| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 July 1999 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Beugen, Netherlands [2] | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Go Ahead Eagles | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| 2014–2017 | Preston North End | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Preston North End | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Lancaster City (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2018–2022 | RKC Waalwijk | 118 | (6) |
| 2022–2024 | Vitesse | 59 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Sampdoria | 25 | (3) |
| 2025– | Go Ahead Eagles | 2 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 August 2025 | |||
Melle Meulensteen (born 4 July 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre back for Eredivisie club Go Ahead Eagles. [3]
Meulensteen started his youth career with the academy of English club Manchester United, [4] before moving to the academy of Preston North End in 2014. He further went to captain the youth side. In July 2017, he was promoted to the first team and scored a goal in his debut (friendly match) against Bamber Bridge. [2] On 8 September, he joined non-league Lancaster City on a loan deal till January 2018 to get first team opportunities. [5] His contract was terminated by mutual agreement on 23 January. [6]
On the same day, Meulensteen signed with Dutch Eerste Divisie club RKC Waalwijk after agreeing to a deal which would keep him in the club till the summer of 2019. [7] On 26 January, he made his debut against Jong Ajax. [8]
On 30 June 2022, Meulensteen signed a four-year contract with Vitesse. [9]
On 25 July 2024, Meulensteen moved to Sampdoria in Italy on a three-year deal. [10]
On 5 August 2025, Meulensteen returned to the Netherlands and joined Go Ahead Eagles with a four-year contract. [11]
Meulensteen is the son of René Meulensteen, who was an assistant manager at Manchester United and the Australia national team. [2]
| Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Preston North End | 2017–18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lancaster City (loan) | 2017–18 | National League | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 4 | ||
| RKC Waalwijk | 2017–18 | Eerste Divisie | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 [b] | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Eredivisie | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Eredivisie | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 2 | |||
| Total | 118 | 6 | 7 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 130 | 6 | |||
| Vitesse | 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
| Total | 59 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 62 | 2 | ||||
| Sampdoria | 2024–25 | Serie B | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 [c] | 1 | 30 | 4 | |
| Go Ahead Eagles | 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | |
| Career total | 215 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 238 | 17 | ||