Steven Berghuis

Steven Berghuis (born 19 December 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team. He can play as either a winger or an attacking midfielder.
Berghuis made his debut for the Netherlands in 2016, and represented the national team at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Youth career
Berghuis came through the youth system at FC Twente, following spells with the youth clubs of local amateur club WSV Apeldoorn, then Eerste Divisie side Go Ahead Eagles. As a 16-year-old, he scored WSV's only goal in a 4–1 friendly match defeat to Feyenoord.
Twente
One year later, Berghuis joined Twente, and in June 2010, he signed a professional contract lasting until 2012. In January 2011, Berghuis was called-up to the first team by manager Michel Preud'homme at the training camp in La Manga. He then made his first team debut for Twente on 19 January 2011 as a substitute in a 5–0 Eredivisie win over Heracles.
On 23 June 2011, Berghuis scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly against Eerste Klasse D team DOS '37. One week later, he scored one of Twente's ten goals in another warm-up fixture against Derde Klasse side DSV '61. On 14 July 2011, he scored his first goal against foreign opposition, scoring Twente's second in a 4–3 friendly win over Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe.
After being promoted to the first team for the 2011–12 season, Berghuis signed a contract extension with Twente lasting until 2014. He then played in Twente's 2011–12 UEFA Champions League qualifying legs against Romanian club Vaslui on 26 July and 3 August 2011, during which Twente won 2–0 on aggregate. He also played in the 2011 Johan Cruyff Shield; despite being sent-off, Twente won the match 2–1 against Ajax. He started the club's first Eredivisie match of the 2011–12 season, against NAC Breda. On 21 September 2011, he then scored four goals against Zwaluwen '30 in the KNVB Cup, where Twente won 8–1. Berghuis scored his first Twente goal in a 6–2 win over Utrecht on 4 December 2011.
On 20 January 2012, Berghuis joined VVV-Venlo on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. Two days later, he made his VVV-Venlo debut, starting and playing the full match in a 2–1 win over Feyenoord. On 18 February, he scored his first goal for VVV-Venlo, in a 4–1 win over De Graafschap. In the last match of the season, Berghuis scored his second goal—as well as setting up another—in a 4–2 win over parent club Twente. On 13 May, he scored twice in the second legs of the play-offs in a 4–2 victory over Cambuur. By the end of the 2011–12 season, in all competitions, he had made 21 appearances and scored 4 goals.
AZ
On 20 June 2012, Berghuis joined AZ for a reported £400,000 transfer fee from Twente, after which he signed a contract keeping him at AZ until 2017. Upon joining the club, Berghuis said he expected to develop more as a player at AZ. He made his AZ debut playing 16 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss against Anzhi Makhachkala in the qualification round first leg of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League on 23 August. One week later, on 2 September, he made his Eredivisie debut for the club, playing 13 minutes in a 5–1 loss against PSV.
Berghuis played the season predominantly as a left winger and as a substitute, only completing 90 minutes on four occasions, contributing only one assist in the league due to the form of Icelandic player Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, who scored two and assisted six goals in the season at left wing. In his first season, Berghuis made 27 appearances in all competitions and helped the side win the KNVB Cup over PSV in the tournament final.
The 2013–14 season could be considered Berghuis' breakthrough season as he featured more in the starting 11, although he still had to compete with Gudmundsson. He scored his first AZ goal in a 3–0 win over Go Ahead Eagles on 15 September 2013, then scored again on 1 December in a 3–2 loss against NEC. In the KNVB Cup, Berghuis played a role in the first two rounds, scoring in a 4–1 win over Sparta Rotterdam, followed-up by three assists in a 7–0 win over Achilles '29 in the third round. In the second half of the season, Berghuis recorded two two-goal games, against NAC Breda on 18 January 2014 and RKC Waalwijk on 2 March. Berghuis later added a goal—as well as setting-up another—in a 3–0 win over Heerenveen in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League play-off competition as part of the Eredivisie format for European competition qualification. Despite suffering from an injury in January 2014, Berghuis finished the 2013–14 season with 41 appearances and 10 goals in all competitions.
In the 2014–15 season, Berghuis scored three goals to begin the campaign, against Heracles, Ajax and Dordrecht. However, in the first half of the season, Berghuis was plagued by injuries, making just seven appearances. By February 2015, Berghuis scored seven more goals in the Eredivisie, including a brace against Heerenveen. He also scored an important goals against Groningen and Willem II. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Berghuis scored 11 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions.
Watford
On 27 July 2015, Berghuis joined recently-promoted English Premier League club Watford for an approximate £4.6 million transfer fee from AZ. Prior to the move, Berghuis made an emotional farewell to the club's management at its training camp. Upon joining the club, he was given the number 20 shirt.
Having missed out due to an injury at the start of the season, Berghuis made his Watford debut on 15 August 2015 against West Bromwich Albion, coming on as a late substitute in a 0–0 draw. However, competition for spots saw Berghuis unable to secure a place in the Watford first team, largely because he was unable to feature in Watford manager Quique Sánchez Flores' preferred 4–2–3–1 formation. Sánchez Flores said he was not impressed with Berghuis' performances despite having high expectations of him. After two months omitted from the first team squad, Berghuis made his first appearance in the third round of the FA Cup in a 1–0 win over Newcastle United. It was not until on 20 April 2016 when he returned to the first team, setting up the lone Watford goal in a 3–1 loss against West Ham United, followed up by setting up another goal in a 3–2 win over Aston Villa. Following his appearances in the first team, Sánchez Flores praised Berghuis for his determination and hard work. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Berghuis had made 13 appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Berghuis' first-team opportunities became further limited following the arrival of new manager Walter Mazzarri.
Feyenoord
2016–17 season: Loan and Eredivisie title
On 1 August 2016, it was announced Berghuis had been loaned to Feyenoord for the 2016–17 season. He made his Feyenoord debut as a second-half substitute in a 5–0 win over Groningen in the opening match of the Eredivisie season. On 27 August, he scored his first Feyenoord goal, in a 4–1 win over Excelsior. By the end of 2016, Berghuis went on to score three more goals, against Oss, AZ and Vitesse. With his impressive display at Feyenoord that saw them top of the table, there were rumours of Berghuis returning to Watford in January 2017. However, Watford manager Walter Mazzarri denied he was planning on recalling Berghuis prematurely. Subsequently, Berghuis scored his fifth goal of the season on 29 January in a 4–2 win over NEC. On 5 April, he provided three assists in an 8–0 victory over Go Ahead Eagles, followed-up by scoring two goals on 9 April in a 2–2 draw against PEC Zwolle. Berghuis later helped Feyenoord win the Eredivsie for the first time since 1999. Despite suffering from an injury, Berghuis made 37 appearances and scored 7 goals in all competitions. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Berghuis expressed hope he would join Feyenoord for another season rather than return to Watford.
2017–2021: Permanent transfer and KNVB Cup win
On 31 July 2017, Feyenoord announced the permanent signing of Berghuis, with Berghuis signing a four-year contract. On 22 April 2018 he played as Feyenoord won the 2017–18 KNVB Cup final 3–0 against his former club AZ.
On 23 September 2018, Berghuis made international news when he feigned injury by diving to the ground after a light pat on the head from Utrecht's Willem Janssen. When Berghuis eventually got back on his feet he continued to fake injury by holding his head.
Ajax
On 16 July 2021, Ajax announced they had agreed a deal with Feyenoord to sign Berghuis, subject to a medical, on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The move caused controversy in the Netherlands due to rivalry between the two sides, especially between their fans. For several years, away supporters have not been allowed at matches between the clubs. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–1 away win over Sporting CP in Ajax's first group match of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League.
Controversies
Following a 3-1 defeat to FC Twente on 28 May 2023, videos emerged online showing Berghuis clashing with a fan outside the De Grolsch Veste, who allegedly shouted racist comments towards Berghuis's teammate Brian Brobbey. Berghuis subsequently apologised and was fined by the club for his action.
International career
Youth career
Berghuis has achieved international recognition for Netherlands at under-19 and -21 level. In October 2009, he was called-up by the under-19 squad for the first time, then made his U19 debut on 9 October 2009 against France, scoring in a 4–2 win. He played two matches in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 group stage victory over England.
In May 2011, Berghuis was called-up by the U21 team for the first time. He scored on his U21 debut in a 2–0 friendly match victory over Israel on 27 May 2011. He also scored in his second appearance in the same month in a 5–0 friendly win against Albania.
In February 2012, Berghuis was called-up by the Netherlands U20 squad for the first time. He made his U20 debut as a starter before being substituted-off in the second half of a 3–0 win over Denmark on 29 February 2012. Berghuis made four appearances for the U20 side.
Senior team
In May 2015, Berghuis was called-up to the Netherlands national team. However, he did not play and twice was an unused substitute.
One year later, in May 2016, Berghuis was again called-up to the senior Netherlands squad. His call-up met with criticism because he had played just 222 minutes at Watford during the 2015–16 season. He made his Oranje debut on 27 May as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw against the Republic of Ireland.
On 27 March 2021, Berghuis scored his first goal for the national team, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 win against Latvia during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Personal life
Steven is the son of footballer Frank Berghuis, who played for Volendam, VVV-Venlo and Cambuur, among others, and also earned one cap for the Netherlands senior international team. His brother Tristan Berghuis was also a Dutch youth international. He plays in a youth team affiliated to Vitesse, and in 2011 had trials with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Berghuis goal.
Honours
Twente
Johan Cruyff Shield: 2010, 2011
AZ
KNVB Cup: 2012–13
Feyenoord
Eredivisie: 2016–17
KNVB Cup: 2017–18
Johan Cruyff Shield: 2017, 2018
Ajax
Eredivisie: 2021–22
Individual
Eredivisie Player of the Month: September 2017, December 2017, February 2023
Eredivisie Team of the Year: 2017–18
Eredivisie top scorer: 2019–20 (shared with Cyriel Dessers)
Ajax Player of the Year (Rinus Michels Award): 2022–23
References
External links
Profile at the AFC Ajax website
Profile at the Royal Dutch Football Association website
1991 births
Living people
Footballers from Apeldoorn
Dutch men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
FC Twente players
VVV-Venlo players
AZ Alkmaar players
Watford F.C. players
Feyenoord players
AFC Ajax players
Eredivisie players
Premier League players
Netherlands men's youth international footballers
Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers
Netherlands men's international footballers
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Dutch expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England