Botteghin adds a year to Feyenoord stay

Feyenoord’s technical director Frank Arnesen expressed his delight at retaining the Brazilian’s services for another season. ‘For a long time, of course, it seemed that Eric would leave. But after his contract expired on 1 July we continued to talk behind the scenes. That has paid off: we can count on a genuine club icon like Eric, who has already shown his worth here for five years, for at least one more year. I think everyone can be happy with that.’

Eric Botteghin certainly is. ‘I have been able to experience many highlights here with the team, the other colleagues and, of course, the supporters. That said, I felt and feel I am not done at Feyenoord yet. We went on a fantastic run last season and everyone wants to continue that next season.’

Many trophies
Botteghin has had a successful time at Feyenoord. He was a regular starter in 2017-18 as Feyenoord claimed the Eredivisie title. That season he also won the Silver Boot, with team-mates Karim El Ahmadi and Jens Toornstra winning the Golden and the Bronze Boot respectively. Botteghin has won four other trophies in his time at Feyenoord. The São Paulo native was a member of the side that won the KNVB Cup in 2016 and 2018 and the Johan Cruijff Shield in 2017 and 2018.

Football past
Next season will be Botteghin’s 15th in Dutch football, his 10th in the Eredivisie and his sixth at Feyenoord. His first club in the Netherlands was FC Zwolle, who he joined in 2007. He went on to represent NAC Breda and FC Groningen, before moving to De Kuip in 2015. In his homeland Botteghin came through the youth academy at Grêmio Barueri Futebol in São Paolo. He also played on loan at SC Internacional in Porto Alegre for a year before moving to Europe.