Xavi Simons
Xavier Quentin Shay Simons (born 21 April 2003), commonly known as Xavi Simons, is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for French club Paris Saint-Germain.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Xavier Quentin Shay Simons | ||
Date of birth | 21 April 2003 | ||
Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
Number | 38 | ||
Youth career | |||
2010 | CD Thader | ||
2010–2019 | Barcelona | ||
2019–2020 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020– | Paris Saint-Germain | 0 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2018 | Netherlands U15 | 5 | (1) |
2019 | Netherlands U16 | 3 | (0) |
2019 | Netherlands U17 | 6 | (3) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:53, 5 August 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11:44, 6 May 2020 (UTC) |
Early life
Born in Amsterdam, Simons is the son of former Dutch footballer Regillio Simons.[1] Simons is of Surinamese descent through his father.[2]
Club career
Barcelona
Simons joined the youth setup of Barcelona in 2010, and quickly progressed to become one of the Spanish club's most highly rated youth players, with English club Chelsea, as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid, reportedly attempting to sign him at a young age.[3][4]
Paris Saint-Germain
In July 2019, Simons moved to French side Paris Saint-Germain, having failed to agree a new contract with Barcelona.[5][6] His contract with the Parisian club was reportedly worth up to €1 million annually.[7]
On 5 August 2020, Simons made his unofficial debut for the Paris Saint-Germain senior team, playing in a friendly match against Sochaux that ended in a 1–0 victory.[8]
International career
Simons has represented the Netherlands at under-15, under-16, and under-17 level.[1][9]
Personal life
In March 2020, Simons was named on Goal's "NxGn 2020" list of 50 best wonderkids in world football.[10]
He has amassed a large following on social media platform Instagram, with over 2.5 million followers. He also has a sponsorship contract with sporting goods manufacturer Nike.[11]
References
- "Who is Xavi Simons? La Masia wonderkid who broke Barcelona hearts to join PSG". goal.com. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Onderhandeling voor bondscoach gesprongen | Suriname Nieuws". www.srnieuws.com.
- "Chelsea Following the Progress of 12-Year-Old Barcelona Starlet Xavi Simons". bleacherreport.com. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Real Madrid Transfer News: Xavi Simons Plan Reported to 'Strike Back' at Ban". bleacherreport.com. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Barca lose Dutch youngster Xavi Simons to PSG". espn.co.uk. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Simons explains his Barca exit: "Everyone dreams about Messi, but..."". besoccer.com. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Xavi Simons is on €1 million-per-year at Paris Saint-Germain". givemesport.com. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "La 'perla' Xavi Simons debuta con el PSG". MARCA (in Spanish). 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- "Xavi Simons". uefa.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "NxGn 2020: The 50 best wonderkids in football". goal.com. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- "Xavi Simons: The Dutch soccer prodigy with two million Instagram followers". cnn.com. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.