My Path, My Choice: Taking Control of Your Future

Kees Smit assures: he remains in control of his career. The super talent from AZ, who will not leave Alkmaar this winter anyway, will ultimately decide for himself what his next step will be. He tells this in conversation with Football International.

The Smit hype is in full swing. Almost every day, the AZ attacking midfielder is linked to a top European club. His price tag should amount to 60 million euros, and the club from Alkmaar has brought in super agent Jorge Mendes to realize an eventual record transfer.

With all the hustle and bustle in the background, does Smit fear losing control of his own career? “Ultimately I can choose where I want to go,” he assures in conversation with VI. “We will see when I leave and for what amount. I understand that there are many questions about my future. It is all very big. I don’t realize it yet. But I just want to focus on football. I know it is a cliché, but that is really the most important thing.”

The fact that Mendes was called in by AZ to ultimately sell Smit to a European giant for a huge amount of money has of course not escaped the attention of the Dutch Juniors international. “I know how that is, so do my parents, everyone involved. At the end of the day they’re just trying to get the best deal out of it. We’ll see how that goes.”

For the time being, Smit is still a player for AZ, which faces Ajax in the KNVB Cup on Wednesday evening. Although the top clubs are lining up for him, Smit believes he still needs to do much better. “My contribution is not yet what I had in mind. My level still goes up and down too much.”

Check out the latest episode of #DoneDeal now about the latest transfer news at Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV!

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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