Luuk de Jongโs transfer to Porto this summer ended eight intermittent years of association with PSV, and now, the 35-year-old is set to be honoured back in Eindhoven ahead of an Eredivisie fixture.
De Jong left the Philips Stadion at the end of his contract to surprisingly join Francesco Farioliโs Porto in a move that even Fabrizio Romano didnโt see coming. Despite achieving a 14th major career honour with the Dutch championship last term, the imposing striker has yet to have a real farewell.
Now itโs been revealed that De Jong will return to the Philips Stadium on October 18th, where he will be officially waved goodbye before PSV play Go Ahead Eagles.
โSaying goodbye to a club icon isnโt just done with a lap of honour. Besides the undoubtedly deafening applause from the crowd, Luuk de Jong will also receive his own tile on the Energiedirect Walk of Fame,โ PSV wrote. โThis makes him not only the youngest player with a tile in the floor of the Philips Stadium, but also the only active player with that honour.โ
After two spells with the club, De Jong scored 186 goals across 338 all-competition games. General Manager Marcel Brands had kind words for the man who went from goal-getting striker, to team-bonding leader.
โLuuk achieved statistics that are virtually impossible in modern football. Moreover, he was a true leader; the team followed him blindly. This rare combination makes him the first active player on the Walk of Fame, and he more than deserves it.โ
GBeNeFNย |ย Max Bradfield
