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Captain Ake introduces the Netherlands

A 15-year-old defender, a pair of jokers and a Belgian. The Netherlands captain Nathan Ake talks UEFA.com through the squad who retained the Under-17 title on Wednesday.

Netherlands captain Nathan Ake leads out his team against Slovenia.
Netherlands captain Nathan Ake leads out his team against Slovenia. ©Sportsfile

1 Nick Olij (AZ Alkmaar, goalkeeper)
Nick's a good goalkeeper. He's made a lot of saves this tournament. He can play out from the back well and is comfortable with the ball at his feet.

2 Djavan Anderson (AFC Ajax, defender)
A very relaxed person, he plays right-back now, but he can fit in a lot of positions, including midfield. He's good at one-on-one defending.

3 Riechedly Bazoer (PSV Eindhoven, defender)
He's still really young – he doesn't turn 16 until October – so it's very good to see him in the final at an age like this. Calm on the ball, and likes to dribble.

4 Jorrit Hendrix (PSV Eindhoven, defender)
Jorrit is a funny person who is always talking. He is a great defender, good at headers and a good tackler. Scored an important goal against Georgia.

5 Joris Voest (sc Heerenveen, defender)
A very strong player, another who is good at marking and one-on-one defending. A quiet guy, he focuses on school and doesn't talk a lot, but he is a good person.

6 Thom Haye (AZ Alkmaar, midfielder)
I've played with him through all the age groups at international level so far, so I have known him for a long time. A midfielder who likes to pass and get the ball forward.

7 Elton Acolatse (AFC Ajax, forward)
A left-winger who is really good at taking on his opponent. Quite a withdrawn person off the pitch, but a good player.

8 Nathan Ake (Chelsea FC, midfielder)
My strength is my mentality, I am determined and focused. My style is similar to David Luiz. I can play in the centre of defence or midfield and I like to play out from the back as he does.

9 Rai Vloet (PSV Eindhoven, forward)
A strong player who can hold off opponents. He likes to get on the ball. Off the pitch he is changeable. Sometimes he's incredibly active, sometimes very quiet.

10 Tonny Trindade de Vilhena (Feyenoord, midfielder)
Another guy I've known for a long time. He's my room-mate and he is always crazy! He's great on the ball, has good technique and is strong minded. He is also the resident DJ.

11 Jeroen Lumu (Willem II, forward)
He is very similar to Tonny – another crazy guy! Probably the team joker, he is always busy off the pitch, laughing and keeping spirits up, but on it he is always focused. Skilful, quick and can beat a man very well.

12 Bram van Vlerken (PSV Eindhoven, defender)
A right-back from a good club, he likes to attack a lot down the flank, but he is good at getting back and stopping his opponent getting down the line.

13 Sandy Walsh (KRC Genk, defender)
The Belgian! Sandy is a centre-back who plays in Belgium, one of only two in the squad that don't play in the Netherlands. He started off a quiet guy, but he's more confident now and a little bit louder.

14 Branco van den Boomen (AFC Ajax, midfielder)
A very good player. Usually a holding midfielder, he has a superb ability to just place the ball anywhere he wants on the pitch when passing.

16 Mike Havekotte (FC Utrecht, goalkeeper)
Mike's a similar keeper to Nick. He is good on his line and is a good penalty saver, judging on what we see in training.

15 Pascal Huser (sc Heerenveen, forward)
A quiet person off the pitch. When playing Pascal likes to have the ball at his feet and drive forward. A good player.

18 Queensy Menig (AFC Ajax, forward)
This is Queensy's first time in the national team. He is a quiet person who keeps himself to himself, but he has real ability on the pitch.

17 Wouter Marinus (sc Heerenveen, forward)
Very versatile, Wouter can play in midfield, on the wings or as a striker, which is important for us. A nice guy.

Nathan Ake was speaking to Dan Ross