95. Kika Van Es
You’d have been forgiven for not knowing who Kika Van Es was before 2017 if you were born outside the Netherlands, but the 26-year-old left back finally got her moment in the sun with her nation at Euro 2017.
A consistent performer for Achilles ’29 in the Eredivisie, Van Es went about her business with class at the European Championships. With all eyes on Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema as Sarina Weigman’s side won the tournament against all the odds, Van Es started all six of Netherlands’ matches during the tournament.
With the ability to combine her attacking duties with defending, Van Es announced herself as a top class full back and earned herself a step up the ladder with FC Twente after the tournament’s conclusion.
Vanity Lewerissa, Van Es’s international team mate says:
“It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it, and Kika never gave up on things. She made an unbelievable comeback from a horror injury. She went through such hell and then played such a great European Championships, you can only respect Kika.”
Loes Geurts, Van Es’s former international team mate says:
“Kika is a very talented, young defensive player. Despite her age, she is already very experienced and has shown like no other how to get back stronger after a very serious injury. I am sure she will stay a number one choice in the Dutch defence.”
| ⇐ 96. Nikita Parris | 94. Karen Carney ⇒ |
The Offside Rule 