In this interview, Jetten speaks openly about his development at Ajax, his childhood and the influence of his adoption and move to the Netherlands. He also talks about the attention surrounding his family connection to Prime Minister Rob Jetten, his experiences with the Netherlands U-team and his ambitions for the coming years. His main goal remains clear: breaking through at Ajax 1 and securing a regular place in the first team.
Lucas Jetten: left winger, left-back, right winger. What are you these days?
"Actually, all three of the ones you just mentioned."
Do you have a preference at the moment? Or do you say: I’ll see what the coach wants and show myself there?
"Yes, no, not really, I think. My preference is probably left-back. But like you just said, I’m happy with every opportunity I get in any position, and I try to show myself as well as possible."
So, as a footballer, you are very versatile. How would you describe yourself as a person?
"I think as a calm person. Someone who is easygoing. I like to laugh too, especially when I feel comfortable and at ease. But when it’s time to train, I’m focused. Then I always try to give my best."
Are you also calm on the pitch, or do you think you’re different there than off the pitch?
"I’m not necessarily the one on the pitch who shouts and coaches a lot. That’s still something I can improve. I think when you reach a higher level, that’s something I can and need to improve in to make a difference. But with the ball and without the ball, both in defence and attack, I’m not calm in that sense. I always want the ball, and I’m aggressive. Just not specifically in talking."
I just saw you joking around with the guys from your team at De Toekomst. Who do you get along with best at the club?
"Actually, with everyone. I’m someone who gets along with everyone. I don’t think there’s anyone I wouldn’t like. As I said, I’m a calm person, relaxed."
Jetten's roots lie on the other side of the world. The Ajax player moved from South Africa to the Netherlands with his adoptive mother as a baby. At a young age, he joined Ajax’s youth academy. In 2015, he took his first steps at De Toekomst and progressed through all the youth teams up to Ajax U23. In recent years, he has developed into a versatile player under several coaches.
You were born on June 7, 2007, in South Africa. How old were you when you came to the Netherlands?
"I think about one and a half."
So you don’t really have many memories from being there?
"No, not really. I lived there for about a year with my mother, who adopted me. My mother is single and adopted me on her own. At some point, she moved to the Netherlands, mainly so she could be closer to family who could help and support her when she was working. So after living in South Africa for a year, the two of us moved to the Netherlands. First, we lived in Amsterdam for a while, I think about a year or two. After that, we moved to the place where we live now. If possible, we sometimes go back to South Africa. In the past, it was every year or every two years during the Christmas holidays, because it’s summer there then. Nowadays,it’s harder to plan. But we try to go back as often as possible."
Do you think moving to the Netherlands played a role in your career?
"Yes, a very big one, I think. My life would have looked very different anyway, regardless of whether I was adopted or not. There are certain opportunities you can get here in the Netherlands that you might not get in South Africa, or not as quickly. Especially at a club like Ajax. Here, I think, you get the best opportunities. That has made a huge difference."
When you came to the Netherlands, you probably never imagined you would become the nephew of our Prime Minister. Do people joke about that in the dressing room, or do you try to separate it from football?
"Yes, of course. You can’t really avoid it if your uncle is Prime Minister Jetten. Some people already knew before he became prime minister. When he became more prominent in the elections, and people heard the name Jetten more often, they started to make the connection. Then it quickly became big news. He also said online that I’m his nephew. Then, of course,people joke about it."
What kind of things do they say?
"For example, they call me Rob, things like that. It’s always funny, I can laugh about it myself."
Let’s go back to the beginning at Ajax. You joined the academy in 2015. That’s more than ten years ago now. What do you remember about the first moment you arrived at the club, and what have you learned most in those ten or eleven years?
"I can still remember a few things from that time. The trial period, for example. I’ve been playing with one guy here since then."
Who is that?
"Jinairo (Johnson). We’ve basically played together at Ajax our whole lives. We did the trial together and then ended up in the same team. The moment you hear you’ve been accepted also always stays in your mind. The boys I played with then, the coaches as well. For example, Rik Verhage. I had him in my first year, and now I have him again. That’s really nice."
In what way have you grown the most over the years?
"I think mostly as a person. When I arrived here, I was a very shy boy. I think coaches and people who knew me then would say the same. I was very closed off and didn’t really dare to stand up for myself. I’ve grown a lot in that. I’m much more outspoken now, and I stand up for myself more."
You mentioned the coach you now have again. Do you really build a bond with coaches you’ve had here? And what have you learned most from the coach you had then and now again?
"That’s Rik (Verhage). That was in the Under-9s. Back then, he also saw me as a closed-off boy. Even then, he tried to help me come out of my shell and stand up for myself more. Now that I have him again, you immediately notice a strong bond. He really wants to help me, he’s there for me, and we watch match footage together. I can go to him if something is wrong, or he can come to me for a chat. He’s very helpful and keeps me sharp every day."
Are you grateful for that?
"Yes, very grateful. Sometimes he even texts me in the evening, telling me not to be late. I still struggle with that sometimes. He knows what my problems are and what I need to do to get better. He also knows me as a person; he knows my mother and my home situation. Because of that, he can quickly see when something is going on with me and how he can help or support me."
We talked earlier about the fact that you’ve played in several positions in a short time. Which position suits your qualities best?
"I think left-back. Also, because I can really defend as well. Left wing is also possible. But when I play left-back, I often get into the same positions where a left winger normally comes. For example, to make runs or deliver crosses. So I would say left-back, but I can basically play along the entire left flank."
"I also played in attack for quite a long time in the youth teams. There are still boys who remember me as a striker, right winger or left winger. My teammates joke about it, too; they say I’m back in my old position. I just stay relaxed and try to do the same things as when I arrive in those positions as a left-back: make runs and try to make the difference."
In that new position, you immediately gave an assist in your first match. That must have felt good.
"Yes, definitely. When I heard I would play left wing, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t really expect it. I always joke that I can play left wing, but I didn’t expect to actually play there. But when I gave that assist, it felt good."
Many young players need to become physically stronger before they can really break through at Ajax 1. In an earlier interview, you said that you still needed to grow in that area. That was about one and a half or two years ago. Have you worked on that in the meantime?
"Yes, definitely. I have a personal plan with the strength coaches here. I do extra work in the gym and also pay attention to my nutrition."
Do you enjoy going to the gym?
"It depends. Sometimes I really think: ‘not today’. But then I still have to do it, so I do it. Other days, I don't mind. You’re only there for about half an hour, and then you can just push everything out. I do enjoy that."
Do you think you are physically ready for Ajax 1?
"Maybe not completely in terms of match fitness yet. But apart from that, I work a lot in the gym and with my nutrition to become stronger and gain some weight."
This season, you were also part of the match squad once already, away against NEC. How did you experience that day?
"Just relaxed. I think it was the first time since last year that I was back in the official match squad. Of course, you look forward to that. You start imagining scenarios in your head about what would happen if you came on and made your debut. I think that was also the day Rob Jetten said in an interview that I would be in the squad. That created some commotion around it. It was the first time people really started to realise that we are family."
Last week you played in the friendly with Ajax 1 against NAC. Do you notice a big difference between the first team and Ajax U23?
"Of course. The level at Ajax 1 is higher. Players touch the ball one or two times more often and lose possession less. Physically, you also notice the difference. In the second half, we played with more of our team, but in the first half, it was mainly first-team players. Then you really notice that the level is higher."
In 2024, you won the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy. Jorrel Hato won it a year earlier. What did it mean for you to win that award?
"I was very proud. Especially because someone like Jorrel Hato won it the year before, and there were other big names before him as well. For me, it was also a bit of a shock at that moment, but mainly I was proud."
Does such an award give confidence, or does it also bring pressure?
"I’ve kind of left it behind in my head. I won it in the summer, after coming from the youth teams. I was very proud, and I’m still grateful. But then I joined Ajax U23 and noticed the level was higher, so I had to adapt. That’s why I left the award behind a bit and just focus on what I have to do now."
I just mentioned Jorrel Hato. You once said you looked at him to learn from him when he still played at Ajax. Do you still watch him now that he plays for Chelsea?
"Yes, definitely. As a left-back, you can learn a lot from him. How calm he is in the build-up, how he defends in one-against-one situations and his agility. Those are things you look at. Now he plays at the highest level in the Premier League. Recently, he even started against Arsenal. You definitely watch that."
Are there other left-backs you really watch?
"No, not specifically. I do watch Jurriën Timber. He now plays right-back for Arsenal, and he does that extremely well. Especially his aggression in defending. That’s something I can still learn a lot from, even though he plays right-back and I play left-back."
If you look two years ahead in football, what are you looking forward to most?
"First making my debut for Ajax 1. Right now, that’s really what I’m looking forward to the most. It doesn't matter where. Everything is good. After that, securing a starting place. That’s what I’m most excited about."
If people look at Lucas Jetten as a player in a few years, what type of footballer should they see?
"I think an all-round left-back. Someone who can make the difference in attack and also hold his own in defence."
