Not only Feyenoord, but also Santiago Gimenez experienced a 'sobering' Champions League night against Atlético Madrid. This is stated by Sjoerd Mossou, who openly questions whether the 22-year-old striker is already ripe for a top-tier club.
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Feyenoord barely troubled Atlético and lost 1-3 at De Kuip. 'The Europa League is a fitting stage for this Rotterdam team after the winter break, also for the much-acclaimed striker Santiago Giménez,' judges Mossou in his column in the Algemeen Dagblad.
According to the reporter, the Mexican got 'a realistic picture of where he currently stands in the hierarchy of European football'. 'Undoubtedly a talented 22-year-old striker with potential, recently often linked with the absolute top in Spain, but also a player for whom it is still impossible to determine exactly where his ceiling lies.'
Gimenez started his Champions League campaign vigorously with a double strike against Lazio. 'But in Rome and on Tuesday against Atlético, it was simply too little: against the top defenders of Atlético, Giménez barely got involved in the field play. Gimenez undoubtedly has the potential to become one of the best strikers in the modern history of Feyenoord. But whether the absolute top is a realistic option for the Mexican straight away, without an intermediary step, directly from the Eredivisie, remains to be seen,' says Mossou.
The AD journalist saw Feyenoord fall short on the highest stage. 'In this respect, the Europa League is timely: it's not only a fitting stage for this Feyenoord but also for darling Gimenez.' Spanish media were also critical of Gimenez.
Updated: 02:55, 29 Nov 2023
