Kenneth Paal

Kenneth Paal

Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Paal
Date of birth	(1997-06-24) 24 June 1997 (age 26) [1]
Place of birth	Arnhem, Netherlands
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Left back
Team information
Current team	Queens Park Rangers
Number	22
Youth career
	NEC
0000–2014	PSV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2018	Jong PSV	88	(5)
2015–2019	PSV	5	(0)
2018–2019	→ PEC Zwolle (loan)	29	(0)
2019–2022	PEC Zwolle	71	(3)
2022–	Queens Park Rangers	70	(5)
International career‡
2012–2014	Netherlands U17	13	(0)
2022–	Suriname	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 December 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:50, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

Kenneth Paal is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for EFL Championship club Queens Park Rangers and the Suriname national football team. Born in the Netherlands, Paal represented them at U17 level before switching to Suriname at senior level.

Club career

Paal made his professional debut for Jong PSV playing in the Eerste Divisie, the 2nd tier of professional football in the Netherlands, on 9 August 2014 against Achilles '29. He started in the first eleven at the first fixture of the 2014–15 season. ^[2]

In June 2018, Paal joined PEC Zwolle on loan for the 2018–19 season with the club holding the option to buy. ^[3] In May 2019, he signed a three-year contract with the club. ^{[4] [5]}

Queens Park Rangers

On 19 June 2022, Paal joined Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a three-year contract following the mutual termination of his contract with PEC Zwolle. ^[6] He scored his first goal for QPR in a 3-0 win against Cardiff City on 19 October 2022. ^[7]

Personal life

Born in the Netherlands, Paal is of Surinamese descent. ^[8]

On 31 May 2022 it was announced that Paal was officially eligible to represent Suriname at the 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League. ^[9] Due to contract negotiations for a new club, Paal was unavailable to play for Natio. On 22 September 2022 Paal made his debut for his Suriname, in friendly against Nicaragua. It was held in Almere, Netherlands and resulted in a 2-1 victory for Suriname. ^[10]

Career statistics

As of end of 2021–22 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup [lower-alpha 1]		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong PSV	2014–15	Eerste Divisie	9	0	—		—		0	0	9	0
	2015–16	Eerste Divisie	34	3	—		—		0	0	34	3
	2016–17	Eerste Divisie	34	2	—		—		0	0	34	2
	2017–18	Eerste Divisie	11	0	—		—		0	0	11	0
	Total		88	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	88	5
PSV	2017–18	Eredivisie	5	0	1	0	—		0	0	6	0
PEC Zwolle (loan)	2018–19	Eredivisie	29	0	3	0	—		0	0	32	0
Pec Zwolle	2019–20	Eredivisie	19	3	2	0	—		0	0	21	3
	2020–21	Eredivisie	27	0	1	0	—		0	0	28	0
	2021–22	Eredivisie	25	0	0	0	—		0	0	25	0
	Total		100	3	6	0	0	0	0	0	106	3
QPR	2022-23	Championship	40	1	1	0	—		0	0	41	1
	2023-24	Championship	35	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	37	4
	Total		75	5	2	0	1	0	0	0	78	5
Career total			268	13	9	0	1	0	0	0	278	13

1. Includes KNVB Cup

References

1. "National teams provisional rosters 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup" (PDF). CONCACAF. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
2. "Jong PSV vs. Achilles '29 - 9 August 2014 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
3. "PEC Zwolle huurt Kenneth Paal en bedingt optie tot koop" [PEC Zwolle rents Kenneth Paal and negotiates option to buy]. peczwolle.nl (in Dutch). 7 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
4. "Cookies op destentor.nl | destentor.nl". www.destentor.nl. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
5. "PEC Zwolle legt Kenneth Paal vast voor drie seizoenen" [PEC Zwolle records Kenneth Paal for three seasons]. peczwolle.nl (in Dutch). 23 May 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
6. Morrissey, Paul (19 June 2022). "Kenneth Paal joins QPR". QPR.co.uk. Queens Park Rangers. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
7. "QPR 3-0 Cardiff". BBC. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
8. "Zo kan het nationaal elftal van Suriname eruit gaan zien". Elfvoetbal.nl.
9. "Welcome Kenneth Paal". Facebook.
10. "Suriname vs. Nicaragua - 22 September 2022 - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com.

External links

• Career stats & Profile - Voetbal International
• Kenneth Paal at WorldFootball.net