In football, there are many examples of sons inheriting their father's business, and The younger Van Hoydonk is one of them.
In the 2020-21 Eredivisie, Van Hoydonk Jr., who made 28 appearances, performed well, scoring 15 goals to help Breda finally finish fifth in the Dutch Second Division table.
This summer, the 21-year-old Dutch striker left Breda for the Apennines to join Serie A side Bologna in the number 20 shirt.
In Bologna's 3-2 home win over promoted Masalenetana in the first round of the 2021-22 Serie A season, Van Hoydonk Jr. came off the bench and made his Serie A debut near the end of the match.
The father of the younger Van Hoydonk is former Dutch international Pierre Van Hoydonk.
Born in 1969, Pierre Van Hoydonk became famous in Bray. In the 1993–94 Eredivisie, he scored 25 goals, just one less than Litmanin of the Dutch Golden Boot that season. Van Hoydonk's outstanding performance helped Breda to finish seventh in the Dutch League that season.
After leaving Breda, Van Hoydonk has left a footprint in the Soviet Premier League's Celtics, The Premier League's Nottingham Forest, the Portuguese Premier League's Benfica, and the Turkish Super League's Fenerbas, all of which have maintained good goal efficiency. In addition, Van Hoydonk also played twice for Eredivisie powerhouse Feyenoord, including in the 2001-02 season, when his performance was quite eye-catching. In the 2001–02 Eredivisie, Van Hoydonk scored 24 goals for Feyenoord and was awarded the Eredivisie Golden Boot, while in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, Van Hoydonk became the top scorer with eight goals and helped Fayenoord win the cup, defeating Borussia Dortmund in the final.
At that time, in addition to Van Hoydonk, Feyenoord's squad included Danish striker Thomassen, Japan international Shinji Ono and fledgling Van Persie. Feyenoord's opponents in the UEFA Cup final, Borussia Dortmund, have stars such as Lehmann, Rosicky, Jan Kohler and Amorusso. In this final, Feyenoord finally defeated Dortmund 3-2, Van Hoydonk and front partner Thomassen scored 2 goals and 1 goal respectively, and Dortmund's forward combination Jan Kohler and Amorusso scored 1 goal each.
In the following 2002–03 season, Van Hoydonk remained in pretty good shape, scoring 28 goals for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie and finishing second in the Eredivisie top scorer list, and the Golden Boot winner of that season was Kegermann, who was in the Eredivisie at the time, and the Eindhoven striker scored 35 goals in the Eredivisie that season.
In the Dutch national team, Van Hoydonk was somewhat ill-timed, and he was in the same era as the Dutch strikers such as Bergkamp, Kluivert, Van Nistelrough, MaKay, Hasselbaink, etc., and he had limited playing time in the national team. Van Hoydonk played with the Netherlands in the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, where he was a substitute for the Dutch team in the front. In 2002, he was in good shape, but the Netherlands eventually missed the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Van Hoy Itonk scored 14 goals in 46 appearances for the Oranges, including one in the big tournament, which came in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, when the Netherlands beat South Korea 5-0, received Avis-Owmas's cross from the left and the substitute Van Hoydonk's header broke the goal.
As a 1.93-meter-tall center, Van Hoydonk has a delicate footwork, especially the level of free kicks, he kicks free kicks with good strength, arc, and pursuit of angle, making it difficult for the opposing goalkeeper to save.
In the 2001–02 League Cup final against Borussia Dortmund, Van Hoydonk first hit a penalty and then a free-kick. Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Lehmann was also powerless against this high-quality free-kick.
Against Real Madrid, Van Hoydonk's free-kick was equally impressive.
Looking at the posture and footwork of the little Van Hoydonk when he took the free kick, it was already a bit of his father's shadow.
While his son was still playing in Breda, a scene of Van Hojdonk watching the game was captured. All fathers in the world look at their children with such similar eyes.