Excelsior's Romano Denneboom is proud of his nephew David Garden, who made his debut in the Eredivisie and scored a goal. It was an unforgettable Friday evening for David Garden in Leeuwarden. He made his debut in the Eredivisie and also scored his first competitive goal while his proud uncle Romano Denneboom was watching at home. Can the 22-year-old Garden make the trust of the club and his uncle now that he is competing with new signings Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mario Domínguez? In the run-up to the Eredivisie opener, Garden, who moved from Quick Boys over the summer, was told he would start in the base. Somewhere between the reassuring message from the coach and the whistle, he called his uncle, also an experienced attacker in the Eredivisie. "I said to him: I can't watch in Leeuwarden, but I'm sitting in front of the TV", says the former player of Sparta, sc Heerenveen and FC Twente in FC Rijnmond. Denneboom was watching the game with his son on Friday evening and they saw their nephew score the 3-0. "My son was really emotional", says Denneboom with a big smile. The former professional footballer was at home with an incredibly proud feeling on the couch. Garden can always turn to his uncle for advice. "I've always been a bit on the sidelines. He calls me sometimes and then I give advice. Still, actually. But I don't interfere." Denneboom sees that his nephew needs to step up, because the Tweede Divisie is not comparable to the Eredivisie. "A lot is expected of him. I call him sometimes and then he's sleeping", says he laughing. According to Denneboom, it's important for Garden to learn a lot and make as many minutes as possible. In Denneboom's eyes, Garden is a fast striker who can hold a ball well. "Apparently, he can also head the ball, that was new for me", Denneboom refers to the header against Cambuur. "I've sent him my footage", says he with a wink. ## Excelsior stuns with Jahanbakhsh Although Denneboom naturally hopes that his nephew will play a lot, he thinks that Excelsior is doing well to strengthen with attackers. "I think it's good that there's an experienced player joining, that makes him better too." That experienced player has been found by Excelsior in Alireza Jahanbakhsh. The former player of Feyenoord and others came out with Iran at the World Cup, was without a club and signed a contract until the end of the season. He joins the team of trainer Ruben den Uil this week. ## Spanish striker and extra winger Where Jahanbakhsh can play as a winger on both positions, the Kralingers will probably still look for an extra winger on the market after the official departure of De Regt. Yegoian can also play on the midfield, which gives Den Uil more options. Last weekend, Excelsior also presented a new striker. Mario Domínguez is hired from Valencia. The Spanish striker made his debut in La Liga at the age of 18 four years ago. He eventually played five times for the first team of Valencia. Excelsior is currently 1st in the Eredivisie with 3 points and 1 win out of 1 game. The team has a +4 goal difference and plays on January 24, 2027 at home against Fortuna Sittard.