With his first hat-trick in his professional career, Mexx Meerdink was worth his weight in gold for AZ against sc Heerenveen on Thursday evening. The 21-year-old striker feels like he’s finally breaking through and sets himself a clear goal for next season.
When Meerdink looked at the display cabinet in his kitchen over the past two years, he always saw only one ball: the one from the match between AZ under 19 and Eintracht Frankfurt under 19 in the UEFA Youth League in February 2023. He scored a hat-trick in that match.
Since that match, Meerdink had never scored three goals in one game again. Until Thursday evening against sc Heerenveen. “There is still room for this ball,” Meerdink said with a grin in the mixed zone afterwards. “This hat-trick gives a very good feeling.”
Meerdink had already scored three before half-time on Thursday evening. He shot in with his left foot for the first two goals. The third was a fine header. “I thought that was the most beautiful from a qualitative point of view.”
With his three goals, Meerdink already has thirteen goals in all competitions this season. Not extremely much for an AZ striker, but considering Meerdink’s number of playing minutes. The 21-year-old attacker often had to make do with substitutions this season.
He has only been a starting player for a few weeks, due to Troy Parrott’s injury. That is good for Meerdink, he says. “I get more minutes now and I know that I will be in the starting line-up next game. That gives peace of mind. And I’m getting fitter and fitter.”
‘I’m really breaking through now’
Partly as a result, Meerdink’s potential finally seems to be coming out. For years, a lot was expected of him after he shone in AZ’s successful Youth League team. But in contrast to contemporaries such as Wouter Goes and Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro, a real breakthrough was a long time coming.
“I feel like I’m really starting to break through now,” says Meerdink. “I haven’t played enough this season, but all in all I think I can be satisfied with my year. Especially in recent weeks I feel that I have started to perform better and better.”
Meerdink’s good performances create a luxury problem for coach Maarten Martens next season. The Belgian will have to choose between the well-performing Parrott or youth product Meerdink, who signed for five years in April.
The latter has a clear goal in any case. “I want to be AZ’s first striker next season,” he says. “It won’t be easy, but I didn’t sign for five years for nothing.”
Meerdink Not Going to the Youth European Championship
Meerdink can calmly prepare for the new season after the play-off final on Sunday. Although the definitive European Championship selection of Jong Oranje has not yet been announced by the KNVB, Meerdink already knows that he has not been called up by national coach Michael Reiziger.
“I haven’t received an email, so I assume I won’t be there,” says Meerdink. “Of course I think that’s a shame. I would have liked to have been there as first or second striker. But at Jong Oranje they work with a fixed group and I have never been called up.”
“It also has its advantages that I will not be participating in the European Championship. I can now go on holiday in peace and start the new season fit. In the preparation I want to send a signal that I should be the first striker.”