{
  "id": 13920337,
  "title": "Coming of age in the Eredivisie: An interview with Heerenveen’s young breakout midfielder Nolhan Courtens",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/coming-of-age-in-the-eredivisie-an-interview-with-heerenveens-young",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T09:13:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/coming-age-eredivisie-interview-heerenveen-091300340.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heerenveen midfielder Nolhan Courtens, a young talent in the Eredivisie, recently shared his journey and aspirations in an interview. The Belgian teenager has had a breakout season, scoring twice in their opening five games. Coming from the Anderlecht academy, Courtens chose to move to the Netherlands instead of staying in Belgium. Impressed by the Eredivisie, he felt a fresh start awaited him in a new country. Courtens compares himself to Anderlecht's own Youri Tielemans, acknowledging the similarities in their playing styles and backgrounds. His move to Heerenveen was driven by a desire for new experiences and a chance to prove himself beyond his previous team's expectations. While he may not have achieved immediate success, Courtens remains focused on playing more minutes and becoming a better player. His ultimate goal is to join a top five league, with the Premier League being his top choice.",
  "summary": "Many of us dream of becoming a footballer, but few make it. Even the best player in your local club may never get even a look in at an academy. It’s a competitive environment where youngsters are th...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}