Kenneth Taylor (footballer, born 2002)

Kenneth Taylor

Taylor lining up for Ajax in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Ina Dorothea Taylor [1]
Date of birth	(2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 22) [2]
Place of birth	Alkmaar, Netherlands
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) [3]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Ajax
Number	8
Youth career
0000–2010	SV De Foresters
2010–2019	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	Jong Ajax	60	(14)
2020–	Ajax	101	(19)
International career‡
2017	Netherlands U15	5	(0)
2017–2018	Netherlands U16	6	(1)
2018–2019	Netherlands U17	14	(4)
2021–2024	Netherlands U21	15	(1)
2022–	Netherlands	4	(0)
Medal record Representing   Netherlands UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner Ireland 2019 U-17 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:43, 19 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Kenneth Ina Dorothea Taylor (born 16 May 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team. ^[3]

Club career

Taylor with Ajax in 2023

A product of Ajax's youth academy, ^[4] Taylor made his Eerste Divisie debut for Jong Ajax on 15 October 2018 in a game against Jong PSV as a 70th-minute substitute for Jasper ter Heide. ^[5]

Taylor made his Eredivisie debut for AFC Ajax on 12 December 2020 in a game against PEC Zwolle as a 64th-minute substitute for Perr Schuurs. In a match against Heracles Almelo on 6 February 2022 Taylor scored his first Eredivisie goal in the match's 65th minute. He had come on in the 63rd minute to relieve Steven Berghuis and was shortly thereafter found on a ball from Sébastien Haller for what was his first league goal. ^[6]

International career

Taylor played for various Dutch youth teams from 2017 to 2024. He captained the under-17 team at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil ^[7] and also played at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Romania. ^[8]

On 22 September 2022, Taylor made his debut for the Netherlands in a UEFA Nations League match against Poland. He was also part of the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, making a single appearance against the hosts on 29 November. ^[6]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 January 2025 ^[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong Ajax	2018–19	Eerste Divisie	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	19	0	—		—		—		19	0
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	29	7	—		—		—		29	7
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	11	7	—		—		—		11	7
	Total		60	14	—		—		—		60	14
Ajax	2020–21	Eredivisie	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2021–22	Eredivisie	13	1	3	1	3 [a]	0	0	0	19	2
	2022–23	Eredivisie	32	8	3	1	8 [b]	0	1 [c]	0	44	9
	2023–24	Eredivisie	34	5	1	0	12 [d]	3	—		47	8
	2024–25	Eredivisie	19	5	2	0	12 [e]	4	—		33	9
	Total		101	19	9	2	35	7	1	0	146	28
Career total			161	33	9	2	35	7	1	0	206	41

1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
2. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
4. Eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 24 March 2023 ^[10]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Netherlands	2022	3	0
	2023	1	0
Total		4	0

Honours

Ajax ^[11]

• Eredivisie: 2020–21, 2021–22
• KNVB Cup: 2020–21

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2019 ^[12]

Individual

• Eredivisie Talent of the Month: November 2022 ^[13]

• Eredivisie Team of the Month: November 2022 ^[13]

• Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2022–23 ^[14]

References

1. "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: Netherlands" (PDF). FIFA. 31 October 2019. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2019.
2. UEFA.com. "Kenneth Taylor - Netherlands - European Qualifiers". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
3. Kenneth Taylor at WorldFootball.net
4. Verhaar, Thijs (9 February 2021). "Kenneth Taylor: Ajax's 'new Kroos' who idolises Wijnaldum". Goal. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
5. "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 15 October 2018.
6. "Taylor's journey: from Ajax youth academy to Club of 100". english.ajax.nl.
7. "Taylor: The beating heart of the Oranje". FIFA. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
8. "Netherlands U21 1-1 Georgia U21 (Jun 27, 2023) Final Score". ESPN.
9. "K. Taylor". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
10. "Kenneth Taylor". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
11. "Kenneth Taylor - Career Honours". Soccerway.
12. UEFA (19 May 2019). "Netherlands clinch title". UEFA. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
13. "Taylor Booth named as Eredivisie Player of the Month for November". Eredivisie. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
14. "Kenneth Taylor verkozen tot Talent van het Jaar" (in Dutch). AFC Ajax.

External links

• Profile at the AFC Ajax website
• Career stats - Voetbal International ^{[ dead link ‍]}
• Kenneth Taylor at Soccerway