21-year-old Bart Verbruggen from Breda will make his debut in the Dutch team on Friday evening during the European Championship qualifier against France. This makes him the youngest goalkeeper for the Dutch national team in 56 years. Less than four years ago, the goalkeeper signed his first professional contract with NAC Breda, but he now plays goalkeeper in the English Premier League.
Bart Verbruggen’s debut was already a bit in the air. National coach Ronald Koeman did not want to confirm during the Dutch press conference on Thursday that he would be goalkeeper, but he told the journalists present that the suspicions could be correct. “I think you are also smart enough to know,” said the national coach. “It’s the name that gets mentioned the most.”
Koeman’s choice for Verbruggen is partly because goalkeepers Mark Fleken (Brentford FC) and Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord) are struggling with injuries. They were still on target during the previous international match. Andries Noppert and Nick Olij, the two other goalkeepers in the Dutch selection, remain on the bench.
Youngest ever
Bart Verbruggen was born on August 18, 2002. This makes him 21 years and 56 days old on Friday. The last Dutch goalkeeper who was younger was Jan van Beveren, who would later make waves at PSV. The now deceased goalkeeper was only 19 years and 269 days old when he made his debut against the Soviet Union in 1967.
Before that there were more very young goalkeepers. The youngest ever was Just Göbel in 1911. He was 19 years and 118 days old. Lo La Chapelle and Joop Wille were also only 19 when they made their debut for the Dutch team. Bart Verbruggen is the sixth youngest ever.
Youth football player
Verbruggen was born in Zwolle, but he grew up in Breda. From 2008 he played in the youth of amateur club WDS’19 in Breda. While he was still an E-junior, the very young goalkeeper was already playing impressive goalkeeping for the older D-juniors.
It was goalkeeping coach Max Hoeke who brought the young goalie to NAC in 2013. In October 2019, Verbruggen signed his first professional contract there, but he would never keep an official match for the Breda club.
Professional debut
He eventually made his professional debut in Belgium. For a few hundred euros, he switched to RSC Anderlecht in 2020, where NAC veteran Jelle Terouwelaar was the goalkeeper coach. As the third goalkeeper in the selection, it took until May 2021 before he made his professional debut.
That debut was so solid that he subsequently remained the first goalkeeper until the end of the season. The following two seasons, Verbruggen was not the first choice in goal for Anderlecht, but whenever he kept goal, he did so solidly. In March of this year he was already in the Dutch selection, but had to drop out due to a virus infection.
Most expensive goalkeeper
Verbruggen was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion FC during the last transfer period. The deal involved a transfer fee of 20 million. It made him the most expensive outgoing transfer of a goalkeeper in Belgium ever. Verbruggen is a regular in goal in Brighton.
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