Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 10 January 2002 | ||
Place of birth | Hoorn, Netherlands | ||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [1] | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Willem II | ||
Youth career | |||
2007–2012 | Always Forward | ||
2011–2013 | HV Veerhuys | ||
2012–2013 | Hollandia | ||
2013–2019 | Ajax | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2023 | Jong Ajax | 41 | (11) |
2022 | → PEC Zwolle (loan) | 7 | (0) |
2022–2023 | → ADO Den Haag (loan) | 18 | (2) |
2023– | Willem II | 14 | (1) |
2024–2025 | → VVV-Venlo (loan) | 18 | (2) |
International career | |||
2017 | Netherlands U15 | 2 | (0) |
2018 | Netherlands U16 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 May 2025 |
Max de Waal (born 10 January 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eerste Divisie club Willem II.
De Waal began his football career with Always Forward, based in his hometown Hoorn, [2] for whom he played until 2012. He also played for HV Veerhuys for three years while playing for Always Forward. [3] [4] He then moved to Hollandia for a year before moving to the renowned Ajax youth academy. [5] In 2017–18, he made one appearance for the under-17 team. In the following season he established himself in the team and scored nine goals in 26 games. In 2019–20, De Waal mainly played for the under-19 team, including in the UEFA Youth League. [6]
He made his first appearance for Jong Ajax in the second-tier Eerste Divisie in a match against Jong PSV on 16 September 2019. He came on in the 69th minute for Alex Mendez and scored the 2–0 winner in stoppage time. [7] During the season he was utilised once more in the Eerste Divisie. [8] In the following season, he played more regularly for the Jong Ajax team. [9] However, he would only signed his first professional contract with Jong Ajax in December 2020. [10]
In January 2022, De Waal extended his contract with Ajax but immediately went out on loan to bottom of the table side PEC Zwolle. [11] He made his debut for the side on 5 February 2022, replacing Mustafa Saymak in the 81st minute of a 1–1 home draw against NEC. [12] [13] De Waal made seven appearances for PEC – all as a substitute – as the club suffered relegation to the Eerste Divisie at the end of the season. [14] [15]
On 24 June 2022, after returning to Ajax, De Waal was sent on a one-season loan to Eerste Divisie club ADO Den Haag. [16] He made his ADO debut under new head coach Dirk Kuyt on the first matchday of the 2022–23 season, starting in midfield in a resounding 4–0 defeat against recently relegated Heracles Almelo; all goals fell in the first half. [17] [18] On 28 August, De Waal scored his first goal for the club against his parent club Jong Ajax, adding an assist to help ADO to a 4–0 home win. [19] Following Kuyt's dismissal in November 2022, De Waal was utilised less frequently and mainly appeared as a substitute during his successor Dick Advocaat's tenure during the latter part of the season. [20] De Waal scored twice in 21 appearances for ADO, before returning to Ajax in June 2023. [21]
On 12 July 2023, De Waal signed a three-year contract with Eerste Divisie club Willem II. [22] He made his competitive debut for the club on the first matchday of the season, starting in a 1–1 away draw against FC Eindhoven on 13 August. [23] On 6 October, he scored his first goal for the Tricolores in a 4–2 league victory against De Graafschap after coming on as a second-half substitute. [24]
On 2 September 2024, De Waal joined VVV-Venlo on a season-long loan from Willem II. [25] He returned to his parent club at the end of the season. [26]
De Waal has played for two Netherlands national youth teams, but has yet to play in a major tournament. [27]
Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Jong Ajax | 2019–20 | Eerste Divisie | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||||
2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 20 | 9 | — | — | — | 20 | 9 | ||||
2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
Total | 41 | 11 | — | — | — | 41 | 11 | |||||
PEC Zwolle (loan) | 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
ADO Den Haag (loan) | 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||
Willem II | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
VVV-Venlo (loan) | 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||
Career total | 98 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 16 |