This summer’s World Cup not only brings together the biggest stars in international football, but also highlights a remarkable piece of Otten Cup history. No fewer than 29 players from 13 different countries currently competing on football’s biggest stage once took part in the Otten (Innovation) Cup. Together, they have amassed more than 1,000 international appearances. Over the coming days, we will take you on a journey back in time, all the way to 2007. Along the way, we will revisit the stories of players who impressed as young talents at De Herdgang and have since developed into full internationals. We begin with a number of former PSV prospects who now represent the Netherlands, Curaçao, the Czech Republic and England.
Memphis, Locadia, Brenet and Bazoer
One of the most recognizable names on that list is undoubtedly Memphis Depay. The Dutch international took part in the prestigious youth tournament in both 2010 and 2011. During his first appearance, Memphis was actually the youngest player in the PSV squad. Just six months after his second Otten Cup appearance, he made his Eredivisie debut in a home match against Feyenoord. His debut for the Dutch national team followed in 2013. Since then, he has earned 111 caps and scored 55 goals, making him the all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands. After spells with top clubs such as Manchester United, Olympique Lyon and FC Barcelona, Depay has been playing for Brazilian side Corinthians since 2024.
Memphis Depay
Also part of PSV’s 2010 squad was Jurgen Locadia, now a Curaçao international. The striker immediately demonstrated his eye for goal. With three goals, he finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer. A year later, he raised the bar even higher. Thanks in part to two goals against FC Barcelona, he finished as the outright top scorer of the Otten Cup with six goals. In a short interview at the time, Locadia expressed his ambition to make his Eredivisie debut as soon as possible. That dream became reality just over a year later. On 30 September 2012, he made his Eredivisie debut for PSV away at VVV-Venlo and marked the occasion with a hat-trick. In 2018, Locadia left PSV for Brighton & Hove Albion. Following loan spells at Hoffenheim and VfL Bochum, his career took him to clubs in Iran, China and Spain before he eventually joined his current club, Miami FC.
Alongside Depay and Locadia, another future World Cup participant featured in PSV’s defence in 2011. Joshua Brenet had just joined PSV from amateur club Zeeburgia and was amazed by the crowds attending the tournament. It was his first appearance in PSV colours, a shirt he would wear until 2018. Brenet then moved to Hoffenheim and, since the start of 2026, has been playing for Turkish side Kayserispor. Although he earned two unofficial appearances for the Netherlands in friendly matches, Brenet chose to represent Curaçao internationally in 2024. He has already earned 17 caps for the island nation.
A year later, Brenet returned to the tournament, this time alongside Riechedly Bazoer. At 15 years, 9 months and 22 days old, Bazoer was the youngest participant of the 2012 edition. During the 2015/16 season, he received several call-ups from Netherlands coach Danny Blind, resulting in six friendly appearances for Oranje. Like Brenet, Bazoer later chose to represent Curaçao. Now playing for Konyaspor, he too has joined the select group of players who have appeared both at the Otten Cup and at the World Cup.
Joshua Brenet
Obispo, Sadílek and Gakpo
The 2016 edition also featured several future World Cup players at De Herdgang. Armando Obispo and Michal Sadílek were key members of the PSV side that finished third after defeating FC Barcelona. Captain Obispo spoke at the time about a dream coming true. As a young youth player, he used to visit the Otten Cup as a spectator; years later, he was leading PSV U19 onto the pitch as captain. Today, the defender has spent 20 years at PSV and has also represented Curaçao at the World Cup.
For Sadílek, the 2016 Otten Cup was one of his first major appearances in PSV colours. The midfielder had just turned 17 and had completed his move from 1. FC Slovácko earlier that summer. In the years that followed, he made 38 official appearances for PSV’s first team. Today, he plays for Slavia Prague and represents the Czech Republic national team.
A year later, in 2017, Eindhoven native Cody Gakpo joined the PSV squad. The forward immediately made his mark by scoring an important goal in the semi-final. During that edition, Armando Obispo was named Best Defender of the Tournament, an award that perfectly reflected PSV’s defensive dominance. Throughout the entire tournament, PSV conceded just one goal—and even that was an own goal. As leader of the back line, Obispo played a crucial role in that achievement.
Gakpo himself made his Eredivisie debut just six months after participating in the Otten Cup. The Eindhoven-born forward came on as a late substitute in PSV’s home match against Feyenoord. From that moment on, his career accelerated rapidly. He made his debut for the Dutch national team in 2021 and secured a transfer to Liverpool a year later. Since then, Gakpo has become one of the key players for the English giants. He currently has 52 caps and 23 goals for the Netherlands.
Cody Gakpo
Sambo, Antonisse and Madueke
PSV was once again well represented in 2019 with players who are now competing at the 2026 World Cup. Jeremy Antonisse and Shurandy Sambo currently represent Curaçao, while Noni Madueke plays for England.
Sambo made a strong impression and was named Best Defender of the Tournament. Contemporary reports described him as an energetic and powerful full-back who excelled defensively while also constantly supporting attacks with his runs down the flank. Even so, he admitted he would have gladly traded that individual award for the tournament trophy.
That trophy narrowly escaped PSV’s grasp. The Dutch side lost the final against Inter on penalties. Jeremy Antonisse had helped PSV reach the final with three goals during the tournament, including a particularly important strike in the final itself. Noni Madueke captained PSV U19 during the competition. For the English attacker, it felt like a dream to represent PSV at a tournament with such international prestige and high-level opposition.
The careers of the three players then followed very different paths. Sambo is under contract with Burnley and spent last season on loan at Sparta Rotterdam. Antonisse currently plays for Greek side Kifisia. Madueke developed into a regular at the highest level of English football with Chelsea and, after joining Arsenal, reached the UEFA Champions League final this year.
Noni Madueke
In the coming days, we will share more stories of former Otten Cup participants who went on to reach football’s highest international stage.