Roy Makaay on ‘young, talented and pressure-free’ Feyenoord

Roy Makaay was the holder of the European Golden Shoe when he joined Bayern in 2003. During his four years in Munich, the Dutch striker scored 103 goals from 183 competitive appearances, winning the domestic double of Bundesliga and DFB Cup in 2005 and again in 2006 before he returned to his homeland with Feyenoord in 2007. It was there that Makaay started life as a coach in the club’s youth teams. Since then, he’s frequently commuted between his home in Rotterdam and Munich, where he oversees the FC Bayern World Squad, the club’s international U19s team. Ahead of the Champions League meeting between his two former clubs on Wednesday, Makaay spoke to fcbayern.com about how the league phase is shaping up, the importance of youth development and what a home crowd can do for a team.

Roy Makaay on Feyenoord vs. Bayern

Stadion Feijenoord in its namesake district of Rotterdam was already a special ground when it opened in 1937. It was the first stadium in continental Europe to be built with two free hanging tiers, without pillars that obscured views of the pitch. Steep stands and fans right around the edge of the pitch created a unique atmosphere inside what became known as De Kuip (the tub), which has hosted the final of UEFA Euro 2000 and a record nine European club competition finals. Almost 90 years on from its inauguration, the stadium remains a huge factor in Feyenoord’s success.

Makaay experienced many times as a player the impact the De Kuip crowd can create in Feyenoord fixtures. “I remember a game against Twente. We got played around for 45 minutes,” the former striker explained. A foul promoted a melee on the pitch and seemed to be the spark for the crowd, which had so far been quite passive. “Suddenly you had 50,000 people right behind you again. We ended up turning the game around because the crowd got us back into the game,” said Makaay, offering a lesson that some teams need to learn at De Kuip: “When the crowd’s quiet, you need to make sure they stay that way.”

The next team to face the Rotterdam crowd is Bayern on Wednesday. “Anything can happen here. It can be a tough evening with the fans behind the team. Sparks can really fly,” Makaay warns. But if Bayern can get an early goal, then things will probably calm down, with the 49-year-old rating Bayern’s chances highly despite Feyenoord’s home advantage: “When you compare the two squads, also with how Bayern have played so far, then they’re obviously the favourites.”

However, that doesn’t at all mean it’ll be easy. Brian Priske’s team are on 10 points in the league phase and within striking distance of overhauling Bayern (12). They’ve also proven they can take down supposedly bigger teams this season, such as coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Manchester City in November. “City gifted that one, but Feyenoord also won in Spain against Girona [3-2]. That shows they’re a good team,” according to Makaay. The Dutch side also boast the joint-fourth-best attack in the Champions League this term with 14 goals.

A good mix in the team

“They have quality up front,” insists Makaay, who highlights their mix of experience and youth. Twenty-three-year-old Mexican Santiago Gimenez is a striker “who scores simple goals,” while wingers Igor Paixao (24) and Anis Hadj Moussa (22) bring pace out wide. There’s also highly rated 19-year-old forward Antoni Milambo who has three goals in the Champions League this term. “The young players obviously have ups and downs,” says Makaay, but the teenager was “excellent” in the 3-1 win over Benfica in October. The defence is marshalled by experienced centre-backs Gernot Trauner (32) and David Hancko (27), with the latter reportedly attracting interest from abroad, according to Makaay.

The former striker believes that Feyenoord will have to adapt their attacking approach against Bayern, though. “Feyenoord like to have the ball, but I’m interested to see how that’ll work against the high pressing that Vincent Kompany has established at Bayern,” he asks. The hosts will therefore likely look to counter, meaning “Bayern need to watch out for those transitions”. The Dutch side also go into the game with far less pressure than their Bavarian visitors. And despite all the talk of De Kuip and its atmosphere, Feyenoord actually boast a better record away from home this season. Following defeats there to Bayer Leverkusen (4-0) and Red Bull Salzburg (3-1), they then claimed a “very important win” according to Makaay against Slavia Prague (4-2). “That calmed things down a bit,” the 49-year-old believes. Sitting on 10 points with two games to go, it’s likely Feyenoord will finish the league phase in the top 24. A top-eight finish was never the expectation in Rotterdam, but that’s definitely not the case in Bayern circles.

There are even calls in the local Rotterdam media that Feyenoord should focus fully on their domestic league. With a few exceptions, the Eredivisie has been dominated by the big Dutch trio of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. However, Bayern’s opponents have fallen behind the former pair, who currently occupy the top two positions that mean automatic qualification for the Champions League. “If you don’t manage that, then there’s obviously a big difference in money,” Makaay explains. There’s also the added ignominy of being behind their arch-rivals from Amsterdam. The rivalry between Feyenoord and Ajax can be said to be similar to that of Boca Juniors and River Plate in Argentina. A number of incidents between supporters in the past have meant that no away fans have been permitted at games between the clubs for several years.

Netherlands’ first European champions

A look at the history books also further explains the rivalry. Feyenoord boast with pride that they were the first Dutch team to win the European Cup. “Ajax might have the most titles, but Feyenoord were the first in 1970,” Makaay states. The heroes of that era are still celebrated today. “Ove Kindvall up front, Wim Jansen, Coen Moulijn, who has own statue outside the stadium, or Willem van Hanegem, one of the greatest there’s ever been in Holland. That team will never be forgotten here,” Makaay explains. The same can be said of the UEFA Cup-winning sides of 1974 and 2002, when Feyenoord beat Borussia Dortmund in the final in their own stadium.

The club’s glory days are some years ago now, and Dutch football as a whole has lost its competitive edge on the European stage. “There isn’t as much money here as in other countries. You need to be a bit more creative here,” Makaay admits. Youth development is therefore very important in the Netherlands so teams can forge good players for themselves and then sell for a profit. That means the need to continuously compensate for their departures is simply a par for the course. For example, Orkun Kökcü, the captain of the 2023 title-winning team, was sold for “lots of money” to Benfica. Ahead of this season, Feyenoord lost Mats Wieffer and captain Lutsharel Geertruida – both players who came through the ranks at the club who have gone on to become senior Netherlands internationals – to Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively. There’s no doubt they won’t be the last to move on, either.

The list of players who’ve come through the Feyenoord youth system and gone on to make a name for themselves in football is as long as it is impressive. There’s Robin van Persie, Georginio Wijnaldum or Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Makaay’s friend whose story is “perhaps the best” according to the former Bayern man. Van Bronckhorst first joined the club at the age of eight and progressed up to the first team. After several years abroad, including winning the Champions League with Barcelona, he returned to his boyhood club at the end of his career, went on to become their coach and in 2017 ended the club’s 18-year wait for the Eredivisie title, with Makaay as his assistant.

It isn’t the only title the former striker won during his days in Rotterdam. He reached the final of the KNVB Cup in his first year as a player there. That’s where De Kuip brings another advantage, as the stadium where the final of the Dutch Cup is held every season. “It’s always amazing to play a cup final. And it’s even better when that’s in your own stadium,” said Makaay, who’d just recovered from an injury and so was only on the bench for the 2-0 win over Roda. But the Dutch legend had played his part in the cup success. “I was still the tournament’s top scorer. Being the top scorer is nice, but you obviously prefer to win the title with your team,” he added.

Makaay will once again get to return to this stadium that means so much to him this Wednesday. He’s very excited for the encounter between two clubs so close to his heart. “I felt it when the draw was made,” he said. When asked who he’ll be supporting on the night, Makaay answered: “That’s easy. When you’ve played for both clubs, then you actually can’t lose.”

Bayern head to Rotterdam on the back of victory over Wolfsburg: