Joel Piroe joins forgotten Leeds United flop in international squad for World Cup deciders
Leeds United striker Joel Piroe will hope to send his nation to the World Cup.
Leeds United striker Joel Piroe looks set to make his Suriname debut this month after being named in their squad for a crucial international break.
Piroe officially switched allegiance to represent Suriname earlier this year, having previously risen through the age groups with the Netherlands where he was born. The 26-year-old hadn’t played international football since Under-20 level, however, and through his dad also qualified for the South American nation.
Suriname are just two wins away from reaching a first ever World Cup with their fate to be decided during the March international break. Henk ten Cate’s side face Bolivia in Guadalupe on Thursday, March 26 with victory setting up a qualifying decider against Iraq the following week.
And Piroe will have the chance to book a place at this summer’s major tournament, having been named in Suriname’s 26-man squad for the upcoming break. It is his first ever call up and well-timed for arguably the biggest moment in the nation’s footballing history.
“I thought long and hard about it, about if I would choose Suriname or not, and when I spoke to my dad about it, I saw this twinkle in his eye that would make him very proud,” Piroe said after his switch to Suriname was confirmed in January. “At the end I had a good feeling about it and I really want to write history with Suriname.
“I have been to Suriname many times. It was always a special place, especially knowing that my dad and my family grew up there. I like to see how they have lived there, and as well to feel the culture, how joyful and outgoing the people are there. It is something that I carry with me as well on the pitch."
“There are huge games to qualify for the World Cup. It is very exciting. We really look forward to playing those games, starting with Bolivia. We all know what is on the line and we all believe a lot in it as well.”
Triple Leeds United connection at Suriname
The Leeds striker will jet off to South America following Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Brentford having recently scored his first goal of the season in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Norwich City. With Suriname, he will get the chance to work under a former Leeds striker, with Hasselbaink one of Ten Cate’s assistants.
But it is one of Piroe’s fellow squad members that is of peculiar interest to Leeds, with another of Cate’s six attacking call-ups being former Elland Road struggler Jay-Roy Grot. Having also come through the youth ranks with the Netherlands, the 28-year-old switched allegiance and made his Suriname debut last year.
Grot joined Leeds from NEC Nijmegen as a 19-year-old back in 2017 but scored just one goal in 23 appearances across all competitions during the 2017/18 campaign. The 6ft 4ins striker then spent the remainder of his three-and-a-half-year stay out on loan before joining German second-tier side VfL Osnabruck in February 2021.
Now at Danish Superliga outfit Odense Boldklub, Grot has two goals in 11 games this season. He could be set to partner Piroe up top for Suriname later this month.