Child star, social media icon - time to shine at Euro 2024?

They each wanted a image of nan boy pinch aureate curls, nan La Masia starlet named aft a Barcelona legend.

Xavi Simons quickly became a gem successful nan Catalan giants' esteemed academy aft joining aged 7 and was recognised acold beyond it.

By nan clip he was 14, Simons boasted much than a cardinal Instagram followers, a statement pinch Nike and had starred successful an advert alongside Neymar Jr and Ronaldinho.

Compilation videos of nan diminutive midfielder flooded YouTube. Clubs, including Chelsea, began to circle. Simons was an icon earlier he was afloat grown - a societal media-age Sonny Pike, a Gen-Z Freddy Adu. The likes fuelled nan hype and nan hype fuelled nan likes.

"I retrieve nan people, 'Xavi, Xavi, photo, photo!'," explains erstwhile La Masia coach Pau Moral, who first witnessed his fame astatine a nationalist under-12s tournament.

"It was not easy for him. Some group said 'maybe he is playing now because his hairsbreadth is long, because he is beautiful', you know? 'Maybe erstwhile he grows, nothing...'

"But no, no, this subordinate was different!"

Now 21, Simons is erstwhile again 1 of nan astir sought aft players successful Europe.

Contracted to Paris St-Germain but having impressed past play connected indebtedness astatine RB Leipzig, clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are among those to person been linked.

It has already been a unsocial travel for a versatile imaginable who operates connected either helping aliases down nan striker and speaks six languages.

"I cognize what I want to execute pinch my shot career," says Simons. "My way has not been nan easiest one. A batch of ups and downs."

Child star, teen societal media icon, basking imaginable opening to realise his imaginable - nan adjacent task successful Simons’ fledgling profession is to present for nan Netherlands astatine Euro 2024.

Named Xavi aft nan erstwhile Barcelona and Spain midfielder - his older relative Faustino takes his sanction from nan ex-Colombia, Newcastle and Parma guardant Asprilla - Amsterdam-born Simons was only 3 erstwhile nan family relocated to Alicante aft his father, Regillio, called clip connected his ain playing career.

Regillio, a erstwhile striker successful nan Dutch apical flight, erstwhile said his son, by nan property of 3 aliases four, could watch and understand games astatine a level acold beyond his years.

His talent was besides undeniable. There were offers from section clubs Elche and Cadiz arsenic good arsenic Villarreal, but past Barcelona came calling pinch an opportunity excessively bully to ignore.

His footballing acquisition would return spot astatine nan iconic La Masia. Simons proved a prima student.

"Technically he was super, but nan mentality and nan behaviour connected nan transportation was different," remembers Moral. "His cognition was for illustration a winner, always.

"He is simply a very bully guy, a spot shy, not nan feline who is ever speaking but connected nan transportation he is an animal. All nan clip pinch his friends 'come on, travel on', motivating them."

In an question and reply aft joining nan academy, Simons - who became bully friends pinch existent Barca and Spain left-back Alejandro Balde - said he liked "having nan ball, scoring, passing and changing nan tempo".

"He was very small, 1 of nan smallest players successful nan academy, but he was accelerated and he was strong," adds Moral, who besides trained Spain prima Gavi.

"He was ne'er afraid, ever wanted nan ball, ever wanted to do his best. You could consciousness his energy. He would play 'pow, pow, pow' each nan time."

Yet astatine 16, Simons' profession trajectory took a immense detour. Having grounded to scope an statement pinch Barcelona, he joined PSG, pursuing successful nan footsteps of his idol Neymar - saying nan Brazilian looked aft him for illustration a "little brother".

Simons' mother, Peggy, instructed him to return French lessons to merge amended pinch team-mates, adding to his Dutch, Spanish, Catalan and English.

Simons was surrounded by icons. As good arsenic Neymar location was Kylian Mbappe, Angel di Maria and later Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos to study from.

But arsenic important to nan youngster was his family, playing ping pong aliases Uno together and, pinch his Surinamese heritage, eating bami, saoto crockery and rotia.

"When I made nan measurement to Paris astatine 16 years old, I was conscionable a child," explains Simons. "I learned that nan intelligence wellness portion of shot was really important.

"Sometimes I person to conscionable relax, not deliberation each time astir football, I person different life that is different."

At 17, successful February 2021, he made his debut but further opportunities were constricted and, by nan extremity of nan pursuing season, Simons had accumulated conscionable 11 elder appearances successful each competitions.

He went successful hunt of regular football.

Despite being calved successful nan state and representing nan Netherlands astatine younker level, Simons had ne'er played for a Dutch nine earlier joining PSV successful 2022.

Fans were alert of this talented kid pinch a immense societal media pursuing who had been astatine Barcelona and PSG, but they were yet to spot what he could produce.

"Everybody was anxious to spot really he was going to do and everybody expected a batch from him," recalls Bolo Zenden, a erstwhile PSV subordinate and coach.

Simons scored connected his debut arsenic PSV hit Ajax successful nan Johan Cruyff Shield and past lit up nan Eredivisie pinch 19 goals, making him nan league's joint-top scorer, and 9 assists.

"He blew distant everybody pinch his style of play, his attitude, his pace, his skills," adds Zenden. "He really looked for illustration a full-grown player."

Simons earned a spot astatine nan Qatar 2022 World Cup, coming connected against nan USA successful nan past 16 for his world debut, but besides nan attraction of erstwhile nine PSG, who pinch nan player's wishes exercised their action to bargain him back.

They instantly sent him retired connected loan, pinch Simons deciding RB Leipzig was nan champion spot to proceed his development. It proved fruitful for some parties, delivering 10 goals and 15 assists successful each competitions past season.

"He's almost a prototype for what we want for our game," said leader Marco Rose. "He enjoys chasing nan shot and tackling, radiates tremendous power pinch and against nan ball, and is besides a talented footballer."

Simons is yet to really construe that nine shape into performances for nan Netherlands, however, pinch 1 extremity successful 15 caps. Before nan Euros, erstwhile Ajax and PSV coach Aad de Mos said location was "too overmuch hype" astir him.

"At times I deliberation he is excessively eager," explains erstwhile Netherlands winger Zenden. "Not eager arsenic successful selfish, but eager to do well."

Simons played nan opening hr of his side's opening 2-1 triumph complete Poland and leader Ronald Koeman sees him arsenic "one of nan top talents" successful nan Dutch squad.

"He is simply a threat," adds Zenden. "He has sewage nan correct attitude, he's sewage nan skills, he’s sewage nan engine, he is consenting to activity hard, he is ne'er complaining. Any head would for illustration him successful his team."

On Friday, he will dream to beryllium fixed nan opportunity to showcase that talent against a France broadside that will characteristic respective PSG team-mates past and present, erstwhile they meet successful Leipzig.

“He is simply a very talented subordinate who has truthful overmuch to give," adds Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk.

"He tin still beryllium truthful overmuch amended than he is already but he has a bully mentality, truthful I americium not worried that won’t happen. I americium assured successful him."

The travel to this constituent whitethorn person already been analyzable and unconventional for Simons but, successful an orangish shirt, possibly this is conscionable nan beginning.