Everything you need to know about the 22-year-old forward named in Hugo Broos’ side
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos handed a maiden call-up to Dutch-born striker Simon van Duivenbooden in his provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old was among six new call-ups in the 38-man squad and will be hoping to impress to make the cut to the final 23 that will face Uganda and South Sudan on September 6 and 10 respectively.
However, unlike the other new call-ups who play in the PSL, Van Duivenbooden is not a name that South African fans are familiar with given he was not born in the country and neither has he played there.
So, who is the new striker that Broos hopes can lead the line for Bafana Bafana in future?
Age & nationality
Simon van Duivenbooden was born in Uithoorn, in the province of North Holland, on May 11, 2002 to a South African father and many of his family members live in the country.
That made him eligible to represent both South Africa and the Netherlands but having not turned out for the Dutch yet, he made the decision to turn out for Bafana Bafana before acquiring his South African passport in June 2024.
That decision allowed Duivenbooden to feature for South Africa and Broos has wasted no time to hand him his first call-up.
Football journey
Simon van Duivenbooden honed skills at Legmeervogels and Alphense Boys before joining the Vitesse academy in 2017, playing for two years before he switched to PSV Eindhoven in 2019.
At Vitesse, he made 75 appearances from the U17 level, scoring 45 goals while providing seven assists before the move to Eindhoven where his career blossomed further.
At PSV, Van Duivenbooden played alongside some of Europe’s brightest talents such as Noni Mudueke, now at Premier League side Chelsea, and Johan Bakayoko, who has been linked with a number of teams this transfer window, Arsenal among them.
He returned to Vitesse in 2021 but made just two appearances in 2021-22. He would turn out for the club nine times in 2022-23, scoring one goal, but was a bit-part player last season when he made only three appearances across all competitions.
That was after a failed loan move to Belgian side Patro Eisden. The two clubs agreed a deal for Van Duivenbooden to join on loan in September 2023 but the player returned home eight days later due to ‘personal reasons.’
Relegation with Vitesse
Van Duivenbooden was part of the Vitesse squad that suffered an unfortunate relegation from the Eredivisie last season after the club was docked 18 points over its relationship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic.
The Russian billionaire was said to be bankrolling Vitesse and when investigations began, the club was deemed to have breached a number of rules.
Transfer to the PSL soon?
Bafana Bafana fans could see Van Duivenbooden play in the South African top flight if PSL clubs make the move given he is entering in the final year of his contract at Vitesse.
His deal at Vitesse ends in 2025 after which he will be a free agent and even though he has featured in their first two matches of the new season, clubs could snap him up for free and the end of the current term.
Mamelodi Sundowns are known to cast their net wide and could be tempted by his availability especially if he gets a run of games in a Bafana Bafana shirt and impresses.
