Xavi Simons

Xavier Quentin Shay Simons (born 21 April 2003) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for French team Paris Saint-Germain U19.

Xavi Simons
Simons with Paris Saint-Germain U19 in 2020
Personal information
Full name Xavier Quentin Shay Simons
Date of birth (2003-04-21) 21 April 2003
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain U19
Number 10
Youth career
Years Team
2010 CD Tháder
2010–2019 Barcelona
2019– Paris Saint-Germain
National team‡
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018 Netherlands U15 5 (1)
2019 Netherlands U16 3 (0)
2019 Netherlands U17 6 (3)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2019

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]

Simons in 2020

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] and would expire in 2022.[8]

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.[9]

International career

Simons has represented the Netherlands at under-15, under-16, and under-17 level.[1][10]

Personal life

In March 2020, Simons was named on Goal's "NxGn 2020" list of 50 best wonderkids in world football.[11] He was also included in The Guardian's "Next Generation 2020" in October.[12]

He has amassed a large following on social media platform Instagram, with over 2.9 million followers. He also has a sponsorship contract with sporting goods manufacturer Nike.[13]

References
  1. "Who is Xavi Simons? La Masia wonderkid who broke Barcelona hearts to join PSG". goal.com. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  2. "Onderhandeling voor bondscoach gesprongen | Suriname Nieuws". www.srnieuws.com.
  3. "Chelsea Following the Progress of 12-Year-Old Barcelona Starlet Xavi Simons". bleacherreport.com. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. "Real Madrid Transfer News: Xavi Simons Plan Reported to 'Strike Back' at Ban". bleacherreport.com. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. "Barca lose Dutch youngster Xavi Simons to PSG". espn.co.uk. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  6. "Simons explains his Barca exit: "Everyone dreams about Messi, but..."". besoccer.com. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. "Xavi Simons is on €1 million-per-year at Paris Saint-Germain". givemesport.com. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  8. "Xavi Simons signs his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain". Paris Saint-Germain. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. "La 'perla' Xavi Simons debuta con el PSG". MARCA (in Spanish). 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  10. "Xavi Simons". uefa.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  11. "NxGn 2020: The 50 best wonderkids in football". goal.com. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  12. "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  13. "Xavi Simons: The Dutch soccer prodigy with two million Instagram followers". cnn.com. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
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