Who makes the Opta Eredivisie Team of the Season for 2024-25? It’s time to find out…
Well, what an end to the season it was in the Netherlands.
PSV snatched the Eredivisie title from Ajax, astonishingly clawing back a nine-point gap with five games remaining to secure their 26th Dutch top-flight crown. It was agony for the Amsterdam club, who won just one of their last five games (D2 L2) and finished in second place ahead of Feyenoord in third and FC Utrecht in fourth.
Now, with the regular season over and the help of our Dutch football experts at OptaJohan, we’ve analysed the performances of every player and picked out our team of the season.
These 11 players have been selected after performing better than any others in their respective position via the data, not opinion.
GoalkeeperRobin Roefs (N.E.C.)
Robin Roefs had his first season of regular first-team football in the Eredivisie, and absolutely backed up the faith shown in him by head coach Rogier Meijer.
According to Opta’s expected goals on target model (xGOT), Roefs prevented 11.5 goals this Eredivisie season, (38 goals conceded excl. own goals from 49.5 xGOT), more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.
The 22-year-old kept 10 clean sheets in his 32 league games. Since the turn of the century, only three younger goalkeepers have kept at least 10 clean sheets in a single Eredivisie season: Sergio Romero (18 in 2008-09), André Onana (15 in 2016-17, and 12 in 2017-18) and Maduka Okoye (10 in 2020-21).
Those 10 clean sheets helped N.E.C. to an eighth-place finish. Only Gábor Babos (11 in 2006-07) has had more for the club in a single Eredivisie campaign (Mattijs Branderhorst also recorded 10 in 2021-22).
Right-BackGivairo Read (Feyenoord)
Another player who has enjoyed a breakout season; 18-year-old Givairo Read has established himself as one of the best right-backs in the Netherlands already. The only defender to have played more Eredivisie games for Feyenoord before turning 19 this century than Read (26) is Stefan de Vrij (35).
Read recorded eight goal involvements in his 26 Eredivisie appearances in 2024-25 (2 goals, 6 assists), with only Igor Paixão (26) and Anis Hadj Moussa (11) totalling more for Feyenoord this season.
Arguably the game that brought Read to the wider football world’s attention was his three assists in the 6-2 win at FC Twente in March. At just 18 years and 287 days old at the time, he became the youngest player to record a trio of assists in a single Eredivisie game this century, taking the record from Wesley Sneijder (19 years, 153 days in 2003).
He might be young and not the biggest of players, but Read backs himself, both with and without the ball. Of all players to contest at least 100 duels this Eredivisie season, just two players recorded a higher win percentage than his 64.6% (113 of 175).
Central DefenderJosip Sutalo (Ajax)
It may have been a horrible end to the campaign for Ajax, but some consolation for defender Josip Sutalo is that he has at least made our team of the season… we’re sure that’ll cheer him up immensely.
The Croatian is certainly deserving, though. He completed 93.4% of his passes, the highest passing accuracy in a single Eredivisie season among players with 300+ passes on record (since 2010-11).
Sutalo also recorded 63 interceptions, at least nine more than any other player in the league and at least 30 more than any of his teammates. It’s the most by an Ajax player since 2016-17, when three players made at least 69 interceptions (Joël Veltman 79, Lasse Schöne 75 and Nick Viergever 69).
The former Dinamo Zagreb man won 61.9% of his aerial duels in the league this season (61.9% – 65/105). Only four defenders who contested at least 100 aerials could boast a better win percentage, while only Ryan Flamingo (781) and Olivier Boscagli (659) recorded more carries in the Eredivisie than Sutalo (655).
Central DefenderDávid Hancko (Feyenoord)
Dávid Hancko was able to put in another stellar season for Feyenoord after being linked with a move away from De Kuip for the majority of last summer.
Feyenoord had a topsy turvy campaign after losing head coach Arne Slot to Liverpool, but Hancko was among those who showed consistency.
Among all outfield players who played 1,500+ minutes in the Eredivisie in 2024-25, only Gerrit Nauber (0.10 – 3 times in 2,677 minutes played) was dribbled past by opponents less often per 90 minutes than Hancko (0.16 – 5 times in 2,880 minutes played).
The Slovakian was also active going the other way. Only Paixão (96) and Hadj Moussa (53) recorded more shots for Feyenoord than Hancko’s 50, which was at least 12 more attempts than any other defender in the league.
Only Boscagli (542) and Flamingo (357) recorded more line-breaking passes in the Eredivisie this season than Hancko (345), while he also made 175 progressive carries of 10+ metres, more than any other player the competition in 2024-25.
Left-BackSouffian El Karouani (FC Utrecht)
Souffian El Karouani had a very productive season for FC Utrecht.
The Morocco international created more chances than any other player in the Eredivisie (75), with Maximilian Wittek the only defender to have created more chances in a single campaign in the Dutch top flight in the last five seasons (78 in 2022-23 for Vitesse).
El Karouani also became the first defender to earn at least seven assists from crosses in an Eredivisie season since Jetro Willems in 2014-15 (11).
No defender had more than El Karouani’s 10 goal involvements this season (10 – 2 goals, 8 assists), with six of those coming from set-pieces (3 corners, 3 free-kicks). Only Paxten Aaronson (12) and Yoann Cathline (11) had more goal involvements for Utrecht in 2024-25.
The 24-year-old played his part in a historic campaign for Utrecht, who won 64 points, their most ever in a top-flight campaign. It was only the second time this century the club has finished in the top four, after 2016-17 (also fourth).
MidfielderKenneth Taylor (Ajax)
The man with a name more like an English solicitor than a Dutch midfield maestro, and another who must be remembered for his solid campaign rather than how it ended.
Kenneth Taylor was directly involved in 15 goals in the Eredivisie this season (nine goals, six assists), more than any other Ajax player.
Those goals were also worth 14 points for the Amsterdam club, with only three players winning more points with their goals and assists for their team in the Eredivisie.
Taylor also rose to the occasion in big games, or at least, did so against Feyenoord. He was the first Ajax midfielder to score in both league games against the Rotterdam club in a single season since Christian Eriksen in 2012-13.
Ajax teammates Jordan Henderson and Steven Berghuis (both 36) created more than Taylor’s 34 chances, but his were largely of greater promise. In the whole division, only PSV pair Joey Veerman (9.8) and Guus Til (6.2) had more expected assists than him (6.1) this season.
MidfielderSem Steijn (FC Twente)
There was always going to be a place in this team for Sem Steijn, the Eredivisie’s top scorer in 2024-25, and by some distance.
The FC Twente midfielder racked up 24 goals in total, at least eight more than any other player, with Feyenoord’s Igor Paixão next with 16 goals. It is the biggest difference between the two players to have scored the most goals in a single Eredivisie season since 2009-10 (11), when Luis Suárez scored 35 goals, 11 more than the next highest in Bryan Ruiz, who somewhat coincidentally managed 24 goals that season for FC Twente.
Only Dick van Dijk (30 in 1968-69) and Luuk de Jong (25 in 2011-12) have scored more Eredivisie goals for Twente in an Eredivisie season than Steijn, while he became the second FC Twente player ever to become Eredivisie top scorer, after Van Dijk in 1968-69.
Steijn – who also made seven assists – is only the second midfielder to win the Golden Boot in the Eredivisie after Jari Litmanen (26 goals for Ajax in 1993-94), with his exploits already earning him a summer move to Feyenoord.
At just 23 years old, Steijn became the youngest player to score at least 24 goals in an Eredivisie campaign since Vincent Janssen in 2015-16 (27 goals as a 21-year-old).
MidfielderMalik Tillman (PSV)
It’s about time we got to a PSV player, what with them being champions, and it’ll be difficult for anyone to argue with the inclusion of Malik Tillman.
The former Rangers loanee had an excellent campaign, scoring 12 goals in 26 league games. Tillman became the first player to score six goals from outside the box in an Eredivisie season since Jesper Karlsson in 2021-22 (6) and the first for PSV since Memphis Depay in 2014-15 (8).
Tillman has been heavily involved in games, as one of only two players to record 30+ shots (58), chances created (41), dribbles completed (42) and tackles won (39) in the Eredivisie in 2024-25, along with PEC Zwolle loanee Filip Krastev (46, 38, 65, 48).
He has also won possession plenty, with only Groningen’s Luciano Valente doing so in the final third (34) more often than Tillman (28).
PSV only won 50% of their Eredivisie games this season without Tillman in the starting XI, and picked up 1.8 points per such game (W6 D3 L3), compared to 2.6 points per game with the United States international starting, winning 86.4% (W19 D1 L2).
ForwardOliver Antman (Go Ahead Eagles)
He’s presumably sick of hearing Paul Rudd jokes, but Oliver Antman was a big player for Go Ahead Eagles this season.
The Finland international made 15 assists in total, the first time a player outside of the big three of Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV has racked up as many in an Eredivisie campaign since Hakim Ziyech for FC Twente in 2014-15 (16).
Notably, all 15 of Antman’s assists came from open play, with only Dusan Tadic (15 in 2020-21 and 2021-22) equalling that amount in an Eredivisie campaign across the last 10 years.
Only three players created more chances from open play than Antman this season (50) in the Dutch top flight, while it was the most for a Go Ahead Eagles player in an Eredivisie campaign on record (since 2010-11).
In fact, only Mohamed Salah has more assists (18) than Antman’s 15 in the top 10 European leagues this season (Michael Olise also 15).
ForwardNoa Lang (PSV)
After an injury-hit debut campaign at PSV, Noa Lang was able to put that behind him and showcase his obvious talent in 2024-25, helping Peter Bosz’s side to another title.
The Belgian was one of four players with at least 10 goals and 10 assists in the Eredivisie this season (11 goals, 10 assists).
Lang also often saved his best for games against the best opposition. Of his 21 goal involvements, 12 were against teams who finished in the top six (5 goals, 7 assists), more than any other player in the league.
The former Club Brugge winger was both the player with the most shots following a carry (36) and chances created after a carry (30) in the Eredivisie this season, while only four players carried the ball further upfield in total than Lang (3,430 metres).
ForwardIgor Paixão (Feyenoord)
We know what you’re thinking, and yes, it’s another winger. We’ve decided to utilise Igor Paixão as a false nine, though, because his numbers meant we couldn’t leave him out.
The Brazilian was the second top scorer in the Eredivisie this season with 16 goals, with his 26 goal involvements (16 goals, 10 assists) at least 15 more than any other Feyenoord player.
Fifteen of Paixão’s goals and all 10 assists came from open play, with Berghuis the only player to reach more than 10 in both categories for Feyenoord in the league over the past 15 campaigns (16 and 11 in 2017-18).
Some say the most important ability is availability, and of midfielders and forwards, Paixão was the only player to start in all 34 Eredivisie games this season, and the first Feyenoord player to do so since Georginio Wijnaldum in 2010-11.
Paixão was also involved in 193 attacking sequences, more than any other player in the Eredivisie this season.
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Eredivisie Team of the Season: Opta Analyst’s 2024-25 XI Opta Analyst.
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