Shaquille and Robin van Persie Getty Images January 30, 2026, 09:27

The Europa League match against Spanish Betis was a double tragedy for Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie. The Dutch club not only suffered a defeat (1:2), which cost them a place in the tournament, but also lost one of the most promising young players – the mentor’s son, Shakil.

In the 73rd minute of the meeting, trying to save the game, Robin van Persie threw his son into the fight. Shakil entered the field, using the last, fifth slot for substitutions at the disposal of Feyenoord. However, the stadium froze within 10 minutes: the attacker suffered a serious knee injury.

Shakil was carried off the field on a stretcher to the applause of the stands, but for the team it meant a disaster – the Rotterdam team had to play out the decisive minutes in the 10th minute, because there were no more substitutions left. The weakened composition of Feyenoord could not change the course of the match.

This result was a sentence for the Dutch: the team took 29th place in the overall table, having only 6 points, and officially stopped playing in the Europa League. In the current season, the young forward began to justify the trust of his father-coach and his famous name. In 6 matches for the main team, he managed to score 2 goals and give 1 assist.