Ahead of the Netherlands’ second game at the 2026 World Cup, against Sweden in Houston, we hear from Jorrel Hato on some previous Dutch legends that have influenced his journey to the top.
Hato will hope to make his bow at the World Cup on Saturday having been an unused sub in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan last weekend.
If he does, he will follow in the footsteps of some of the very greatest to have played the game, from Johan Cruyff to Arjen Robben. As he told us before leaving for the World Cup, both players had a major impact on his early days.
‘I came to the academy of Ajax and when you go there, it’s all about him. It’s the Cruyff identity,’ says Jorrel in an interview you can watch in full above.
‘At that time I was a winger, so I looked at Robben. We’re both left footed! I was playing on the left at that time so I wanted to be like him.’