da 888casino： The fullback needed to rediscover himself after a chastening spell at Camp Nou, and he's done just that in the Eredivisie

da pinnacle： Sergino Dest entered this season humbled. Barcelona had decided they didn't want him, and after being loaned to AC Milan, the Italian giants decided they had no use for him either. Once one of Europe's most promising fullbacks, Dest had been knocked down a peg or two. He needed to reassess.

And so he moved back to the Netherlands, his country of birth. A loan move to PSV was agreed, and the hope was that a return to the Eredivisie would help Dest rediscover part of what made him such a dynamic young star with Ajax. Still just 23, there remains a really good player there waiting to be unleashed; it just turned out that Barcelona and Milan weren't able to provide the right environments to help get that player out.

PSV, on the other hand, has proven to be the ideal spot for Dest. His time back in the Eredivisie has worked wonders, with Dest playing at a high level on both sides of the defense. He may have take a step back, but it is one that has allowed him to reconnect with the player who burst onto the scene just a few years ago.

The move to PSV hasn't ended Dest's Champions League dreams, either. While his parent club, Barcelona, gears up to face Napoli, Dest and PSV have a last-16 clash of their own against Borussia Dortmund, with the first leg in Eindhoven on Tuesday.

Having already escaped a tough group that featured Arsenal, Lens and Sevilla, PSV won't just be happy to have come this far. No, for both Dest and PSV, this is a chance to make a statement and a chance to prove they belong at the highest level Europe has to offer.

GettyHumbled in Spain and Italy

Dest's move to Barcelona was a dream move, not just for him, but for fans of American soccer. For years, fans of the U.S. men's national team had dreamed of an American player conquering the world with one of Spain's giants, and Dest looked ready to be that player.

He'd played just one full season at Ajax, but he'd shined as an attacking rightback. The pipeline from the Eredivisie to Barcelona had always been strong, dating back to the legendary Johan Cruyff, and Dest was just the latest bit of business between the Dutch great's most beloved clubs.

The American, though, never quite earned the trust of those in charge at Barcelona. He played quite a bit under Ronald Koeman, but never really found a place under the Dutchman's successor, Xavi. After making 72 appearances across his first two seasons, Dest was deemed surplus to requirements by Xavi ahead of the 2022-23 season.

He was loaned to Milan, a lateral move in terms of stature, but after just eight league appearances, Dest was told he wouldn't be needed for the second half of the season. Totally frozen out, he joined up with the USMNT outside of a FIFA window, showing how little use the Rossoneri had for him.

"You can just look at it in two ways," Dest said this summer. "You can look at it in a negative way like everything is going bad or you can just keep trying to find a positive way in the negative things that happen. That was my thing that I did. I always looked at it positively and I was like, 'okay, at the moment, I'm not playing, I'm not doing so well, but, in these times, I can just work on myself individually', so that's also what I did.

"I feel like all these times, even if you're not playing, you can always work on yourself. You can always improve and nobody's perfect, so everybody can still work on himself or herself as a result."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesJoining PSV

Dest was determined to earn his Barcelona place after returning in the summer of 2023, but Xavi had other ideas, and so the fullback was left facing reality: he had to leave again.

Knowing this, PSV were insistent. Led by former USMNT midfielder Earnie Stewart, the club went crazy this summer in recruiting American talent. Ricardo Pepi made a big leap up the Eredivisie ladder after starring on loan at Groningen, while Malik Tillman joined on loan from Bayern Munich after thriving with Rangers in 2022-23. And Stewart was desperate to sign Dest, too, and he simply didn't let up.

“He was consistent, he didn’t stop," Dest told . "After a couple of times that we said ‘no, no, no’, he didn’t stop. He kept trying to find ways to make it happen. After a while you starting thinking ‘this might be what I need at this moment in my career’. Obviously, when you have been at bigger clubs you don’t want to go down to a club that is in a lesser division. This is still a really great, nice club, but after AC Milan and Barcelona, you want to stay at that level. But I didn’t play for six months, so I didn’t really have a choice. I had no other option than to just do it and prove everybody wrong and show them again.”

That's exactly what Dest has done, as he's shown that he deserves another chance at the very top.

GettySeason so far

Dest's move to PSV was all about getting back on the field, and he's spent plenty of time on it this season. Both sides of it, too.

Switching between leftback and rightback, Dest has featured 17 times in the Eredivisie this season. He's scored one goal and provided five assists, helping PSV run rampant in the league this season.

Through 22 Eredivisie games, PSV have been dominant, dropping just four points thus far. They have yet to lose in the league, having amassed a 10-point lead over second-place Feyenoord, and are a level above everyone else in the Eredivisie, with Dest having played a key role in that.

The Champions League, though, has been where they faced real tests. Drawn into a difficult group, PSV were able to seal a second-place finish with time to spare, booking their spot in the knockout rounds. Up next? A clash with Dortmund and a chance for PSV to prove themselves against a true European power.

Getty ImagesFacing Dortmund

PSV will be somewhat happy with their draw. They get the chance to face a big club, but also one that feels beatable.

Dortmund emerged from this season's 'Group of Death', outlasting Newcastle and Milan to join Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying for the knockout stage. They're a good team, but likely not a title contender, and so PSV could have gotten a much worse draw than this.

Dest, meanwhile, says he likes PSV's chances, even if they do feel like the underdog against a team as established as Dortmund. Heading into the first leg of their tie in Eindhoven, Dest was the club's chosen player for media duties, and he American discussed his excitement for the upcoming clash.

"I was satisfied with the draw," Dest said. "In my opinion, you could also draw stronger opponents, but Dortmund remains Dortmund. I really think it will be a 50-50 battle. I expect a very intense match, from side to side."

He added: "These matches are special. You look forward to Champions League games that little bit more. Hopefully it's not the game of the year, because that would mean there are more to come. It's true they've had a bit more trouble in the league than usual, but they finished first in their Champions League group. That's what I focus on because it's against the best teams."