Ro-Zangelo Daal Shines in AZ's Victory Amid Mixed Reactions
Ro-Zangelo Daal lit up Alkmaar on Sunday with two goals in AZ’s 5-2 win over Go Ahead Eagles, but the reaction to his breakout performance has split opinion in Dutch football.
On one side, there is the excitement: a 19-year-old winger stepping into the spotlight, scoring twice, and suddenly being linked with both Curaçao and the Netherlands. On the other, there is Kenneth Perez, pouring a bucket of ice over the growing hype.
Perez hits the brakes
On ESPN’s Dit was het Weekend, presenter Wouter Bouwman rolled the highlight reel and noted how quickly things seem to be moving for Daal. The tone hinted at a rising star. Perez cut straight through it.
“Take it easy, man,” he snapped, clearly irritated by the noise surrounding the youngster. “I’m really going mad from all that nonsense about multi-talent, great talent. He’s a young and decent player. Let’s wait and see what it all becomes.”
No warm-up, no gentle caveat. Perez refused to dress Daal up as anything more than a promising player who has strung together some good moments.
“All those superlatives about ordinary players... Calm down, please,” he added, drawing a sharp line between a strong performance and the status of “top talent.”
Bouwman then pointed out that Daal is already on the radar of the Curaçao national team and floated the idea that he could also wait for a possible Netherlands call-up. Perez needed just one word – and not even a full one – to show what he thought of that leap: “Well…”
The message was clear. For Perez, talk of national teams and “multi-talent” is several steps ahead of reality.
Haan sees a star in the making
Where Perez sees exaggeration, Arie Haan sees emergence.
Acting as a reporter for De Telegraaf, the former Ajax and Netherlands midfielder went the other way entirely. Haan placed Daal straight into his Team of the Week, a strong public endorsement after the winger’s display against Go Ahead Eagles.
“They kept trying to block off the outside. Then he just went inside,” Haan said, impressed by Daal’s solutions on the ball and his reading of the game. “He played brilliantly.”
Haan didn’t stop there. He framed Daal’s rise as good news for the national team setup as well.
“It’s good for Xavi that another winger is emerging who is developing so spectacularly,” he added, dropping a clear hint in the direction of Netherlands head coach Xavi.
Where Perez wants patience, Haan is already thinking in terms of options for the Oranje.
On Xavi’s radar
That line from Haan isn’t just a throwaway compliment. According to Algemeen Dagblad, Daal’s name is indeed on a “watchlist” compiled by Xavi and his staff.
He is not alone there. Fellow forwards Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink and Shaqueel van Persie are also reportedly being monitored by the Spanish coach as part of a broader look at the next wave of attacking talent.
For now, Daal sits at the crossroads. Curaçao have noticed him. The Netherlands are tracking him. Pundits are already arguing about what he is – and what he might become.
Between Perez’s call for restraint and Haan’s push for recognition, the young AZ forward has done the one thing that really matters: he has forced his way into the conversation.
