Lutsharel Geertruida

Lutsharel Geertruida (born 18 July 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Netherlands national team. Mainly a right-back, he can also play as a centre-back and defensive midfielder.

Club career
Geertruida was born in Rotterdam, near Feyenoord home ground De Kuip. He started his footballing career at Overmaas Rotterdam, before moving to Spartaan '20 at age seven. Two years later, he joined Sparta Rotterdam's youth academy, where he played for three years before being signed to Feyenoord's youth setup at Sportcomplex Varkenoord.

Geertruida made his professional first team debut on 25 October 2017 in the second round of the KNVB Cup against AVV Swift, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute for Jerry St. Juste.

Throughout the 2018–19 season, Geertruida was consistently part of the first-team squad at Feyenoord but saw limited playing time, making just two substitute appearances in the Eredivisie. He made his debut in the Eredivisie on 23 December 2018, against ADO Den Haag, replacing club legend Robin van Persie in the 79th minute. He also debuted in European competition on 9 August 2018, in a UEFA Europa League qualifier that ended in a 4–0 loss against AS Trenčín.

During the 2019–20 season, Geertruida saw more game time, often coming on as a substitute for regular starter Rick Karsdorp. His first start in the Eredivisie took place on 26 September 2019, in a match against AZ, which ended in a 3–0 loss for Feyenoord.

He scored his first goal in professional football on 27 September 2020, scoring Feyenoord's first goal in a 4–2 win against ADO Den Haag. In August 2021, Geertruida extended his contract with Feyenoord until 2024. On 25 May 2022, he played in the UEFA Conference League final which Feyenoord lost 1–0 to Roma. In the 2022–23 season, he was an integral part of the team which won the Eredivisie title.

International career
Born in the Netherlands, Geertruida is of Curaçaoan descent. He is a youth international for the Netherlands. On 21 March 2021, Geertruida was called up to the Netherlands national under-21 football team for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship to replace the ill Jurriën Timber.

He was called up to the preliminary squad for the Curaçao national team for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On 17 March 2023, Geertruida received his first call-up to the Netherlands senior national team for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against France and Gibraltar. He made his debut a week later, being a starter in a 4–0 away loss against France.

In June 2023, Geertruida was part of the Netherlands' squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, where he played the full match against Croatia in the semi-final and the first 45 minutes against Italy in the third place play-off.

In May 2024, it was announced that Geertruida was part of the preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024. Two weeks later, it was confirmed that he would be included in the final squad. He made his final tournament debut on 21 June 2024, coming in as a substitute in a 0–0 draw against France.

Personal life
During his early years at Feyenoord, Geertruida was seldom seen in front of the camera due to his struggle with severe stuttering. As a result, in consultation with the club, he chose not to participate in any interviews.

Honours
Feyenoord
 * Eredivisie: 2022–23
 * KNVB Cup: 2017–18, 2023–24
 * Johan Cruyff Shield: 2018
 * UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2021–22

Individual
 * Eredivisie Talent of the Month: September 2020, January 2021
 * Eredivisie Team of the Month: September 2020, January 2021, February 2023, March 2023, May 2023, August 2023, October 2023, December 2023, January 2024, February 2024
 * UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2021–22