There’s only so much you can guess about a player from a compilation of video clips, but if the analysis matches the eyeball test, it’s not hard to see why Givairo Read is on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Since making his debut for Feyenoord in the senior competition last September, the 18-year-old Dutchman has become a regular at right back for Robin van Persie’s top side. Fast, strong and athletic, Read has been compared to the likes of Kyle Walker and Reece James, which gives an idea not only of his playing style but also of his potential.
Not every teenager invites such parallels. But not every teenager has the maturity and foresight to realize that sacrificing top-flight football for a return to the under-18s could be a good career move. That’s what Read did when, having already made his Eredivisie debut for Volendam at the age of 16, he caught the eye of Van Persie while representing the Netherlands against England in an under-17 match.
How did Givairo Read become a Feyenoord player?
Van Persie, who was in charge of Feyenoord’s Under-18 side at the time, was apparently there to watch his son Shaqueel. But the former Arsenal and Manchester United striker could not divert his attention from the Dutch team’s young right-back. Because he needed cover for his own team in that position, Van Persie then made himself known to Read. It is a moment that the full-back still remembers well.
“I have to admit that I thought I performed well in that match,” Read recalled in an interview with the Dutch magazine Voetbal International. “It was one of those days when everything was right. I was lucky that Robin was looking for a right back for his team.”
“He said afterwards that he thought I stood out and not long afterwards the club contacted my agent. I was already in talks with Volendam. In fact, the contract was ready and I had more or less decided to stay. But I thought: ‘It never hurts to listen.’ So I went to talk to Robin. He convinced me.”
It was a gamble, but Read’s instincts served him well. Van Persie’s confidence in the youngster soon caught the attention of the senior side’s manager, one Arne Slot, and it wasn’t long before the future Liverpool manager invited Read to join the first-team training. The youngster worked tirelessly in the gym to adapt to the physical demands of his new circumstances, and last February he made his senior Feyenoord debut as a substitute in the Europa League play-off match against Roma.
How Arne Slot gave Givairo Read his senior debut at Feyenoord
“Strangely enough, I wasn’t nervous when Slot sent me out of the dugout to warm up,” Read said of that night. “I didn’t even have time to realize what a big match it was. When I came on, I just played my game, like I always did for Volendam and Feyenoord Under-18. So go for it, attack and be back in time to defend.”
After taking the road less traveled to become a regular starter, Read now finds himself at an intriguing juncture. Both Bayern Munich and Manchester City are said to be monitoring his progress. Slot also remains an avid admirer and was interested earlier this year, but settled on Dutch international Jeremy Frimpong – a player Read says he enjoys watching – as his preferred replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has left for Madrid.
“Read has a number of qualities that I like,” said the Dutchman during his time in Rotterdam. “Fast footwork. [He is] also not afraid to play, which is important when you have to go to De Kuip.”
Now the question has become where Read goes next. He is under contract with Feyenoord until 2029. Yet there have been so many twists and turns in the career of a player who started his journey as a striker at Amsterdam amateur club Zeeburgia, then played in midfield for Volendam before finding his calling as a full-back for Feyenoord, that it seems foolhardy to rule anything out.
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