Memphis began his professional career withPSV Eindhoven, where, under the influence of managerPhillip Cocu, he became an integral part of the team, scoring 49 goals in 124 games across all competitions. During the2014–15 season, he was theEredivisie's top scorer with 22 goals in 30 games, and helped the team win the Eredivisie title for the first time since 2008. He also won theDutch Footballer of the Year for his performances during the season. His performances also led him to be named the "Best Young Player" in the world in 2015 byFrance Football. Memphis joined English sideManchester United in June 2015 for a reported fee of £25 million. After a disappointing spell there, he joined French clubLyon in January 2017. After five seasons there, he joinedBarcelona in 2021 on a free transfer.
A product of theRoyal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) institution, Memphis has represented the national team at every professional level from early developmental stages under the tutelage of iconic Dutch coaches and players alike. He was part of theNetherlands under-17 team which won the2011 European Championship. He made his senior debut in 2013 and the following year was part of their squad that came third at the2014 FIFA World Cup, where he made his breakthrough performances on the international stage. He also took part inUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 World Cup andEuro 2024.
Memphis Depay was born in the smallSouth Holland village ofMoordrecht to a Ghanaian father, Dennis Depay, and a Dutch mother, Cora Schensema.[9] It was not long, however, before the relationship between the two parents began to fall apart and when Memphis was four, his father walked out on the family.[10]
Since 2012, Memphis has dropped his last name to sever ties with his father: as he has remarked earlier, "Do not call me Depay, call me Memphis."[11]
Memphis impressed football scouts fromSparta Rotterdam at the age of eight on the fields of his boyhood club Moordrecht. It took only three seasons before scouts from Sparta snatched Memphis from his local club. Club chairman Ton Redegeld said, "Memphis was as a young player already complete. He was two-footed and strong. If we won 7–0, he scored five times and would assist two times".[12] When he turned 12, Memphis caught the eye of clubs such asAjax,PSV Eindhoven andFeyenoord. His grandfather, despite being an Ajax fan himself, advised Memphis to move to PSV.[9][13]
In 2011, Memphis was on trial for PSV's first team while playing forJong PSV, the club's reserve team. He made his official debut on 21 September 2011 in aKNVB Cup second round match against amateur sideVVSB, opening an 8–0 away win.[14] His first Eredivisie match was 26 February 2012, when PSV beat rivals Feyenoord 3–2[citation needed] at thePhilips Stadion, coming on in added time forZakaria Labyad. On 18 March, six minutes after replacingDries Mertens, he scored his first league goal to confirm a 5–1 win overHeerenveen. He made a total of eight league appearances in his first season, all as a substitute, scoring three goals.
Memphis featured in the 2012KNVB Cup Final on 8 April, playing the final four minutes of the 3–0 win overHeracles in place of Mertens atDe Kuip inRotterdam under interim coachPhillip Cocu.[15] On 29 June, Memphis signed his first professional contract with PSV, tying himself to theBoeren until 2017.[16] On 5 August, Memphis featured in the2012 Johan Cruyff Shield at theAmsterdam Arena, replacingLuciano Narsingh for the final six minutes as PSV defeated league champions Ajax 4–2. He made 20 Eredivisie appearances in his second season, scoring twice, including two starts. The first of these was on 2 March 2013 in a 2–0 home win overVVV-Venlo, scoring after three minutes after being set up by fellow teenagerJürgen Locadia.[17] PSV again reached the cup final, losing 1–2 toAZ Alkmaar on 9 May, with Memphis playing five minutes in place of Mertens.
Memphis scored his first goal in UEFA competition on 30 July 2013, when he drifted in from the left and then smashed the ball into the top corner past goalkeeperSammy Bossut as PSV defeatedZulte Waregem 2–0 in the first leg of theirUEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie.[18] PSV failed to qualify for the group stage of theChampions League,[19] but in its second group stage match in theEuropa League, Memphis scored again in a 2–0 win againstChornomorets Odesa on 3 October.[20] Memphis provided the assist forTim Matavž's goal againstRoda JC on 27 October, but picked up two second-half yellow cards and was sent off for the first time in his professional career as PSV lost 2–1.[21] On 15 December, Memphis helped PSV to just their second win in 13 matches, scoring twice in a 5–1 win overUtrecht.[22] Memphis helped PSV rack up their eighth win a row on 23 March 2014, a 3–1 win over Roda JC, having a hand inBryan Ruiz's game-winning goal despite wearing a protective mask to cover a bruised eye socket suffered in a challenge withRenato Ibarra ofVitesse on 15 March.[23]
Memphis helped PSV secure a place inEuropean competition for the 41st consecutive year, edging the ball past goalkeeperJelle ten Rouwelaar to score their first in a 2–0 win againstBreda; the final day win ensured that the club would finish fourth in theEredivisie table.[24]
After a successful showing at the 2014 World Cup, Memphis was linked to a number of clubs, includingChelsea,Manchester United[25] andTottenham Hotspur.[26] Amid the speculation surrounding his future, he started the season for PSV in impressive fashion. Memphis came off the bench to score one goal and assist another in the return game of theUEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie between PSV andSt. Pölten on 7 August, as his team progressed to the play-off round after a 3–2 away win, giving them a 4–2 aggregate win over the Austrians.[27] In the opening game of theEredivisie season three days later, Memphis played a major part in PSV's 3–1 away win against promoted sideWillem II by scoring two goals.[28] He improved on this performance in the following game, scoring two free-kicks and delivering the assist forGeorginio Wijnaldum's goal in a 6–1 home win against Breda.[29] On 28 August, in the Europa League play-off second leg away in Belarus, he scored two late goals againstShakhtyor Soligorsk as PSV won 3–0 on aggregate to reach the group stage.[30] Memphis then suffered a groin injury during PSV's 1–3 defeat atZwolle on 13 September and he was substituted in the 18th minute.[31]
On 18 April 2015, Memphis scored PSV's second goal with a free-kick from 35 yards out in a 4–1 home win over Heerenveen to give PSV its 22nd Eredivisie title, its first since 2008.[32] Later that month, the club confirmed that they had received interest from others wishing to sign him, including Manchester United.[33] He scored his last home goal for PSV in a 2–0 win against Heracles on 10 May. As he was substituted off he received a standing ovation as well as congratulations from his teammates.[34] He finished the season as the league's top scorer with 22 goals, two ahead of runner-up and teammateLuuk de Jong.[35]
On 7 May 2015, PSV confirmed that they had agreed a deal with Manchester United over Memphis' transfer, subject to a medical.[36][37] United managerLouis van Gaal said that he was "forced" into signing him early, due to interest fromParis Saint-Germain.[38] ThoughLiverpool managerBrendan Rodgers said that he had never been after Memphis, PSV director Marcel Brands stated that he had conversations with Liverpool over a possible transfer.[39] On 12 June, United confirmed the signing of Memphis, for a reported fee of £25 million on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.[40][41] He was unveiled as a United player at a press conference on 10 July.[42] This made him the fourth player to join United from PSV afterJaap Stam,Park Ji-sung andRuud van Nistelrooy. Memphis made his debut in a pre-season friendly againstClub América inSeattle on 17 July, contesting the first half as United fielded a different 11 players for each 45 minutes.[43] He scored his first goal for the club four days later during a 3–1 win over theSan Jose Earthquakes.[44] At his own request, after the departure ofÁngel Di María, Memphis was given the iconic number 7 shirt – previously worn by former players such asGeorge Best,Bryan Robson,Eric Cantona,David Beckham andCristiano Ronaldo.[45][46]
Memphis made hisPremier League debut on 8 August as the season opened with a 1–0 victory overTottenham Hotspur atOld Trafford. He was substituted after 68 minutes forAnder Herrera, and Van Gaal said after the match that Memphis was playing in too eager a manner.[47] On 18 August, Memphis scored his first two goals for Manchester United, and assistedMaroune Fellaini's final goal, in a 3–1 home victory overClub Brugge in the first leg of theChampions League play-offs.[48] In thesecond leg, Memphis provided the assist for the first ofWayne Rooney's three goals. He scored again on 15 September in the first game of the competition'sgroup stage, in an eventual 2–1 loss at his former team PSV.[49] Memphis scored his first league goal on 26 September, opening a 3–0 home win overSunderland, a victory that put United on top of the league for the first time in 110 weeks.[50][51]
Following his early struggles in the Premier League, Memphis told Dutch newspaperDe Telegraaf, "There are a lot of games in Manchester. There are very few rest days and on training days you are mainly concerned with recovering. It's heavy, two games a week, always at a high level, and my body has to get used to that". These claims were dismissed by assistant manager and former United playerRyan Giggs, who blamed Memphis' flashy lifestyle for his poor form.[52][better source needed] Memphis was later dropped to the bench, along with countrymanDaley Blind, during United's 3–0 win overEverton on 17 October, following the Netherlands' failure to qualify forUEFA Euro 2016.[53] Despite this, Memphis was named in the 59-man longlist for theFIFA Ballon d'Or, but did not make the shortlist.[54][55]
After being dropped in four consecutive matches, Memphis got his first start as a second striker due toAnthony Martial and Rooney's unavailability, and seized the opportunity with his second league goal in a 2–1 away win overWatford atVicarage Road. His performance earned praise from van Gaal, as well as his first Premier League Man of the Match honour.[56][57]
Memphis playing for Lyon in 2017
In February, Memphis scored in each of United'stwo Europa League matches againstMidtjylland as they won 6–3 on aggregate; Memphis was lauded for his performance in the home leg, where he not only scored but also set up the first goal, earned his side two penalties and delivered a cross that led to an own goal. Van Gaal hailed the match as a "turning point" for Memphis.[58]
Memphis made only four appearances (all of them as a substitute) and had a total playing time of just 20 minutes in the Premier League during the2016–17 season. He only started one match in the season – theEFL Cup third round 3–1 away win over League One clubNorthampton Town on 21 September 2016 – and was substituted after playing 55 minutes of that match. Following this, he played only 46 minutes, and his last match for the club was on 24 November, when he played the final eight minutes of a 4–0Europa League home victory againstFeyenoord.[59][60]
On 20 January 2017, Memphis signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with French clubLyon which would keep him at the French club until the summer of 2021. The initial transfer fee was estimated to be £16–17 million, potentially rising to £22 million with the add-ons including Lyon qualifying for theUEFA Champions League and Memphis earning a new contract. The terms of the deal also included buy-back and sell-on clauses for United.[61][62] Two days later, he made his debut for Lyon, coming on as substitute forMathieu Valbuena in the 79th minute in a homeLigue 1 match againstMarseille, which Lyon won 3–1.[63] On 28 January, he made his first start for Lyon in a 2–1 league defeat toLille, and was substituted in the 68th minute byMaxwel Cornet.[64] On 12 March in a game againstToulouse, Memphis scored a goal from close to the halfway line. He later said it was "the goal of my life", although he also distanced himself from comparisons toDavid Beckham's famous halfway line goal againstWimbledon in 1996.[65]
On the final day of the2017–18 season, Memphis scored a hat-trick againstNice as Lyon won 3–2 and qualified for the Champions League.[66]
On 5 November 2019, Memphis scored his fourth goal in as many games for Lyon againstBenfica in a 3–1 win in the2019–20 Champions League.[67] On 10 December, he scored an equaliser againstRB Leipzig in a 2–2 draw to help Lyon to qualify to the knockout phase, hence he scored in five consecutive matches in the competition.[68] On 15 December, Memphis tore his anterior cruciate ligament while playing against Rennes in Ligue 1, ending a successful season during which he had scored nine goals in 12 league starts for Lyon.[69] He returned from his injury to start for Lyon in their 5–6 penalty shootout loss in theFrench league cup final againstParis Saint-Germain on 31 July 2020.[70]
Memphis playing for Barcelona in 2021
On 7 August, Memphis scored in his sixth consecutive Champions League match, converting a penalty in a 2–1 loss toJuventus in the second leg of their round of 16 tie; he is only the second Dutch player to score in six straight Champions League games, following former Manchester United strikerRuud van Nistelrooy. The tie finished 2–2 on aggregate, but Lyon progressed on the away goals rule.[71] Lyon eventually reached the semi-finals for the second time in their history since 2010 after defeatingManchester City.
On 28 August 2020, Memphis scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 win againstDijon, in the first match of the 2020–21 season.[72]
On 19 June 2021,La Liga clubBarcelona announced the free transfer of Memphis on a two-year contract.[73] According to his grandmother, since the age of four, he had been aspiring to be a player for Barcelona.[74] On 15 August, Memphis made his Barcelona debut in a 4–2 league victory againstReal Sociedad at theCamp Nou.[75] Six days later, he scored his first goal for the club in his second match when he scored the equaliser againstAthletic Bilbao in a 1–1 draw.[76]
On 20 January 2023,Atlético Madrid announced the signing of Memphis on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[77] The initial transfer fee was estimated to be over €4 million.[78] On 12 February, he scored his first goal in a 1–0 away victory overCelta Vigo.[79] On 13 March 2024, Memphis scored the winning goal in the 87th minute in a 2–1 victory overInter Milan in theChampions League round of 16 second leg, which tied the encounter at 2–2 on aggregate; however, Atlético would later win 3–2 on penalties to advance to the quarterfinals.[80] On 22 May 2024, Memphis Depay and Atlético de Madrid agreed to part ways.[81]
On September 9, 2024, Brazilian sideCorinthians announced the signing of Memphis on a two-year contract.[82] He scored his first goal for the club on 18 October 2024 againstAthletico Paranaense.[83] On 4 December, he scored twice, which included a free-kick, and assistedYuri Alberto, as Corinthians beatBahia 3–0.[84]
Memphis made his international debut on 15 October 2013, coming on forJeremain Lens in the last minute of a 2–0 away win againstTurkey at theŞükrü Saracoğlu Stadium inWorld Cup qualification.[91] Memphis was selected by Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal in the final 23-man squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[92] He came on as a substitute before the half-time whistle in the second group match againstAustralia to replace defenderBruno Martins Indi, who had sustained a head injury, and in the 68th minute he scored the winning goal, a swerving effort from outside the box. He also set upRobin van Persie's equaliser.[93] He became the youngest Dutchman to score a goal at the World Cup, at the age of 20 years and four months.[94] He came on as a substitute again in the final group match againstChile on 23 June inSão Paulo and scored the second goal for the Dutch, tapping in anArjen Robben cross, as they clinched first place with a 2–0 victory.[95]
Memphis training with the Netherlands in March 2015
Memphis' first goal since the World Cup came in a friendly at theAmsterdam Arena on 5 June 2015, deflectingKlaas-Jan Huntelaar's shot to put the Netherlands 3–1 up against theUnited States, although the team eventually lost 4–3.[98] In October of that year, he was involved in a fight with teammate Robin van Persie at an international training camp; managerDanny Blind stated to the media, "There are sometimes situations in training where players think different. Then you talk about it. That's what happened and then it's over."[99] The following month, both Memphis and Van Persie were dropped from the Dutch squad for friendlies againstWales andGermany, with Blind stating of Memphis, "In football you must function in a team. He doesn't always do that. That's something he has to learn."[100]
Memphis was among the final 26 players selected by coachFrank de Boer to represent Netherlands inEuro 2020. He scored twice in four matches as Netherlands were eliminated in the round of 16 stage byCzech Republic.[101]
In November 2022, he was named in the Dutch squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[104] On 3 December, he scored a goal in a 3–1 win over the United States in the round of 16, to become the second all-time top scorer for his country with 43 goals, behindRobin van Persie's 50.[105]
On 29 May 2024, Memphis was named in the Netherlands' squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[106] On 23 March 2025, he played his 100th international match for the Netherlands, scoring a goal in a 3–3 away draw againstSpain during theNations League quarter-finals, which ultimately ended in a defeat on penalties.[107]
On 10 June 2025, in a2026 FIFA World Cup qualification game againstMalta, he scored his 49th and 50th international goals, to become joint top goalscorer of Netherlands withRobin van Persie.[108] He made the record his own when he opened the scoring againstLithuania on 7 September, taking him to 51 goals for Oranje. He then scored the winning goal as the Netherlands won 3–2.[109] "I'm super proud and very glad I got past Robin. I thanked everyone in the dressing room," he toldNederlandse Omroep Stichting. "I also want to thank old teammates like Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben, for example. They inspired me. The same goes forPatrick Kluivert. It was because of him that I wanted to reach the Dutch national team."[110]
Early in his career, a PSV coach noted Memphis as "very angry", and he now uses alife coach to aid his mentality.[4] In April 2015,The Daily Telegraph described Memphis as "a fearsome striker of the ball with his right foot but is usually used as aninverted left winger who cuts onto his right foot. A pacey and tricky player, his direct running makes him a difficult opponent for defenders".[4] However, they criticised him as "a ball-hog", pointing out his high rate of shots in comparison to a low rate of assists.[4] Memphis is also known for hisfree-kick ability. During the 2014–15 season, he was statistically the best set-piece taker in the whole of Europe, as he scored 7 times in 33 attempts, the most in all European leagues and the second-best accuracy.[111][112][113][114]
Former Dutch international and Dutch national team managerRonald Koeman regards Memphis as "a great talent", but says that he must continue his personal development due to the physicality and mental strength needed in the Premier League.[13] FormerWigan Athletic andPortsmouth defenderArjan de Zeeuw stated about Memphis: "People regard him as a little bit arrogant, a little bit cocky, but I think he is a very good player, a very promising player, a very strong, very quick player and he's got some skill."[13]
Memphis has been compared to former Manchester United playerCristiano Ronaldo and fellow internationalArjen Robben. Thijs Slegers said about the comparisons: "Memphis is a little bit like Cristiano; they have similar qualities, although there are of course areas where Memphis is inferior. However, his determination to be the best is where I see the real similarity with Cristiano."[115] Like Ronaldo, he combines technical expertise with pure physical strength.[116]
Memphis began pursuing a hip-hop career in June 2017 when he released his Los Angeles-inspired freestyle, "LA Vibes". The music video featuredQuincy Promes, Memphis' teammate at the Netherlands national team. The song's music video earned around 150,000 views within hours of being uploaded toYouTube.[117] In December 2017, Memphis released his freestyle track "Kings & Queens". On 3 October 2018, he collaborated with musical artistsWinne and Nana Fofie and producer Rass King for his Ghana-inspired single, "AKWAABA",[118] and also released his third freestyle, "Porto Cervo (Interlude)", with Winne. Memphis released his fourth freestyle, "5-mill" in response to hisInstagram account reaching 5 million followers. Critics of the freestyle claimed that Memphis' public image was hampered through his cigar-smoking and his careless attitude.[119]
In December 2018, he released his second single, "No Love", over his cancelled engagement with modelLori Harvey. The song is multilingual, switching back and forth between English and Dutch.[120]
In July 2019, Memphis released "Fall Back".[121] On 1 November 2019,Broederliefde released an album,Broeders, which featured Memphis in the song "Lange Jas".[122] On 17 April 2020, he released "Dubai Freestyle".
In September 2020, Memphis released his new song "2 Corinthians 5:7".[123] A month later on October 9, 2020, Memphis released "Blessing".[124] The song's music video shows Memphis returning to his home town ofMoordrecht. Memphis wrote a passage in his autobiographyHeart of a Lion, which explained the meaning of the song.
“I wrote a track about this, calledBlessings, and it includes these lines:
Keep waiting for a blessing but forget to pray, ah yeah
The point I'm making here is that young people wish for all sorts of things, but often forget to pray for them. Purely material success is often very empty. I know millionaires who are deeply unhappy, while the outside world thinks they're successful and everything’s just perfect for them. I’ve learned that appearances can be deceptive. Being special in your own way: that’s true success."[125]
On 27 November 2020, he released his debut albumHeavy Stepper.[126] A 9 track EP including "2 Corinthians 5:7" and "Blessing" released as singles shortly before, and new tracks "Heavy Stepper", "Body Like You (feat. Zah Santori)", "From Ghana (feat. Rass King & Bisa Kdei)", "4AM Palm Flow", "Big Fish", the highly anticipated "For A Week" and "D.B.A (feat.Yasmin Lauryn)".
In 2021, he appeared on 101Barz[127] performing two freestyles. In 2022, he became more active, collaborating with SFB andQuincy Promes in the track "TAT TAT",[128] which was released in November 2022. In January 2023, he collaborated withBisa Kdei on anafro-beat track "Drinks on Me".[129] This followed two more releases so far in 2023 including "Asem Beba"[130] in February and "Leven Als Een Prof",[131] translating to 'life as a professional', in April. In July 2023, Memphis released his third release of the year with the track "These Days", another multi-lingual track which switches between the Dutch and English language. In October 2023, Memphis released "Baby Don't Play", an all English afro-beat track in a style which is inspired by his Ghanaian roots.
Memphis has a lot of unreleased music which can be found on YouTube,[132] clipped from Instagram stories or live streams between 2018 and 2022. Memphis claims he plans to release when it is the "right time".
Memphis is aChristian. He became a Christian in 2016. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Memphis led aBible study with his teammateCody Gakpo for 15 other Netherlands players.[154]
Memphis has numerous tattoos, including one on his left arm that is a tribute to his grandfather, who died on the day before he turned 15.[155] When he scored against Australia at the 2014 World Cup, he kissed this tattoo and pointed to the sky, dedicating his goal to his late grandfather, a moment which he then in 2016 commemorated with a tattoo on his left torso depictingChrist the Redeemer and the date 18.06.14, referring to his first international goal for the Netherlands.[156] He also has a tattoo on the inside of his lip statingsuccesvol (which is Dutch for 'successful')[157] and also has the words 'dream chaser' emblazoned on his upper torso.[4]
In June 2017, it was announced on social media that Memphis was engaged toLori Harvey, the youngest daughter of American television personalitySteve Harvey.[158] Since then, they have ended their engagement and relationship.[159]
In April 2020, Memphis was criticised by several animal rights organisations for posting pictures of himself with aliger cub while on vacation inDubai. He responded by stating that "ligers are not even wild animals".[160]
In June 2022, Memphis visited Ghana[161][162] where he undertook some philanthropic works in the Cape Coast School of the Deaf and Blind.[163]
^"Memphis the hero for Oranje".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 June 2014. Archived fromthe original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved26 July 2015.
^Woodcock, Ian (23 June 2014)."Netherlands 2–0 Chile". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved26 July 2015.
^Depay; Zwartkruis, Memphis; Simon (2019).Heart of a Lion (in Dutch and English). Amsterdam. p. 130.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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