Current New York Red Bulls winger Daniel Royer and former RBNY man Joel Lindpere share some interesting resemblances on and off the pitch.
It seems like bulls do reincarnate. Watching New York Red Bulls winger Daniel Royer play might make some think the Metros re-signed Joel Lindpere. Of course, Lindpere retired about four years ago; he’s Estonia U-19’s assistant coach now.
Both players are built similarly: Royer is 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds while Lindpere is 5-foot-10 and 164 pounds.
The reincarnation goes beyond looks. The pair of Europeans both play on the wings—the same exact way. Both players are tireless runners, great low-crossers, make intelligent runs off the ball in the box.
Furthermore, the two midfielders aren’t super flashy but take on players when needed with quick cuts or body feints and can score from distance.
Nevertheless, the former and current Red Bulls winger’s most interesting resemblance is that Lindpere wasn’t the star player of the club but was still very important to the team, the very same thing with Royer now.
Thierry Henry was RBNY’s superstar during Lindpere’s days as a Red Bull player, but the Estonian was still a major contributor. He made the MLS All-Star team twice and was selected as the club’s MVP once.
As for Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips is The Metros’ frontman. The Austrian has been New York’s second top scorer behind Wright-Philips for the past two seasons.
Despite the two midfielders’ likeness, their stats and individual achievements with RBNY vary. Unlike Lindpere, Royer never made the All-Star team nor was selected as the team’s MVP. However, Royer is scoring and assisting at a faster rate than Lindpere. The 28-year-old tallied 25 goals and 11 assists in 72 MLS matches with New York when Lindpere registered 17 goals and 18 assists in 104 MLS games.
With the club’s motto of acquiring and developing players that fit the system, further reincarnations might be on the way. Perhaps in a few years, RBNY fans will talk about how youngster Mathias Jorgensen’s plays like Wright-Phillips. The two already have the same features as Lindpere and Royer does.
