Matteo Waem (born 21 June 2000) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eerste Divisie club ADO Den Haag.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 June 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Merksem, Belgium[1] | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | ADO Den Haag | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Seja | ||
| 2006–2016 | Antwerp | ||
| 2016–2017 | Westerlo | ||
| 2017–2020 | Antwerp | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | MVV | 87 | (1) |
| 2023– | ADO Den Haag | 35 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:10, 10 May 2024 (UTC) | |||
Career
editEarly years
editMatteo Waem, who is of Belgian and Italian parentage, grew up in Merksem, a suburb of Antwerp.[3] He took his first steps in football at the age of five at Seja, a regional football club.[4] At the age of six he joined the Royal Antwerp academy, where he played until 2020.[4] During this period, he also had a short stint at Westerlo for a year before resuming his career at Antwerp. During the 2019–20 season, he was on a trial practice at English EFL Championship club Birmingham City[5] and succeeded in convincing them to a transfer.[6] Due to external factors, however, the deal fell through.[4]
MVV
editIn June 2020, Waem signed with Dutch Eerste Divisie club MVV.[7] He made his professional debut on 5 September 2020 in a 7–1 home loss to Cambuur, replacing Koen Kostons in the 84th minute.[8]
Waem was appointed team captain of MVV ahead of the 2022–23 season.[9] He scored his first professional goal on 5 February 2023, opening the score in the derby against Roda JC, which MVV lost 2–1.[10]
ADO Den Haag
editOn 13 July 2023, ADO Den Haag announced the signing of Waem on a three-year contract.[3]
Personal life
editWaem has described his younger brother Andreas as his main inspiration.[4] His brother has autism, something Waem has mentioned as the reason for him studying psychology next to his career as a professional footballer.[9]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | League | KNVB Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MVV | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| Total | 87 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 92 | 1 | ||
| ADO Den Haag | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 43 | 3 |
| Career total | 122 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 135 | 4 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
References
edit- ^ De Munter, Kevin (25 November 2020). "Merksemnaar Matteo Waem (ex-Antwerp) ligt op schema bij MVV Maastricht: "Beste keuze voor mijn carrière"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "M. Waem – Profiel". Voetbal International. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b "ADO Den Haag trekt Matteo Waem aan". ADO Den Haag (Press release) (in Dutch). 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Talentscout – Matteo Waem". Keuken Kampioen Divisie (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Antwerp-belofte op proef bij Engelse traditieclub". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Visser, Emil (8 January 2021). "MVV-verdediger Matteo Waem: 'Door mijn broertje ben ik zo ver gekomen'". De Limburger (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ Lux, Kevin (4 September 2020). "Verdediger Waem (20) op amateurbasis naar MVV". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "SC Cambuur boekt historische uitoverwinning". SC Cambuur (in Dutch). 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b Sporken, Rob (10 December 2022). "Door psychologie te studeren hoopt MVV-aanvoerder Matteo Waem ook beter te begrijpen hoe zijn autistische broertje redeneert". De Limburger (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "NAC Breda – MVV 1:0 (Playoffs Eredivisie 2022/2023 Degradatie, 1. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Matteo Waem at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
External links
edit- Matteo Waem at Soccerway.com
- Matteo Waem at WorldFootball.net
- Matteo Waem at FBref.com
