Memphis Depay gets his own back on his haters and reveals his ultimate goal with the Netherlands national team | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 06 Apr 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

With 55 goals, Memphis Depay is the Netherlands’ all-time leading goalscorer. The experienced Oranje striker has also recorded 36 assists in 108 international appearances. Despite this, Memphis is one of the most criticised players in the Netherlands. 

Look, there’s always negativity. But whenever something special is involved, there are always differing opinions. Opinions are often divided, and that’s fine. But I’m very proud. In my youth, I started out as a number 10, then I became a winger. And over the course of my career, I’ve turned into a sort of second striker,” Memphis reflects in an in-depth interview with Ziggo Sport’s Kick ‘t Met. 

“The statistics don’t lie, you know. And as for the negative stuff, people have to fill that in themselves. If you can say anything negative about it,” Memphis doesn’t understand why, despite his many goals, he often faces criticism. “What can I say? I’m still active as a Dutch international. I’m not done with my journey yet and I only see positive things.”

Memphis then explains why he has come so far as a player. “I didn’t do that on my own. You never do it alone in a team sport. You need a coach and players. Your head, your mind and your feet. I’ve always let my feet do the talking, because there’s so much talk about me. I can’t stop the criticism either. But I can say: fuck the haters. When I joined PSV’s first team as a sixteen-year-old, I already had haters. I must have been doing something right. That’s my mindset.”

The Corinthians striker goes on to note that he is viewed very differently abroad. “Brazilians don’t understand why they talk about me like that. They focus on all the trivial things, like the sweatbands. But if I didn’t have any of that, so what? My goal is to win a trophy with the Dutch national team. Just forget about everything else for a moment.”

Memphis believes that, despite all the criticism, he has always been of value to the Oranje. “In all the World Cup qualifiers, I scored 23 goals in 23 matches. Of course, you’re playing against weaker nations, but someone has to score them, don’t they? I can’t remember who it was against, away to Luxembourg. I headed in the 2-3, that all counts. Because you’re playing 1-1 against Poland in the World Cup qualifier.”

Ronald Koeman has said that only a fully fit Memphis will go to the World Cup. That statement seems only to motivate the striker even more. “If I really do hang up my boots, people can draw their own conclusions. But that time hasn’t come yet. I gave them a shock by moving to Brazil. Lots of people thought then: that guy’s finished. But we’re just still doing our bit for the Oranje. I’m only 32, take it easy, man.”

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