It’s the fourth minute of stoppage time in the first half. Feyenoord have just taken a 2-0 lead when FC Midtjylland visit. At that moment, the left central defender of the Rotterdamers takes the yellow card on the right corner flag of the Danes.

You could call it reckless, but also a testament to his never-ending drive to push forward and the aggression he puts into every action. His name is David Hanko. A 24-year-old Slovakian who is again one of the best Feyenoord players in this game.

“Should Sparta Prague sell Hancko?” That’s what the Czech media asked themselves last summer. “He is a key player for the club, a defender who has everything. He is a stopper who can support the attack from his defensive position. And he’s not just a leader on the pitch, he’s also a leader off it.”

The only downer: “His susceptibility to injury. Although he has been in top shape for quite some time.”

Technical director Tomás Rosicky is therefore not ready to be involved in a move to Feyenoord. The ex-player from Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, among others, has kept the Rotterdamers at a distance for a long time, but will give in at the end of August when he is said to be offered six million euros, a sum that can rise to eight million.

Hancko is the fifth most expensive player in Sparta Prague, behind the same Rosicky, among others, but ahead of players like Peter Cech, Pavel Nedved and Wilfried Bony.

At this point, Hancko is Feyenoord’s thirteenth acquisition. He is brought in for the centre, but makes his debut against FC Emmen as a left-back. Yes, it took some getting used to in that position, he told NOS afterwards, but once he focused on his duties, things went well.

growing pains

Within a few weeks he is an integral part of coach Arne Slot’s developing team. There’s a lot to say about this growing pains of Feyenoord, but Hancko has grown up and is taking the team by the hand.

That’s also one of the most important things, according to analyst and former Feyenoord player Mario Been, adding: “Maturity. And aggression. Masculinity. The rest of the crew is mostly youth. and Szymanski (23). Hancko is physically strong, goes ahead in the fight. A clever player.”

It’s not often that a 24-year-old player is called chaste, but Hancko already has a footballing career behind him. After his breakthrough at the Slovakian MSK Zilina, he moved to AC Fiorentina in 2018 for 3.5 million euros. He will be 20 years old and will only be a regular for one season.

The step comes too soon. Hancko comes to an assist in five games in Italy and joins Sparta Prague at the end of the season. There he quickly becomes one of the better players.

Rear left or central?

Hancko, who also has the necessary caps under his belt, will try again at Feyenoord. This time he’s ready. Speaking at Studio Voetbal last week, Pierre van Hooijdonk called him “a really good buy. He’s been there from the first game. He’s a real leader, in everything.”

But what’s his best position now? The Slovakian plays one game at left center and the other at left-back. And in both positions, according to Leonne Stentler, he is the best Feyenoord player on the same show.

Been agrees with Stentler. “As a left-back he has the advantage of his forward drive, but I prefer to see him in the centre. He brings something unyielding with him. Trauner has that too. The bloc they form together is one of the strongest divisions of this Feyenoord. He dares to continue. with space in the back. He’s fast and has a good pass.”

The latter is also reflected in Hancko’s statistics. He has a passing accuracy of almost 90 percent this season. “It shows that he knows what he can and can’t do,” says Been. “That he doesn’t play stupid passes, for example over fifty meters, but is a smart footballer. A great asset for Feyenoord.”