent goal against Sheffield United was widely recognised. He is only the third player to score in those top five leagues and by far the youngest at 24 years old.
Who are the others?
“Jovetic,” says Kluivert, as Stevan Jovetic has scored for Fiorentina, Manchester City, Sevilla, Monaco and Hertha Berlin. And the other? It all started before Kluivert was born: the Romanian striker Florin Raducioiu, who did it with several Italian clubs, including Brescia, then Espanyol, West Ham United, VfB Stuttgart and Monaco.
“Okay, but I’m the youngest to do it! It’s like when I talk, you’d think I’m 34 or something, but I’m 24. I have at least 10 years to give it my all, so I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me,” Kluivert says.
“Sometimes people call me Patrick, that’s funny.”
Kluivert’s father also played in those five leagues, most famously in Barcelona and in England for Newcastle United, and also began his career with Ajax and Justin knows there will always be inevitable comparisons.
“He was a very famous footballer and you feel it wherever you go,” he says. “Sometimes people call me ‘Patrick’ and then they say ‘ah, sorry, it’s Justin.’ That’s funny: he was a little taller too. You feel it and hear it everywhere. Everyone has heard of my dad and I understand that comparison. ‘Are you going to be as good as your dad?’ They say but it’s okay. I admire how good he was and the only shame is that I never saw him play even though I have seen all the clips on YouTube.
“I have lived with the name and it has always been my motivation. I know some people may feel pressure and I understand that. But for me it was a motivation to show people that I am a good footballer. Not for my dad. That wasn’t why I was at the Ajax academy. It was because I worked hard, you know? It only bothered me in a good way. I was there for my own qualities and that made me who I am today. “I don’t feel the weight of the name on my shoulders.”
He is one of four children: there is Quincy, the eldest, who is a DJ, then Justin and then Ruben, a defender for Dordrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie, and finally Shane, another forward, who is only 16 years old and has just signed for Barcelona. .
“I think we could make a great team of five players,” says Kluivert. “We have some defenders in the family. My dad? He will always be the forward. The number nine.” What about Quincy, why isn’t he a footballer? “He is also good at football.” [and was at the Ajax academy]”says Justin. “We can still play, at least three of us, in the [Dutch] national team together. There is time, who knows?
