BUDAPEST, June 26: The European Championship is finally giving Memphis Depay the chance to shine on the big stage.
The Netherlands forward has two goals and two assists heading into Sunday’s match against the Czech Republic in the round of 16. He has scored seven goals in eight games in 2021 and, at 27, he’s entering his peak years.
Depay’s mercurial ability played a large part in the team’s three wins in the group stage at Euro 2020, with the soon-to-be Barcelona forward scoring or creating half of the eight goals.
“He showed how important he is for us. He’s a player with special qualities,” Netherlands defender Daley Blind said. “He can do magical things with the ball.”
Netherlands assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, a superb finisher himself, said Depay has blossomed into a leader.
But it wasn’t always that way for Depay. When he joined Manchester United six years ago, it was amid much hype.
He was given the iconic No. 7 jersey worn by George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Best and Cantona were among the most skillful players ever to grace United, Beckham one of the club’s finest midfielders.
Ronaldo, a dazzling winger with lightning-fast feet, is now the co-record holder for most goals overall in a men’s national team with 109.
Ronaldo is also the leading scorer at Euro 2020 with five goals and he is the competition’s overall leader with 14.
The weight of expectation at United crushed Depay, who scored only seven goals in 53 games. He left in January 2017 to revive his career with seven-time French champion Lyon, the same year he started pursuing another passion as a hip-hop artist.
Depay netted 76 goals in 178 games for Lyon, including a spectacular turn and lob from the halfway line.
The Czechs have a major scoring threat of their own in striker Patrik Schick. He has scored three goals so far at Euro 2020, the same as Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.
Schick scored one of the tournament’s best goals with a spectacular looping shot from just inside the halfway line in a 2-0 win over Scotland. But he is the only player to have scored for the Czechs, who scraped through as one of the four best third-place teams. (AP)
