Every child growing up has a dream of the club they want to play for when they become a professional footballer.
For some it might be in the starry lights of the UEFA Champions League or Copa Libertadores, for others it might be in front of just 100 people. It does not matter, it is their club.
For Thijs Dallinga, that club was FC Groningen.
Dallinga was born in Groningen. He was a fan. His dad was a fan. His grandfather was a fan. You get the idea?
So being in the academy of his boyhood club should have been the crowning moment for a young Dallinga, but as is so often the case, things do not always work out so easy.
Dallinga was not getting the chances that he felt he deserved with the first team, so he took a chance. He dropped down a division and joined Excelsior permanently rather than go out on loan, something that is not that common.
“And I thought I didn’t really feel the trust that I wanted in me from the club and with two other strikers who were in front of me in the pecking order they had more trust in them. So I decided to drop down a little bit with an environment where they were to give me all the confidence and to play every game.
“And that’s what I wanted, to play and to score goals and to show myself to the rest of the country, because I think it’s really difficult when you play every game but only for 10 minutes to really show yourself and then you have to be lucky sometimes that you can score but at the end, this was the right decision.”
Right decision is an understatement. Dalinga tore the Eerste Divisie apart, scoring 32 times in 37 games as Excelsior won promotion to the Eredivisie via the play-offs.
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Thijs Dallinga of Toulouse celebrates his goal during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Lille OSC (LOSC) and Toulouse FC (TFC, Tefece) at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on November 12, 2023 in Lille, France.
Image credit: Getty Images
His performances caught the eye of Toulouse, a club who were looking to make waves with a data-driven approach under new owners Red Bird, who wanted to pull the club out of Ligue 2 back into Ligue 1.
As it was with Excelsior, Dallinga appreciated that the French club had a plan for how they were going to use him and develop his game.
He said: “Yeah they contacted me quite early in the season when they were still playing in Ligue 2. So I had interest in them initially because of what I said before, I want to be somewhere where they have a good plan for you.
“And not only did they tell you what they envisioned they also showed it to you and there was contact for quite a long time and they stayed in contact and that gave me the right feeling.
“We went there to visit Toulouse and speak with the people who decided to bring me here.
“So it’s all about the feeling for me and in the end it worked out very well and they just gave me the confidence to develop and gave me some time to grow and in the end I think I’ve been able to pay them back.
“Before I arrived and when I signed of course we had a lot of chats and they showed me all the points where they thought I was strong and I thought I could improve.
“It’s nice when a club approaches you and their vision with how you can improve and what you are good at aligns with how you feel about your game, so you’re both on the same page.”
Once again the move has paid off.
Dallinga scored 12 goals in his debut season in France as Toulouse finished 13th, 13 points above the relegation zone. He was also the top scorer in the Coupe de France with six goals, scoring twice in the final as Toulouse thrashed holders Nantes to lift the cup for the first time in their history.
That meant qualification to the UEFA Europa League where they were drawn against Premier League giants Liverpool. Once again Dallinga showed he was a player for the big occasion, scoring both in Toulouse and at Anfield against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The striker tells TNT Sports that it was nice to show himself that he did belong at the highest level.
He said: “It was a big point for me in my second season to not only be playing in Ligue 1 but also in the Europa League to show what I can do on that stage.
“Of course in the league you want to perform but I think with the Europa League, it’s a different stage and people look at you in a different way in games like this and to score against Liverpool away, and here at home was a really nice feeling for me, and also maybe a nice moment, that confirmation to myself that I can reach this level and can show to the rest, as well. So it was a good moment for me.”
How about scoring at Anfield?
Dallinga said: “It’s a magical stadium and because when you’re younger you’re looking at the TV and Premier League and look at stadiums like that and speak with your dad about it and of course these are the stadiums that you want to play in and to score in.
“So it was an unforgettable moment, the end result was obviously not so good. But for me personally, it was a nice evening.”
Dallinga is an interesting striker. No slouch but certainly not blessed with immense pace. Not the tallest but also not so short that he will not cause issues for defenders.
In fact when watching him it is his intelligence that stands out. Dallinga seems to have the knack for getting into the right positions needed to score, and making the kind of runs that are a nightmare for defenders.
Whatever he is doing is working as with six Ligue 1 games to go Dallinga needs just two goals to beat his tally from last season, to go along with the four he scored in Europe.
“I think the level that we play at as a smaller team it’s the details that make a difference,” Dallinga explained. “And if you’re able to think one step ahead, I think you can make a big difference in the games and especially as a striker where it’s all about getting into the right position and getting the right timing I think it’s a huge part of my game.
“I think if you time the runs really well – and of course I’m not that slow, but also not the fastest in the league and with my length it is difficult as well – and can give everything in my runs in terms of timing and effort then I think that helps a lot. And at the end, it’s about scoring goals and being dangerous in the box. And I think if you combine that you’re really good combination.”
