Simons over 'vader' Raiola: "We waren echt close" | Interview Xavi Simons

Next year it's the European Championship in Georgia and Romania That will undoubtedly be one of your goals—to be there and play in the tournament But the World Cup in two months is also one of your goals As I've said it's a dream just to be with Oranje and now I'm simply here focused I'm extremely grateful to be here and I'm still quite young It's a dream but we'll see what happens I'm fully focused on this moment But is your goal the World Cup in Qatar Well I'll keep that to myself but it's a dream I think about playing in the World Cup everyone dreams of playing but now I'm here with the young ones I'm here now just focused on playing Hopefully I can make my debut tomorrow and play a few minutes so we'll see Yes if we're looking at the big Netherlands team then naturally Memphis and Bergwijn up front Virgil at the back You don't just randomly play from the base but how do you see the opportunity in midfield for big Orange Now they're genuine top players over there You also have a player like Kenneth who is truly a great player he plays for Ajax as well As I said I'm just letting it go a little—it's not really weighing much on my mind I'm just focusing on performing well at my club at PSV and I think the rewards will naturally follow from hard work And now I'm just sitting here with young baking tomorrow But aren't you a top player yourself I don't know I can play football quite well but I' m not sure—I still have a lot to learn I've played alongside top players the best in the world and I've truly learned an enormous amount And now it's my job to simply show it on the field and yes so far I am I think so too and I'm just trying to enjoy it Speaking of top players you mentioned it briefly—you've played alongside top-tier talent for example Kylian Mbappé How old do you think he was when he made his debut for the French national team I think he was 18 or 19 I know that when he was 19 he actually won the World Cup I know that we've also just talked about it often but yes 18 19 right 18 years 4 months Yeah look that's pretty good right That's something anyway Yes I think it's just a dream for a 19-year-old boy to ever be able to compete in a World Cup Play in a European Championship so I'll always do my best to get there so we'll see You're not too young for the big orange are you I think football knows no age I don't think I'm the youngest in the squad if I'm honest Young or not football is football—it has no age that's just how it is That's how I grew up too always playing with the older kids even in the courtyard—it doesn't matter It just felt genuinely right—I could have easily stayed at PSG but I felt that at that time e moment it became clear it wasn't the right choice for me PSV had already explained my situatio I saw things clearly and yes I just felt good—I also had many conversations with the coach a lot of conversations with John de Jong and yes my family and I were quite convinced tha at would be a great step forward in my career and it was also one of my goals Dutch national team and Young Orange because I hadn't played for them until now and yes now Yes I'm here with Jongs and it's gone pretty well so far Yes you've played 90 minutes in five of the seven matches according to me PSV still playing full matches in the competition against Budiklin had you not already played so many minutes Made at PSG you can be sure of that right Yes I can definitely confirm that because there are also some decent players there who give everything want to play so yes but I'm extremely grateful to the coach and the club for giving me the opportunity Such trust gives me strength and I'm simply doing my best Yes people in Barcelona and Paris already knew about your quality but in Eindhoven it feels like So now it feels a bit like home for you this connection with the audience there too Yes at first it did take some getting used to since it's new and it's also my first time club here in the Netherlands but so far I think it's really gone well—I feel Alright yes when I walk into the stadium I just well you know I make my way there And then I'm truly proud and I think my family is proud too so I hope to keep going like this Yes you're quite at home there with that Brabant warmth Yes that's quite cozy isn't it I checked your Instagram—something tons of people do about 4.2 million I think—bu you still have a profile picture with Mino Raiola the man who of course passed away at the end of April He's passed away can you explain your relationship with him Now I also have certain people around me who are very important to me you know I still have my family and other people around me and he was one of them yes it was It's just disappointing what's happened to him and to me he was simply were Just really close and yes when I heard it it was tough on me and my family Oh but I think he's always with me and he'll always be with me and he protects me I'm also going through it since I've known him since I was thirteen and yes now I'm nineteen and experiencing this I think it must have been really tough What did he mean to you You see I know Mino as a person not what others say about him so I know what he's really like and how he treats the people he loves and he has meant so much to me like on the football field and also off it he's done so much for me and I'm deeply grateful to him Extremely grateful as is his family and he always just goes along with me that's why I've got him on my profile picture yes Yes I had been there thirteen years when he called but the way he phoned wasn't right Yes I'll take on your case but no I immediately felt something was off—he wants to meet me He wants to know me to understand who I am where I live my family and that was enough extremely important to me because that's where I've been for 14 or 15 years so you also need your first contract there I was drawing and I also had a lot of people calling me but with him it was completely different I also felt it was a different kind of connection which is why I had chosen to be with him That's what matters most to me so I'll always be deeply grateful to him Mino was the one who yes would simply explain things to you but in the end it was you who ended up being the one to do so Blessed is the one who has to make the choice and yes Mino has been like a father to me In the world of football and as I've said I'm deeply grateful to him forever as is his family