- Name: Jesse Bal
- Age: 17 (Born on October 1st, 2006)
- Main Position: Striker
- Secondary Position: Left winger
- Club: Sparta Rotterdam U23
- Nationality: Dutch
- Preferred foot: Right
- Key Strengths: Physicality, pressing and offensive positioning
- Improvements: Decision-making in the final third and tackling
Jesse Bal has been a part of Sparta Rotterdam’s youth setup for a couple of years now and the club has recently shown their belief in his abilities by extending his contract until 2026. The 17-year-old striker currently plays for the U23 side of Sparta which competes in the third tier of Dutch football. He has already made multiple appearances for the Dutch U16 and U17 national teams and made his first U18 appearance in October 2023. He is now getting closer to the first team of the Rotterdam side with two short appearances in the Eredivisie and another short appearance in the Dutch Cup for Sparta Rotterdam.
Background
Sparta Rotterdam is famous for its youth system which has produced many talented players. Well-known names like Memphis Depay, Jorrel Hato, Marten de Roon, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Emanuel Emegha spent some years in the Sparta youth setup. Some of these players left the club at a young age but so far the Dutch side has been able to keep Jesse Bal at the club. He has now become the youngest player to make his first-team debut in the history of the club and it seems inevitable for him to get his shot at more first-team football in the upcoming months.
Strengths
What stands out most about Jesse Bal is his physicality. He is already very tall and especially for someone his height he is very quick on his feet. Where his acceleration is average, his sprint speed is one of his weapons that he uses often when looking for runs behind the defense. During buildup play, he is often looking for space behind the opponents’ defense to make these runs. This aspect of his game adds to his versatility. Where he is a weapon in the box when crossing the ball because of his height and physicality he is also dangerous earlier on in the buildup with his deep runs.
Next to that, he also shows his strengths when instead of a slow buildup a long ball is used to reach him further up the field. He can shield the ball and hold up play until one of his teammates is available to receive the ball. His passing in these situations is good and his headers when heading the ball on or back to a teammate are precise, making him a valuable asset in different types of buildup play.
Bal does not mind defensive duties as he is often found pressing his opponents. With his large frame and surprising sprint speed, he is a force to be reckoned with when pressing the opponents’ back line during their buildup play. He can still improve on the effectiveness of his pressing as his tackling does still need some work. If he is able to improve this part of his game he can be of value in a side that like to use a high press against their opponents.
Weaknesses
However, there are still parts of Jesse Bal’s play that he should look to improve to take that next step in his development. The earlier mentioned tackling is one of those but there are also two elements of his attacking game that he can still improve on: decision-making in the final third and dribbling.
Even though his passing is good Bal does not always make the right decisions when he gets the ball around the box of the opposing team. Too often he plays a pass that is not the optimal choice showing some weakness in his decision-making in the final third. By getting into these situations more and working on different attacking scenarios he should be able to improve this part of his game and become more effective in the final phases of his team’s attacking play.
He can also improve his dribbling which is still somewhat inconsistent. He has good ball control and surprises every now and then with technicality that you would only sometimes expect from someone his height. However, if he is able to improve his dribbling further and become more confident in dribbling with the ball when space is presented to him he could become an even more complete forward than he is already shaping out to be.
Current Ability and Potential
Jesse Bal is already holding his own against players twice his age in the third tier of Dutch football and with his first minutes in the top flight, he is showing his current ability. For now, regular playing time in the second tier of Dutch football could be a good step for him to further develop as a player if Sparta is not able to give him more minutes in the remainder of the season and he is looking forward to the next. His potential ability will be reliant on this game time since his maximum potential is high. With his profile, he can be an interesting player for mid-table teams in Europe’s biggest leagues in the long run.
Conclusion
With Jesse Bal Sparta Rotterdam once again has a gem in their ranks. A player with a very interesting profile and loads of potential. Sparta recognizes his potential by offering a new contract and already giving him minutes in the first team at just 17 years old. Keep an eye out for Bal as he works his way up the ranks at Sparta and becomes a threat to be reckoned with both in the box with his height and in buildup with surprising sprint speed.
This Scout Report is written by Jacques Bourgeois, video scout at 360 Scouting.
Target Scouting 