da 888casino： Representing her country on the biggest stage and set to make a massive transfer decision, it's a huge summer for the 19-year-old

da betsson： As the clock ticked into the third minute of stoppage-time, the Netherlands still needed a goal to send them to the Women's World Cup. The 2019 runners-up had produced 21 shots, 10 on target, and hit the post three times but the scores remained goalless between them and Iceland, who were on the verge of qualifying for their first tournament instead. But then, with mere seconds remaining, 18-year-old Esmee Brugts sent those in the stands at Stadion Galgenwaard absolutely crazy.

Picking the ball up on the left wing, Brugts whipped in a dangerous cross with her right foot, one which left Iceland goalkeeper Sandra Sigurdardottir helpless as she waited to react to any contact on the delivery. But it evaded all in the box and, to the despair of those in blue, nestled right in the bottom far corner. The Netherlands had won it.

As the visiting players dropped to their knees in disappointment, fighting back tears, those in orange celebrated wildly, the entire bench racing down the touchline to join in. Entering her third season with PSV, Brugts’ talent had been known about for a while now – but this was the biggest moment of her career to date.

Ten months on, the teenager is at that very World Cup, her first at any level, as part of what is going to be an absolutely massive summer in these early years of her very promising career.

Praised for her work-rate, technical ability and wonderful footballing intelligence, let GOAL introduce you to a player who could be signing for one of Europe’s elite once her work in Australia and New Zealand is done…

GettyWhere it all began

Brugts started playing football around the age of five for SV Heinenoord, the team based in the village where she was born and raised. She stayed there for eight years before joining FC Binnenmaas, having been spotted by coach Marius Heinerman and persuaded to move.

Despite being the only girl in a team full of boys, Brugts regularly stood out. “She did so well that when I was putting the names on paper, she was always the first one,” Heinerman told GOAL last year. “She always wanted to give her best.”

Also a star in the Netherlands youth teams, putting up incredibly prolific numbers with the Under-17s, the young forward was very highly sought after when she turned 16 years old. In the end, she would sign for PSV and quickly become a regular in their starting XI, winning the Dutch Cup in her first season.

AdvertisementGettyThe big break

After steadily building a reputation with her domestic performances, either as a wide player or as a No.10, Brugts was given her international debut by then-head coach Mark Parsons in February 2022. With it the second-to-last international break before the Netherlands squad for the Euros would be announced, she didn’t have a lot of time to make an impression and get herself on the roster – but she still managed to do so.

Still just 18 years old at the time, it was the biggest moment of her career to date, and Brugts showed why she was chosen in the three substitute appearances she made, adding energy and creativity whenever she had the chance to.

While her role at the tournament wasn’t huge, it certainly raised her profile and marked her out as one to watch for the years to come.

GettyHow it's going

Brugts only became more and more important for PSV as each season went by, improving her goal contributions year on year before departing the club this summer.

Unsurprisingly, a whole host of Europe’s elite clubs have been keeping tabs on her, with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris-Saint Germain, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt all linked with the teenager in recent months.

With the national team, meanwhile, Brugts’ role has changed dramatically. She was largely operating in the forward areas in her first experiences with the senior team, sometimes from the start but more often from the bench.

Now, she’s become a regular in the Netherlands line-up, though usually playing as an orthodox left-back or left wing-back under new head coach Andries Jonker.

GettyBiggest strengths

There’s a lot that stands out about Brugts. Heinerman said the first thing that caught his eye when he started to coach her as a young girl was her mentality. “Even when the season ended, she still wanted to train,” he explained. “With the boys, when we lost a game, she was always critical of herself. ‘That must be better. That must be better. That must be better.'"

As for her footballing traits, Brugts’ footwork is a huge strength, as is her creativity. “You just pass the ball to her and you just look and enjoy what is about to happen,” Maxime Snellenberg, her team-mate at PSV, told GOAL. “She's very good, I think, in the small spaces – one, two touches and then she can be gone. She has very good shots, very hard and strong. That's also a very good quality. She's a hard worker as well. Sometimes she's so tired that she can't walk anymore! She runs a lot for the team. She's a very good team-mate.”

Meanwhile, when GOAL asked Parsons about his decision to include the teenager in his Euros squad last year, the coach spoke highly of her “scanning, awareness and game insight”.

“She can dribble, pass, shoot, cross, defend – with one-v-one defending, defend with one-v-one pressing," he said. "But it's the game insight and intelligence that I think we're going to be enjoying for a few years.”

Also on that list of top qualities has to be Brugts’ versatility. She’s excellent coming off the left, onto her stronger right foot, in particular, but can play on either wing, as an attacking midfielder or, as we’ve learned in recent months, in a defensive role.