Wout Weghorst

Wout Weghorst
Weghorst playing for VfL Wolfsburg in 2019
Personal information
Full name Wout François Maria Weghorst[1]
Date of birth (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth Borne, Netherlands
Height 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)[3]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 TSG Hoffenheim
(on loan from Burnley)
Number 10
Youth career
NEO
0000–2011 DETO
2011–2012 Willem II
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Emmen 62 (20)
2014–2016 Heracles Almelo 64 (20)
2016–2018 AZ 60 (31)
2018–2022 VfL Wolfsburg 118 (59)
2022– Burnley 20 (2)
2022–2023 → Beşiktaş (loan) 16 (8)
2023 → Manchester United (loan) 17 (0)
2023– → TSG Hoffenheim (loan) 24 (6)
International career‡
2014 Netherlands U21 1 (1)
2018– Netherlands 31 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:28, 13 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:49, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Wout François Maria Weghorst (born 7 August 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim, on loan from Premier League club Burnley, and the Netherlands national team.

Weghorst began his professional career in the second tier of Dutch football with Emmen. He then played in the Eredivisie with Heracles Almelo and AZ, before joining VfL Wolfsburg in 2018. After scoring 70 goals in 144 games for Wolfsburg, he was signed by Burnley in January 2022 for a fee of £12 million. After the club were relegated from the Premier League, Weghorst had loan spells at Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş and Premier League club Manchester United.

Weghorst made one appearance for the Netherlands under-21 team in 2014, before making his senior international debut in March 2018. He represented the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he scored two goals in the quarter-final match against Argentina.

Club career

Early career

Born in Borne, Overijssel, Weghorst started his career at local clubs RKSV NEO and DETO Twenterand,[4] before joining Eredivisie club Willem II in 2011.[5] Despite having the opportunity to make his way into the first-team, he never broke through, and only featured for the reserve team.[5] He signed for Eerste Divisie club Emmen in 2012.[6] He made his debut on 10 August 2012, in a match against Dordrecht which ended 1–1. Weghorst would go on the score his first goal in professional football a month later, in the derby against Veendam, a match that ended in a 2–1 win for Emmen. He managed to play in 28 league matches in his debut season, scoring 8 goals. After his spell with Emmen, Weghorst signed a contract with Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo on a free transfer.[7]

On 9 August, Weghorst made his Eredivisie debut for Heracles Almelo, in a 0–3 home loss against AZ in the Polman Stadion. He was a regular starter in his two years in Almelo. In the first season the club battled relegation from the Eredivisie, but his second season was more successful with Heracles ending in the sixth spot and, through the subsequent play-offs, the club qualified for the Europa League qualifying round – the first time in Heracles Almelo history that the club qualified for an international competition.[8]

AZ

Weghorst playing for AZ in 2016

After the successful season with Heracles, Weghorst signed a four-year contract with AZ in July 2016, with the option for an extra year.[9][10] On 24 November 2016 he scored his first European goal which proved to be the winning goal in a 0–1 win in a UEFA Europa League group match against Irish team Dundalk.[11]

He was appointed ahead of the season as vice-captain to Ron Vlaar.[12] Weghorst started the 2017–18 season with good form, displayed by 7 goals in his first 13 starts.[13] He continued that form and after scoring 20 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions, he earned his first full international call-up in Ronald Koeman's first Dutch squad in March 2018.[14]

He finished the season joint third top scorer in the Eredivisie with 18 goals with Steven Berghuis, both behind top scorer Alireza Jahanbakhsh (with 21) and runner up Bjørn Johnsen (with 19).[15] Weghorst also had six assists.[15]

VfL Wolfsburg

On 26 June 2018, Weghorst signed a four-year contract with Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.[16] On 16 March 2019, he scored his first hat-trick for Wolfsburg, and first by any player for the club since Mario Gómez in April 2017, in a 5–2 league win over Fortuna Düsseldorf.[17] He finished his first season in Germany with 17 goals, ranking joint-third in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts for the 2018–19 campaign.[18]

In the 2019–20 season, Weghorst produced another impressive goal return, scoring 16 times in the league as Wolfsburg finished 6th.[citation needed]

Weghorst scored twice in the 2020–21 Europa League qualifying rounds, but Wolfsburg ultimately failed to qualify for the group stage, losing to Greek team AEK Athens in the playoff round.[19]

Burnley

On 31 January 2022, Weghorst signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with English Premier League club Burnley for a fee of £12 million.[20][21] Weghorst made his debut for the club on 5 February, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw with Watford at Turf Moor.[22] Weghorst scored his first goal for the club on 19 February in a 3–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion, helping to end an eleven game winless run for his new club.[23] His second Burnley goal came on 17 April, in a 1–1 draw against West Ham United.[24]

Loans to Beşiktaş, Manchester United and TSG Hoffenheim

On 5 July 2022, Weghorst signed for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[25] He made his Süper Lig debut on 6 August in a 1–0 home win against Kayserispor.[26] He scored his first league goal on 21 August, with the opening goal against Fatih Karagümrük in a 4–1 win for Beşiktaş.[27] On 7 January 2023, he scored a goal in his last match for Beşiktaş which ended in a 2–1 victory over Kasımpaşa.[28]

His loan to Beşiktaş was cancelled in January ahead of a loan to Manchester United,[29] with a £3 million loan fee being split between Burnley and Beşiktaş.[30] On 13 January, Weghorst signed for United on loan until the end of the season.[31] He was given the number 27 shirt most recently worn by Alex Telles.[32] On 18 January, he made his debut by starting in a 1–1 away draw against Crystal Palace.[33]

On 25 January, he scored his first goal for United in a 3–0 away win over Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg.[34] On 26 February, he played in the 2023 EFL Cup final and assisted Marcus Rashford for United's second goal of the match in their 2–0 victory over Newcastle United.[35] It was the first time in his career that he had won a trophy.[36] On 9 March, he scored his first goal at Old Trafford in a 4–1 win against Real Betis in the Europa League round of 16.[37]

On 9 August 2023, he joined TSG Hoffenheim on a season-long loan.[38][39] On 28 October 2023, Weghorst scored his first goal for Hoffenheim, scoring a penalty in a 3-2 win over VfB Stuttgart.[40]

International career

Weghorst made his debut for the Netherlands under-21 team on 14 October 2014, scoring against Portugal in a 5–4 defeat.[41] This was his only appearance for the under-21 team.[42]

He earned his first full international call-up in Ronald Koeman's first Dutch squad in March 2018.[43] He made his senior international debut in a friendly against England on 23 March at the Amsterdam Arena.[44]

Weghorst was selected in the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020,[45] and scored against Ukraine in their opening group game.[46]

In November 2022, Weghorst was chosen as a member of the Dutch squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.[47] In the quarter-final match against Argentina, he came on as a late substitute and scored two goals, with the equaliser being scored in the 11th minute of added time from a free-kick routine similar to a goal with Wolfsburg against Arminia Bielefeld in 2020,[48] to draw the game at 2–2 and send it into extra time and an eventual penalty shootout. Though Weghorst scored his penalty, the Netherlands were eliminated as they lost 4–3 in the shootout.[49] The game was known to be filled with a lot of tension and after the game, he was seen arguing with the Argentines Lautaro Martínez and Sergio 'Kun' Aguero. Followed by this, he approached the Argentine legend Lionel Messi and looked at him provocatively from a distance and said 'Hey, Messi, eh, Messi.' That was when the Argentine star told him his now famous "What are you looking at, stupid."[50]

Style of play

At 1.97 metres (6 ft 6 in), Weghorst commonly plays as a striker, in particular a 'target man' role, due to his ability to hold up the play.[51] He is renowned as a goal poacher, with good reactive finishing inside the penalty area,[52] but also regularly drops deep to help link play.[53] In the 2021–22 Premier League season, Weghorst averaged more presses per 90 minutes than any other player.[54] His style of play has been compared to that of Edin Džeko.[55][56]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 April 2024[57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Emmen 2012–13 Eerste Divisie 28 8 2 0 — — — 30 8
2013–14 Eerste Divisie 34 12 2 1 — — — 36 13
Total 62 20 4 1 — — — 66 21
Heracles Almelo 2014–15 Eredivisie 31 8 3 1 — — — 34 9
2015–16 Eredivisie 33 12 2 1 — — 4[c] 2 39 15
Total 64 20 5 2 — — 4 2 73 24
AZ 2016–17 Eredivisie 29 13 4 0 — 12[d] 1 4[c] 4 49 18
2017–18 Eredivisie 31 18 6 9 — — — 37 27
Total 60 31 10 9 — 12 1 4 4 86 45
VfL Wolfsburg 2018–19 Bundesliga 34 17 2 1 — — — 36 18
2019–20 Bundesliga 32 16 2 2 — 9[d] 2 — 43 20
2020–21 Bundesliga 34 20 4 3 — 3[d] 2 — 41 25
2021–22 Bundesliga 18 6 1 1 — 5[e] 0 — 24 7
Total 118 59 9 7 — 17 4 — 144 70
Burnley 2021–22 Premier League 20 2 — — — — 20 2
Beşiktaş (loan) 2022–23 Süper Lig 16 8 2 1 — — — 18 9
Manchester United (loan) 2022–23 Premier League 17 0 5 0 3 1 6[d] 1 — 31 2
TSG Hoffenheim (loan) 2023–24 Bundesliga 24 6 2 0 — — — 26 6
Career total 381 146 37 20 3 1 35 6 8 6 464 179
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal, Turkish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in Eredivisie playoffs
  4. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 26 March 2024[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 2018 3 0
2019 1 0
2021 8 2
2022 7 3
2023 10 3
2024 2 1
Total 31 9
As of match played 22 March 2024
Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Weghorst goal.[58]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 6 June 2021 De Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands 6  Georgia 2–0 3–0 Friendly
2 13 June 2021 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 7  Ukraine 2–0 3–2 UEFA Euro 2020
3 8 June 2022 Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales 13  Wales 2–1 2–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
4 9 December 2022 Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar 19  Argentina 1–2 2–2 (3–4 p) 2022 FIFA World Cup
5 2–2
6 7 September 2023 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 24  Greece 3–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
7 10 September 2023 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland 25  Republic of Ireland 2–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
8 18 November 2023 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 28  Republic of Ireland 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
9 22 March 2024 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 30  Scotland 3–0 4–0 Friendly

Honours

Manchester United

References

  1. ^ "Updated squad lists for 2021/22 Premier League". Premier League. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. ^ UEFA.com. "Wout Weghorst | Netherlands | UEFA Nations League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Wout Weghorst". Beşiktaş J.K. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ^ ""Willen is kunnen" – Wout Weghorst" ["To want is to be able" – Wout Weghorst]. RKSVNEO.nl (in Dutch). 14 April 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Transfer Wout Weghorst levert Willem II 75.000 euro op". bd.nl (in Dutch). 27 June 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  6. ^ "De lange weg van Wout Weghorst: van de derde klasse naar de Bundesliga". elfvoetbal.nl (in Dutch). 26 June 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Wout Weghorst de nieuwe Bas Dost van Heracles Almelo" [Wout Weghorst the new Bas Dost for Heracles Almelo]. RTVOost.nl (in Dutch). 20 July 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Heracles gaat Europa in! Dat is geen wonder, dat is echt" [Heracles goes to Europe! It is not a dream, it is real]. Tubantia.nl (in Dutch). 22 May 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ^ "AZ legt Weghorst vast" [AZ signs with Weghorst] (in Dutch). AZ. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  10. ^ Weghorst zet met AZ-transfer volgende stap in ontwikkeling (Dutch). Voetbal International. 5 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Wout Weghorst scores to see off Dundalk". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Dutch Eredivisie Top Scorers". ELF Voetball. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Could Wolves pull clear by signing Wout Weghorst, Cardiff City's one-that-got-away?". hitc.com. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
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  16. ^ Weghorst joins Wolfsburg from Alkmaar. VfL Wolfsburg. 26 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Wolfsburg hat-trick hero Wout Weghorst blows away Fortuna Düsseldorf". Bundesliga. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Bundesliga 2018–19 Top Scorer". Worldfootball.net. Heim:Spiel. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
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  23. ^ "Brighton 0–3 Burnley: Clarets stun Seagulls to end 11-game winless run".
  24. ^ "West Ham 1–1 Burnley: Maxwel Cornet misses penalty as Clarets begin life after Sean Dyche with draw".
  25. ^ "Wout Weghorst moves to Besiktas on loan from Burnley". Anadolu Agency. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Beşiktaş A.Ş. – Yukatel Kayserispor TFF Maç Detayı" [Beşiktaş A.Ş. – Yukatel Kayserispor TFF Match Details] (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 6 August 2022. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Beşiktaş A.Ş. – Vavacars Fatih Karagümrük TFF Maç Detayı" [Beşiktaş A.Ş. – Vavacars Fatih Karagümrük TFF Match Details] (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
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  30. ^ Dawson, Rob (12 January 2023). "Man United agree loan deal to sign Wout Weghorst, player to undergo medical – sources". ESPN. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
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  34. ^ Bate, Adam (25 January 2023). "Nottingham Forest 0–3 Man Utd: Marcus Rashford stunner sends Erik ten Hag's team on way to Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg win". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  35. ^ a b McNulty, Phil (26 February 2023). "Manchester United 2–0 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  36. ^ "Wout Weghorst reacts to finally winning a trophy". The Independent. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  37. ^ Unwin, Will (9 March 2023). "Wout Weghorst shows why he should be a Plan B rather than a mainstay". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
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  41. ^ "Portugal Under 21s 5 Holland Under 21s 4". skysports.com. Sky Sports UK. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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  48. ^ "WATCH: He's done it before! Netherlands striker Weghorst scored identical free-kick routine to World Cup equaliser for Wolfsburg in 2020". Goal. 9 December 2022.
  49. ^ "World Cup: Argentina reach semi-finals after dramatic penalty-shootout win". BBC Sport. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  50. ^ ""Qué mirás, bobo": la historia detrás del enfado de Lionel Messi que se volvió viral". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2024.
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  53. ^ "Who is Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst?". dw.com. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  54. ^ "Wout Weghorst to Man Utd: Have pressing stats attracted Erik ten Hag?". skysports.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
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  56. ^ "Wout Weghorst: Wolfsburg's unorthodox goalscoring machine". bundesliga.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  57. ^ "Wout Weghorst » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  58. ^ a b "Wout Weghorst". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  59. ^ McNulty, Phil (3 June 2023). "Manchester City 2–1 Manchester United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wout Weghorst.
  • Profile at the Royal Dutch Football Association website (in Dutch)
  • Wout Weghorst – UEFA competition record (archive) 
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