Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie handed his son his first-team debut on Thursday evening as the Eredivisie side slumped to a 3-1 loss against Celtic.
The former Man United and Arsenal striker turned to Shaqueel, 19, with 10 minutes to go of the Europa League clash in the Netherlands.
However the youngster, a product of the Man City academy, struggled to make a difference as his father’s men suffered their fourth defeat in as many games.
Van Persie Sr admitted afterwards that it was a ‘special’ moment seeing his son make his debut, but was adamant that he sees Shaqueel as ‘one of his players’ rather than a member of his family.
‘I made the call (to bring him on) as a coach and not as a dad because we need a goal,’ the 42-year-old told TNT Sports. ‘Shaqueel is a player who can score a goal from all angles. So that was the reason why I brought him on.
‘So from a father’s point of view it was a special moment because when your son makes his debut that’s always a special moment but, to be fair, I wasn’t that busy with enjoying the moment. I was just doing my work like Shaqueel was.’
Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie handed his son his first-team debut on Thursday evening against Celtic
Van Persie affirmed afterwards that his decision to bring on Shaqueel was purely a football-based one
Asked whether it’s hard to separate Shaqueel as his son and as a player, Van Persie responded: ‘No, not at all, no. The way I see him is just as one of the players. This is what we agreed to a couple of years when we started working together and Shaqueel was handling that really well.
‘I see him as a player and later on, when we’re home, of course we will have a nice moment where we’re proud of each other and, from my point of view, where I’m proud of Shaqueel because he’s worked hard – like every player who makes his debut.
‘He deserved it and for him, a special moment.’
Shaqueel joined Feyenoord, where his father began his career, back in 2017 after two years in Man City’s youth setup.
He eventually signed his first professional contract in 2022 but was only included in a competitive matchday squad for the first time on the weekend as his side slumped to a 4-2 defeat to NEC Nijmegen.
Van Persie Sr has been eager to ensure the 19-year-old stays grounded, as evidenced by an incident a few years ago when Shaqueel was playing for Feyenoord’s Under-14s.
On the car journey home, Shaqueel had complained about his coach and teammates after spending a match on the bench. The 102-cap Netherlands international used the moment to teach his son an important lesson.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in 2020, Van Persie said: ‘I told him, “Shaqueel, you sound like a loser when you talk like that. You sound like you lost. You’re blaming him, blaming her, blaming this, blaming everything, but I don’t hear one single thing about yourself.
Shaqueel signed for Feyenoord in 2017 after two years in Man City’s youth setup
The 19-year-old was only named in his first competitive matchday squad in the Eredivisie on the weekend
‘”Winners take control, they blame themselves and look where they can improve. This is what you should be thinking about. Ask yourself, are you a loser, or are you a winner?
“‘It doesn’t matter to me because I’m your dad. The only job I have, and your mum has, is to get you ready for life when you’re 20.
‘“You can make your mistakes, you can do whatever you want. I love you the same amount. It doesn’t matter to me whether you make it as a footballer or not.
‘”But you say that this is your passion, so you have to take control of your life and stop complaining”.’
Van Persie said he noticed an immediate shift in Shaqueel’s attitude afterwards: ‘I saw this tiger! Training, working, running. And I thought, “Okay, he realised he has to take control of his life.”‘
Shaqueel will be hoping to make his Eredivisie debut on Sunday when Feyenoord travel to Telstar.
