{"id":39081,"date":"2026-08-20T05:21:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T05:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/39081\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T05:21:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T05:21:16","slug":"roy-makai-51-of-the-netherlands-was-the-worlds-best-goal-scorer-makai-is-188-centimeters-tall-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/39081\/","title":{"rendered":"Roy Makai (51) of the Netherlands was the world’s best goal scorer.Makai is 188 centimeters tall and.."},"content":{"rendered":"

Roy Makai (51) of the Netherlands was the world’s best goal scorer.<\/p>\n

Makai is 188 centimeters tall and has a reputation as a top goalscorer in the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany with strong power, excellent positioning and a sense of goal. In the 2002-03 season, he was also the top scorer in Spain’s Primera Liga.<\/p>\n

Makai also played in 43 A matches (6 goals) while wearing the Dutch national soccer team uniform. At that time, Makai’s competitors in the national team were Patrick Kluivert, Rut van Nistelrooy and Pierre van Hoydok.<\/p>\n

\"Roy \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Roy Makai. Photo = Reporter Lee Geun-seung \"Makai, \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Makai, who played for the Netherlands. \uc0ac\uc9c4=AFPBBNews=News1 <\/p>\n

As a player, Makai played for SBV Pietesser (the Netherlands), CD Tenerife, Deportivo La Coru\u00f1a (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), and Feyenoord Rotterdam (the Netherlands).<\/p>\n

After retiring as a player, Makai primarily served as a youth team leader, starting with Feyenoord Scouts.<\/p>\n

This is the story Makai talked with Chuchaejin as the general manager of the Munich World Squad program in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on August 3.<\/p>\n

\"Roy \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Roy Makai. Photo = Reporter Lee Geun-seung <\/p>\n

Q. I want to hear how you feel about visiting Korea.<\/p>\n

This is not my first visit. I visited Jeju a month ago for the Munich World Squad program. At that time, it rained a lot, so I couldn’t look around. After that, I went to Seoul, and I was impressed that it was a very beautiful city. The weather in Jeju is good this time, so I’m getting a better impression of Korea.<\/p>\n

Q. He has been a world-class striker for a long time, and has coached young players since retirement. Are there any characteristics of young people who feel that they can succeed.<\/p>\n

When judging the quality of a striker, I look at the details. There are certain abilities that are particularly difficult to learn. Location selection is a representative example. It is important to see how to get into the space where you can score, how to take the first touch, and how fast you connect to the shot. When selecting world squad players, it is not easy to understand everything because it is checked by video first. Still, if I have to select a good striker, I will focus on the details mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n

Q. In the soccer world, goal determination is sometimes viewed as an area that is born to some extent. Can goal determination be developed with effort or is it the area of talent.<\/p>\n

Parts such as the aforementioned location selection can be viewed as sensory areas. When you ask why you were there, you can only explain that you felt like you had to be there. It is not easy to teach these abilities in words. However, header technology, the ability to use both feet, and shooting technology can be fully developed. It is a part that can be improved through training and learning. Developing these abilities can also improve goal-determination.<\/p>\n

Q. After retiring as a player, he went through Feyenoord and Rangers, and now leads the Munich World Squad. Is there any particular reason for continuing to coach young players.<\/p>\n

I didn’t just teach youth. After working at Feyenoord Academy, he also experienced a professional team coach. He also served as a leader for Rangers. Klaus Augenthaler was in charge of the World Squad for about two years, and later took charge when I said, “I really want to take on this project.” I feel great interest and pleasure in interacting with young players and helping them develop. After four years in charge of the world squad, he also worked with Korean players every year. There are times when there are linguistic difficulties, but the process of working with the players is really fun.<\/p>\n

\"Roy \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Roy Makai, who played as a striker for the Dutch national football team. \uc0ac\uc9c4=AFPBBNews=News1 <\/p>\n

Q. In modern football, strikers must contribute to the team in various ways, not just goals. Harry Kane is a good example. What do you think a striker needs the most in the future.<\/p>\n

A striker is in a position where he has to score a goal. I think the most important ability is still goal determination. However, in order to score a goal, the coach must understand and perform the role he wants. You need to understand what movements or roles the team demands from the striker and have the elements necessary to accomplish that role. That’s an important part of growing into a better striker. There is another important thing. You have to take good care of your body. Compared to when I was playing as a player, players now have much less time to rest and recover. There are so many games to play, including the Nations League. To be a good striker, you have to always keep your body in good shape. And you have to score a goal.<\/p>\n

Q. As a player and leader, I have encountered many Korean players directly or indirectly. How did you feel about the Korean players.<\/p>\n

What I felt while coaching the World Squad is that the Korean players’ basic skills are very solid. It was quite impressive because there were many players with high skill levels. One of them is Heo Jae-won. I think Park Byung-chan of Daejeon Hana Citizen, who participated in this year’s World Squad, is also a player with very good qualities. When he was a player, he played with Lee Chun-soo. He was a very impressive player even though he didn’t play in many games. In the Netherlands, he had a good impression of Korean soccer through coach Guus Hiddink. Since then, Lee Young-pyo and Park Ji-sung have played well in the Netherlands, and Park Ji-sung has advanced to Manchester United. I think there is enough potential for Korean players to go higher.<\/p>\n

\"After \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 After playing as a loan player in Munich for six months until January 2027, Heo Jae-won signed a contract that included an option to completely transfer if certain conditions were met. Photo = Courtesy of Jeju SK <\/p>\n

Q. What did you notice when Heo Jae-won was selected for the World Squad for the first time.<\/p>\n

At first, three goalkeepers were selected. However, as one of them was inevitably unable to participate, he had to find a new player. At that time, Heo Jae-won was recommended through the Korean office in Munich and received videos and related materials. After watching the video, he decided he was a good player and joined the World Squad. Heo Jae-won’s performance in training and games was really good. In particular, he showed excellent performance in his last match against Munich U-19. Originally, I was going to go back to Korea after the game. But I changed my plan in a hurry. I even canceled my flight ticket and stayed in Munich for about two more weeks to train. Heo Jae-won showed very good performance during that period as well. This is why Munich signed a lease contract with Heo Jae-won.<\/p>\n

Q. I understand that there are quite a few players who have made their professional debuts through the World Squad.<\/p>\n

About 20 players made their professional debuts through the World Squad. A case in point is Brazilian Mycon Cardoso. He is also the first player from the World Squad to make his professional debut in Munich. Mo Kyung-bin, who participated in the World Squad, also made his professional debut with Suwon Samsung. The World Squad is a project to discover and grow young talents. The most ideal is for a player from the World Squad to make his debut in Munich. However, the threshold for Munich’s first team is very high. As a result, players who have experienced the World Squad begin their professional careers in leagues in Austria, the United States, and many other countries. It was even confirmed that Mo Kyung-bin was sent off in his professional debut. Unfortunately, I think that’s also part of the growth process. Looking at these examples, I think the World Squad plays a lot of roles in the growth of young players.<\/p>\n

\"Roy \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Roy Makai. Photo = Reporter Lee Geun-seung <\/p>\n

Q. When he was a player, the Dutch national team was full of world-class strikers such as Van Hoydock, Van Nistelrooy and Kluivert. Now, it is said that the number of traditional “No. 9 strikers” has decreased not only in the Netherlands but also around the world. What do you think is the reason.<\/p>\n

I really agree. There is also a lot of talk about this in the Netherlands. There were a lot of good strikers when I was playing. The problem is that only one person in the national team was able to take the position. On the contrary, it is not easy to find a traditional No. 9 striker now. The same goes for Germany. There’s a lot of talk about why strikers like Miroslav Klose don’t come out again. In the end, I think it’s a matter of education. The policy on how to nurture that type of player is very important. However, in the world, Roberto Lewandowski and other traditional No. 9 strikers still exist. There will be a young player who is still growing in the role of No. 9. The Netherlands also continues to foster such strikers. I believe there will be a new No. 9 striker.<\/p>\n

Q. What do you value in the World Squad not only for players’ performance but also for personality and social growth.<\/p>\n

The World Squad period is four weeks, which is very short. Basically, it is a project designed to provide players with a good playing experience. However, the structure of this project itself has great significance. Twenty-three players from 16 countries live together for four weeks. When players advance to professional programs and go on overseas stages in the future, they can experience how to communicate and live with players of different nationalities in unfamiliar environments in advance.<\/p>\n

Even when we assign accommodation, we don’t let Korean players use one room alone. For example, allow Korean and Brazilian players to stay together. Learn how to consider and communicate with the other person in an environment where language does not work perfectly, and how to live as a team for four weeks without conflict. It is as important a part of football performance as it is. I think it’s a very good project in that players can develop their ability to understand and communicate with each other.<\/p>\n

The environment in which the players have grown is all different. Park Byung-chan plays for Daejeon, and Heo Jae-won plays for Jeju. Some players have grown up in another environment like Koo Bon-seo. Players from different levels and environments gather as a team. It is important how those players live in harmony and can continue that trust into the stadium. He lost the match against Munich U-19, but showed a very good performance. I was very satisfied with how it looked.<\/p>\n

It was the same when we hosted the World Squad in Korea. Ahead of the match against Osan High School, Park Byung-chan heard that there are many youth representative players on the opposing team. But the most important thing we thought was not who the opponent was. It was how players from different cultures communicate and make them into a team. I think it is important not only for soccer achievements but also for players from various cultural backgrounds to become a team.<\/p>\n

\"Roy \uc0ac\uc9c4 \ud655\ub300 Roy Makai. Photo = Reporter Lee Geun-seung <\/p>\n

Q. When coaching young players, which one do you consider more important, autonomy or discipline.<\/p>\n

I don’t think it’s a matter of choosing between autonomy and discipline. It is important to have a leadership style that fits well with the culture of the country. In the Netherlands, players are given relatively much freedom. However, there is something that should be premised. Players should always do their best on the field.<\/p>\n

There is something I really want to emphasize to the youth players. It’s patience. These days, many players are turning 18 or 19 years old, but if they can’t play, they want to move to another team immediately. This does not mean that the transfer to get a chance to play was unconditionally wrong. However, excessive impatience may hinder a player’s growth. You need to be a little more patient and strive for your own growth. Players like Jamal Musiala and Manchester City’s Phil Foden also stayed with the team for a long time and persevered and tried to improve themselves. I think I was able to grow into the player I am now because of that time. Patience is especially important for young players these days.<\/p>\n

[Seoguri = Lee Geun-seung, MK Sports Reporter]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roy Makai (51) of the Netherlands was the world’s best goal scorer. Makai is 188 centimeters tall and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[25398,193,25397,25396,6,11620],"class_list":["post-39081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-netherlands","tag-bayern","tag-feyenoord","tag-hodgk","tag-kluibert","tag-netherlands","tag-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}