He might’ve flopped at Rangers, but Sam Lammers is now being compared to Dutch football royalty in his homeland.
The FC Twente hitman returned from a two month injury layoff to net a stunner against RKC Waalwijk in a 2-0 victory for his side. Lammers spun as he picked up a pass just inside the box, gliding beyond a couple of challenges and then cutely lifting the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper and into the net from close range – leaving two opponents on the deck. It was a ninth of the season for the Dutchman, who cost Rangers around £2.5m but scored just twice during his time in Glasgow.
And his composure earned comparisons with Arsenal and Netherlands legend Dennis Bergkamp, with commentator Mark van Rijswijk and presenter Jan Joost van Gangelen both calling the goal “Bergkampian.” With Lammers later telling ESPN that he was honoured by the comparison having grown up idolising his fellow countryman – even if he was copying another goal machine with his hands to his ears celebration.
He said: “It was a nice goal. That’s how I like to score them best. I used to watch a lot of his (Bergkamp’s) DVDs so I think it’s based on that. I think Luca Toni used to cheer like that too. I’ve seen a lot of goals and footage of Bergkamp. He was kind of my idol back then.
“I’ve seen Bergkamp’s 100 goals at Arsenal many times. He could do everything, hard, soft, sly or chipped. I wanted that feeling too. It always looks good with him. I enjoyed the game. I had to be patient the second half of the season with that damn injury. I am completely over it now. With the winter break in between, it was a long time since I played a match.”
After struggling for form in his six months at Ibrox, Lammers returned to the Netherlands 12 months ago as he joined FC Utrecht on loan – and immediately looked a different player, scoring 11 times in 20 matches. That saw a host of clubs interested over the summer, with FC Twente winning the race and ensuring Rangers got their £2.5m layout back for the 27-year-old.