AFC Bournemouth
On Friday afternoon, Justin Kluivert became the club's first signing of the summer, putting pen-to-paper on a long-term deal and arriving from Roma.
We took a look at five things you may not have known about our new man!
Family Heritage
It’s well known that Kluivert is the son of Barcelona and Holland legend Patrick, but he comes from an incredible footballing family, with his brother Ruben currently playing professionally for FC Utrecht and his grandfather Kenneth a former Surinamese international.
In honour of his family, Kluivert has his father’s name, alongside the number nine, tattooed on his right arm, while he also has all his brothers names printed on a sleeve. His mother and girlfriend also have dedicated artwork.
Facing the new head coach
While on loan at Valencia last season, Kluivert came up against new head coach Andoni Iraola, who was managing Rayo Vallecano at the time. The winger will certainly have left an impression, scoring from the spot to secure a 1-1 draw as recently as April.
In September’s reverse fixture, he came off the bench as Vallecano were 2-1 winners on the day, with Iraola’s side well on their way to a respectable 11th placed finish.
Dutch international
Kluivert joins an impressive list of Dutch footballers to represent the Cherries, as he’ll be looking to add to his two international caps over the next few years. Nathan Ake is the most notable of the bunch, making 121 appearances in red and black.
More recently, Arnaut Danjuma enjoyed a two-year spell with the club between August 2019 and August 2021, scoring 17 goals from his 52 appearances. Other Dutch players to feature for the Cherries include Frank Demouge (2012/13) and Lorenzo Davids (2012/13).
Europa League runner up
It might have been right at the start of his career, but Kluivert has a Europa League runners up medal, having reached the final in 2017 with Ajax.
Manchester United were the opponents in Stockholm and ran out 2-0 winners on the day thanks to goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhiaryan, with an 18-year-old Kluivert an unused substitute on the day.
Top league experience
Kluivert has only just turned 24, but he’s already featured in La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. Having signed for AFC Bournemouth, the Premier League is next on his list, with the forward set to become just the fourth player to feature in each of Europe’s top five leagues.
Aside from all that, he’s also played in the Eredivisie, Holland’s top division, meaning the experience he brings to the Cherries will be invaluable throughout the next few years.
