Throughout the season, PSV's Joey Veerman looked like he was in absolute control. As PSV cruised to a 27th Eredivisie title, Veerman pulled the strings from the heart of the Eindhoven giants' midfield as he proved, once again, to be a driving force in PSV's dynasty.
And the pitches of the Dutch Eredivisie weren't the only area Veerman absolutely dominated. At a phenomenal 8.1 from 32 games (2500 minutes), the 28-year-old averaged the highest Flashscore match rating in the league*, winning by an absolute landslide - Ajax's Mika Godts (7.8) and Feyenoord's Anis Hadj Moussa (7.6) trailed by a sizable distance.
So, how did Joey Veerman score this highly? Flashscore tells you all about the magnificent 2025/26 season of the PSV star.
Goal contributions
The creative midfielder wasn't known for his goalscoring prowess, but got off to a scorching hot start after scoring four goals in his first seven games - just one goal under his season-best for PSV.
The down-to-earth Veerman looked unstoppable in the first half of the season, scoring all of his eight goals and providing seven assists in 16 Eredivisie appearances.
After the Volendam native rejected a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahçe in favour of staying at PSV for one last title push, Veerman gave seven more assists, finishing with a season tally of 8 goals and 14 assists, thus becoming the player with the fourth-most goal contributions across the Eredivisie.
Creative heart
Veerman's goal contributions weren't his only standout statistics. In PSV's build-up, the playmaker was absolutely pivotal, making things happen that no other player in the league could emulate.
Veerman practically lived in the opponent's final third. With 837 attempted passes into the final third, the midfielder completed a staggering 82.6% (691) of such passes and was the only player with over 500 completed passes into the final third. FC Twente's Ramiz Zerrouki followed at a huge distance with 495.
PSV's star man also led all players with 93 chances created, 25 big chances created, and 1,132 passes in the opposition's half, while also sitting in the top 5 of total completed passes (1,691), total successful crosses (60), and passes into the opposition's box (288).
What's next for Joey Veerman?
While a spot in the Netherlands' squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup makes sense, Joey Veerman will not make the trip to North America with Oranje. Veerman played his last minutes for the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and hasn't been called up since, with manager Ronald Koeman even stating that Veerman is not his "second or third choice" for the World Cup and criticising the midfielder's attitude.
Nonetheless, Veerman looks poised for a move abroad. Premier League outfit Brentford tried to bring Veerman to England twice in the last two transfer windows, and Fenerbahçe looked to have all but secured Veerman's signature in January.
No early suitors' names are being sung as of yet, but it'll be a matter of time before Veerman, who's under contract with PSV through 2028, makes the big move he's longed for two years.
*=Only players with at least 75% of the total minutes (3,060) were eligible for the Flashscore Player of the Year award
