Rafael van der Vaart praises Joey Veerman – Every ball perfectly played

On Sunday evening Joey Veerman put in a lightning‑clean performance in the 2‑1 away win of the Eleven in the Nations League against Serbia. The Dutch former international Rafael van der Vaart, today a TV pundit at, is highly impressed and sees the midfielder's place under national team coach Xavi Hernandez secured.

Van der Vaart's Praise for Veerman's Passing Game

Van der Vaart praised Veerman in his role at: “When it comes to passing, he is by far the best.” The comment highlighted the playmaker's precision, who in the Serbian duel delivered 105 of 117 passes to a teammate.

He added that Veerman's speed often appears a bit slow, but at Borussia Dortmund he has shown that the move to BVB serves his development. The Dutchman sees in Germany an environment that gives the player the necessary dynamism.

“Every ball is perfect and played at the right speed,” Van der Vaart continued. “Everyone knows that they can give Veerman the ball. I really believe that he is an Xavi player and that he will make many games from the start.”

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Veerman's Path at Dortmund and in the National Team

Despite the strong performance, Veerman has had a difficult period in the national team. At Euro 2024 he was substituted after only 30 minutes in the 2‑3 setback against Austria by former coach Ronald Koeman and has not been called up since.

The 27‑year‑old midfielder moved last summer for €22 million from PSV Eindhoven to Borussia Dortmund. He showed his class early on, for example in the 3‑2 opening‑day win of the Black‑Yellows against FC Villarreal, where he conducted the midfield like a metronome.

His passing strength under pressure recalls Toni Kroos or Andrea Pirlo, while Theo Janssen draws parallels to Sergio Busquets. Janssen emphasized that Busquets is not faster, but always delivers the ball to the right man, and that Veerman is very good at threading the ball between opponent's lines.

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Opta data demonstrate Veerman's influence: 135 touches, 117 passes, of which 105 were successful, five key passes and six won duels. Since Wesley Sneijder's 147 touches against Latvia, no the Oranje player has recorded so many touches.