Kenneth Perez Questions Ro-Zangelo Daal Hype After Stellar Performance

Kenneth Perez is in no mood to join the Ro-Zangelo Daal hype train.

The 18-year-old AZ forward lit up Sunday’s 5-2 win over Go Ahead Eagles with two goals and a sparkling display, but while the noise around him grows louder by the week, the ESPN analyst is slamming on the brakes.

On the programme Dit was het Weekend, presenter Wouter Bouwman marvelled at Daal’s rapid rise after watching back his performance. “Things are moving quickly for him,” Bouwman noted, as images of the winger’s goals rolled.

Perez cut straight through the excitement.

“Take it easy, man. I’m really going mad from all that nonsense about multi-talent, great talent,” he snapped. “He’s a young and decent player. Let’s wait and see what it all becomes. All those superlatives about ordinary players... Calm down, please.”

No star labels. No early coronation. Perez wants time and proof, not headlines.

The debate quickly moved from club to country. Bouwman pointed out that Daal is already on the radar of the Curaçao national team and floated the alternative: “He can also wait a bit longer for the Netherlands.”

Perez’s answer was just one word – and it spoke volumes. “Well...”

No endorsement. No rush. Just doubt hanging in the air.

Not everyone is so cautious.

Arie Haan, working as a reporter for De Telegraaf, watched the same match and saw something very different. The former Ajax and Netherlands international placed Daal straight into his Team of the Week and raved about the way the youngster solved the problems in front of him.

“They kept trying to block off the outside. Then he just went inside,” Haan explained. “He played brilliantly. It’s good for Xavi that another winger is emerging who is developing so spectacularly.”

Where Perez sees a “young and decent player,” Haan sees a rapidly rising option for the national team and uses his column to nudge the bondscoach.

According to Algemeen Dagblad, Daal is already on a “watchlist” compiled by Netherlands head coach Xavi. He is not alone there. Fellow forwards Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink and Shaqueel van Persie are also said to be under close observation by the Spanish coach.

So the picture is clear. Inside a few weeks, Daal has gone from promising AZ talent to a name on Xavi’s radar, a target for Curaçao, a Team of the Week pick, and the subject of a live TV argument.

The only question now: will his football rise as fast as the noise around him?