Sontje Hansen

Sontje Hansen

Hansen with NEC in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Misjonne Juniffer Naigelino Hansen [1]
Date of birth	(2002-05-18) 18 May 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth	Hoorn, Netherlands
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	NEC
Number	10
Youth career
2007–2011	HSV Sport 1889
2011–2012	Zwaluwen '30
2012–2013	Always Forward
2013–2023	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Jong Ajax	84	(13)
2019–2023	Ajax	1	(0)
2023–	NEC	26	(3)
International career‡
2017	Netherlands U15	5	(2)
2017–2018	Netherlands U16	7	(2)
2018–2019	Netherlands U17	24	(13)
2019	Netherlands U18	3	(0)
2023–	Netherlands U21	2	(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 16:30, 17 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 October 2023

Misjonne Juniffer Naigelino "Sontje" Hansen (born 18 May 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club NEC.

Early life and career

Hansen, born in Hoorn, North Holland, began his football career at the age of five with local amateur club HSV Sport 1889, where his older brother Ricky also played. Their mother, Sonaida, raised them as a single parent and faced challenges, including a lengthy sick leave, which made it difficult to cover club fees and football gear expenses. ^[3] In their time of need, the Leergeld West-Friesland Foundation stepped in, providing assistance to families with limited financial means. Thanks to this support, Hansen was able to pursue his development at the club. In 2011, he moved to Zwaluwen '30, and two years later, he earned admission to the Ajax Youth Academy. ^[3]

Club career

Ajax

Hansen signed his first senior contract with Ajax in May 2018, keeping him at the club until 2021. ^[4]

On 13 December 2019, he made his professional football debut for Jong Ajax, starting in an Eerste Divisie match against Cambuur and immediately scoring his first goal as Ajax secured a 2–0 away victory. ^[5] Five days later, he made his first-team debut for Ajax on 18 December 2019 in a KNVB Cup match against Telstar. Four days later again, on 22 December, he played his first Eredivisie match against ADO Den Haag, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute. ^[6]

In the 2020–21 season, he played for Jong Ajax again, participating in 28 out of 33 matches and contributing with three goals and five assists. ^[2] During the first half of the 2021–22 season, a knee injury sidelined him for nearly two months, and after recovery, he struggled to regain form, managing only three goals and two assists in 23 matches. ^[2]

On 22 August 2022, he had a standout performance, scoring twice and providing one assist against De Graafschap in a 5–1 victory. ^[7] However, for the remainder of the season, he only scored two more goals. In a total of 84 matches with Jong Ajax between 2019 and 2023, he ended up scoring thirteen goals and providing thirteen assists. ^[2]

NEC

On 8 May 2023, it was officially announced that Hansen would join fellow Eredivisie side NEC at the start of the 2023–24 season, signing a five-year contract with the club. ^{[8] [9] [10]} He made his competitive debut for the club on the first matchday of the season, also scoring his first goal for NEC in a 4–3 home loss to Excelsior on 13 August. ^[11]

International career

Hansen has been a part of the Netherlands national youth football teams since February 2017. In May 2019, he won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship with the Netherlands U17 team and became the top goalscorer of the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, with six goals. ^[12]

During his time with the Netherlands under-17 team, he scored 13 goals in 24 matches, with only Daishawn Redan (20) and Brian Brobbey (16) scoring more for the team. Additionally, he featured in the under-15, under-16, and under-18 national teams. ^[13]

On 8 September 2023, he made his debut for the Netherlands under-21 team with an assist to NEC Nijmegen teammate Dirk Proper in a 3–0 victory over Moldova U21. ^[14]

Career statistics

As of match played 17 March 2024 ^[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong Ajax	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	10	3	—		—		10	3
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	28	3	—		—		28	3
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	23	3	—		—		23	3
	2022–23	Eerste Divisie	23	4	—		—		23	4
	Total		84	13	—		—		84	13
Ajax	2019–20	Eredivisie	1	0	1	0	—		2	0
NEC	2023–24	Eredivisie	26	3	4	0	—		30	3
Career total			111	16	5	0	0	0	116	16

Honours

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2019 ^[15]

Individual

• FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Boot: 2019
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019 ^[16]

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. Sontje Hansen at Soccerway
3. Hilgersom, Mathieu (17 November 2019). "Sontje Hansen begon met zijn duim in de mond bij HSV Sport 1889". Royal Dutch Football Association (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
4. Jager, Jelmer (18 May 2018). "Ajax contracteert Hansen, Kasanwirjo en Llansana". Ajax1.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
5. "Jong Ajax brengt koploper Cambuur eerste nederlaag in eigen huis toe". Ajax (in Dutch). 13 December 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
6. "Ajax sluit 2019 in stijl af: jonkies floreren bij doelpuntenregen". Voetbal International. 22 December 2019.
7. "Heracles blijft foutloos, Jong Ajax geeft dolend De Graafschap pak slaag". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
8. "N.E.C. contracteert Sontje Hansen". NEC Nijmegen (in Dutch). 8 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
9. van de Water, Lars (8 May 2023). "NEC stunt met komst Sontje Hansen". RN7 (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
10. "Ajaxtalent Sontje Hansen op weg naar NEC". Het Parool . 8 May 2023.
11. "Nieuwkomers Excelsior dompelen NEC in rouw met treffer in 100ste minuut: 4–3". NOS (in Dutch). 13 August 2023. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
12. Lang, Jack (19 November 2019). "Stars of the future: Griezmann a fan of Golden Boot winner Sontje Hansen, who wants to be best player in the world". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
13. "Hansen klaar voor seizoen Eredivisie: "Ik ben 21 en moet nu gaan spelen"". ESPN.nl (in Dutch). 24 July 2023. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
14. "Jong Oranje begint nieuwe reeks met ruime zege op Moldavië". NOS (in Dutch). 8 September 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
15. "Netherlands retain #U17EURO title: at a glance". UEFA.com. 19 May 2019.
16. "2019 Under-17 EURO team of the tournament". UEFA.com. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2022.

External links

• Sontje Hansen at WorldFootball.net
• Profile at Voetbal International