The year 2023 is ending. In the traditional year-end series, 11 athletes and one coach look back on an eventful year. Today, Ajax’s much-discussed forward is Brian Brobbey.
Last Thursday. The final signal of 2023 is coming for Brobbey: The striker ended his disastrous year at Ajax “in style” with a historic cup exit against third division club Hercules.
He also gets into a fight with one of his opponents after the match. Being held back by teammates and Hercules players, Brobbey breaks free, throws a few punches, and then runs to the locker room.
Ajax looked to have hit rock bottom before due to administrative chaos, finishing eighteenth in the Premier League, but this is a new low.
The day before, there was a long silence in the press room under the Sportpark De Toekomst stands when Brobbey was asked about his most important performance in 2023. “There aren’t that many, I admit that. I might go back to Ajax. Was this already in 2022? Ah. Of course, it is nice that I am important in my goals for the last half of the year. For example, the two goals I scored against Marseille, even though we lost. Hmm, I may come back to this later. “
So it’s a low point. “I actually want to stay positive, you know. But you’re always looking for the negative,” he says jokingly in a distinct Amsterdam accent.
The comment does not appear out of nowhere. Brobbey, who is only 21 years old, was undoubtedly the most talked about player in the Premier League last year. While some think this is a huge overstatement for a striker who is yet to score ten goals in fifth place in the Premier League, others see Brobbey as the attacking leader of the Dutch team for the next decade. Whoever is right: Wherever the name Brobbey is mentioned, controversy arises.
This is also the case at the table of Ziggo’s football talk show Rondo; where former world footballer of the year Marco van Basten criticizes Brobbey almost every week.
cambuur level
“But Van Basten talks about everyone. He mentioned Devyne (Rensch, editor’s note) from the Cambuur level. And a few days later he suddenly thought he was a good actor again. He always says, ‘These guys make a lot of money.’ We can say something.’ He talks a lot and that, of course, is his job. I don’t think he did this to provoke us. I don’t need it for that.”
But the criticisms do not leave him completely indifferent and he has made it his mission to prove the critics wrong. Two specific areas that need improvement: finishing and heading.
Below you can see Brobbey’s top shot and header chances in the Premier League in 2023, as well as images of all his goals. Brobbey has converted 32.4 percent of his big chances this calendar year, according to statistics agency Opta. Significantly higher through 2022 (2022 inclusive). Ajax (50 percent).
“This is something that can still be improved. We are working on this too. Education, education, education. Our schedule was very busy, so I haven’t started with John Bosman yet, who will help me improve. By At a busy time.” Too many shots are not recommended. What I do? During training I ask the left and right defenders to make crosses to improve this connection. At a certain point, these balls automatically go in.”
What Brobbey no longer has to work on is playing football with a man behind him. He would turn his ass in and then pass the ball back to a teammate or turn it into an art form. “This happens automatically. “It’s our second nature.”
Reminds me of Hennie Meijer in the late eighties. Then-coach Johan Cruijff brought the striker to Ajax and he perfected Meijer’s “back work”, even becoming FC Groningen’s player of the year a few years later. Moreover, in a season when Dennis Bergkamp and Romario also played in the Premier League.
“Hennie Meijer? No, I don’t know him. Of course Cruijff knows him. In my youth I had Dave Vos (currently coach of Jong Ajax, editor’s note). He started working with me and helped me a lot with catching the ball, and it’s been a weapon ever since. I know exactly what to do when players touch me. And I know what to do if they don’t touch me.
Brobbey did not copy Meijer’s number. However, he spent hours poring over images of Ivory Coast’s top striker Didier Drogba on YouTube. “He is a fantastic striker. The goal he scored against Tottenham in the cup final. How he turned, how he threw the ball into the midfield with his left foot. This is really fun. Champions League final. Title. 1:1. “He is a great striker.” Yes. “
“Unfortunately, I never met him. Can you arrange this for me? Yes? Great.”
Brobbey is a man of few words, but when he talks football there is a twinkle in his eye and he speaks in a more raw manner. However, side issues also need to be discussed. 2023 was also a year in which he had to deal with racism many times.
He was racially abused by a 16-year-old boy after a match against FC Twente in September. Things had also gone wrong in Enschede four months ago. Teammate Steven Berghuis then hit the person who insulted Brobbey.
“This is not allowed. Steven was also suspended for three games but I understand his frustration. It makes sense for a teammate to defend you like that, but this wasn’t an example. But let’s not forget why, these things need to be done. “It won’t happen again.”
hate online
Brobbey was one of the faces of Ajax’s campaign against online hate. “To be honest, it doesn’t really affect me personally because I can just ignore it. But I know it affects others a lot too. I talk to my siblings about it and then we really make fun of it. My notifications were on. Afterwards, I was insulted every day. But now that my notifications are turned off, they won’t be able to harass me anymore.”
He didn’t receive all the hate messages on social media after his fight with goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen against RKC Waalwijk. “I had a little concussion in my back which meant I couldn’t slow down. Then I hit him with my foot. It was a terrible moment. The way he lied… Then immediately the worst comes to mind: “But it’s better now.”
Brobbey sits up straighter when Orange is finally mentioned. “Of course this is my highlight! My first match with the Dutch team! “I’m sorry, a lot has happened in the last year.”
“I want more. If I continue like this, I think I can be an important player for the Dutch national team in the European Championship. After the national coach (Ronald Koeman, editor’s note) criticized me, what we talked about remains between us. “You tried.” That’s it, right? Hahaha. But the fact that we are in contact clearly says something. “I want to be in the European Championship, that is my main goal in 2024.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
