Who is Lutsharel Geertruida?

Stats correct as of 30 August 2024

Lutsharel Geertruida

Age: 24 (born 18 July 2000)
Club: RB Leipzig
Position: Right-back/ centre-back/ defensive midfielder
Country: Netherlands (11 senior caps)

Key stats

Geertruida was born in the Rotterdam district of De Peperklip, the same spot in the city where future club Feyenoord were founded almost 100 years earlier. A fan since childhood, the versatile defensive specialist had some hoops to jump through first.

His talent was clear from the off, joining Eredivisie regulars Sparta Rotterdam aged just nine. From there he moved to neighbours Feyenoord two years later in 2012, a club he’s remained with ever since. It wasn’t that simple, though, as in 2017 when he was ready to turn professional he was handed a rival offer from fellow Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

However, Geertruida stayed and was richly rewarded. In October 2017, he made his professional debut for the club, and just half a year later he signed as a professional. “Everyone knows that Feyenoord is my club,” he would later comment.

Getting the tram from the home of his Curaçao-born parents to training lasted longer than expected for Geertruida as a space didn’t instantly open up for him in the squad. His debut would be his only senior appearance in the 2017/18 campaign, and he added just five more the season after.

Things changed in 2019/20 as Geertruida began showcasing his extraordinary versatility. A natural right-back, he can easily fill in at centre-back and defensive midfield and racked up 26 appearances before becoming a regular the following season.

That campaign he would score his first professional goal, and add seven more in 37 appearances before being rewarded with a three-year contract extension and a coach that would change his career.

Arne Slot arrived in the summer of 2021 and would begin relying on Geertruida heavily. In October, he was then called up to the Jong Oranje Dutch junior side, one step from the seniors, and then was then named in Curaçao’s squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but never appeared, prioritising the country of his birth. 

As Geertruida’s importance increased, so did Feyenoord’s performances. The Rotterdam side would thrill Europe by going all the way to the final of the first-ever UEFA Europa Conference League, losing to Jose Mourinho’s Roma by a single goal.

Despite their final disappointment, there were no signs of a drop-off for Feyenoord who, with Geertruida now added to their leadership group, would win their first Eredivisie title in six years the following season, while going to the quarter-finals in the UEFA Europa League.

Geertruida unsurprisingly made it to the Netherlands senior side during the campaign, being called up in March 2023 and adding the first of 11 appearances to date. Such a swift rise in form saw him linked to a number of clubs, with Slot even revealing that an approach from Leipzig collapsed at the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.

"When you experience that for the first time it's quite something,” the now Liverpool coach said. “He didn't show any disappointment with us. That doesn't mean he isn't, but we didn't notice it on the training field."

They didn’t notice it the following season, either. With Orkun Kökçü vacating the armband, Geertruida was de-facto captain for most of the campaign ahead of Gernot Trauner and led the side to another impressive campaign. Feyenoord would win the Dutch Cup, finish runners-up in the Eredivisie and make their mark in the UEFA Champions League in their first season back in six years.

Geertruida finished the campaign with a career best nine goals in 47 games and was named in Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2024, meaning it was no surprise at all that Leipzig came back to get their man.

Plays a bit like: Sergio Ramos

Much like Real Madrid legend Ramos, Geertruida is just as comfortable at right-back, centre-back, or even in midfield. One thing is for certain: wherever he plays he’s sure to entertain.

Geertruida is an attacking threat from all three positions, again similar to Ramos, and is a player who loves a one-on-one duel, whether that’s stopping a striker running at goal, or tricking his way past an attacker before springing out of defence.

He also loves to channel his inner Ramos as captain, and often pops up with key goals when he ventures into the final third.

Did you know?

Geertruida has long struggled with a stutter and only gave his first interview in front of cameras in March 2024 for a documentary on his life called ‘Kind van Zuid’ (Child from the South). 

Speaking in the film which charted his incredible rise, he said: “Everyone knows that I don't find it easy to talk in front of an audience, but just like on the pitch, I do my best to improve in this area. I see this documentary as a next step in the right direction, and hopefully I can be an inspiration to children and adults who, like me, struggle with stuttering.”

After Feyenoord’s Cup win at the end of the 2024 season, fans got to hear his voice in person for the first time when he sang a club song in front of 200,000 supporters at the Coolsingel during the trophy parade. Geertruida is also a fan of rap, and loses his stutter when singing.

What they’re saying

"Lutsharel Geetruida will be of immediate benefit to us. He was a regular starter for Feyenoord over the last five years and was able to win several titles during his time as captain of the side, during which he also earned his first senior call-up for the Netherlands." - Leipzig managing director of sports, Marcel Schäfer

“It's great to see how much he wants to learn. If I say something to him, he just accepts it and wants to learn from it. He takes it with him or picks it up again, also during training. That says a lot about him.” - Feyenoord and Netherlands teammate Quinten Timber

“He doesn't show his fellow players that he is disappointed and he also thinks it's great to play for Feyenoord - his club.” - Slot on Geertruida’s failed move to Leipzig in 2023