.jpg) Mirani withVolendam in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1996-05-13)13 May 1996 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Monnickendam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Heracles Almelo | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| VV Monnickendam | |||
| Volendam | |||
| 2012–2016 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Jong Ajax | 24 | (0) |
| 2016–2021 | Almere City | 163 | (14) |
| 2021–2024 | Volendam | 103 | (10) |
| 2024– | Heracles Almelo | 19 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Netherlands U17 | 6 | (2) |
| 2013 | Netherlands U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Netherlands U19 | 6 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:16, 20 January 2025 (UTC) | |||
Damon Mirani (born 13 May 1996) is a Dutch professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forEredivisie clubHeracles Almelo.
Mirani began his football career in the under-8 ofVV Monnickendam before moving toVolendam. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he was admitted to theAjax academy. On 15 March 2013, he signed his first professional contract with the club, binding him to the club until 30 June 2016. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Mirani was crownedTalent van De Toekomst (Talent of the Future) while playing forAjax B1, the under-17 team.[1][2]
Mirani began the 2013–14 season playing forAjax A1, the under-19 team. With the unavailability of several players, he made his professional debut forJong Ajax againstAchilles '29 in anEerste Divisie match on 8 September 2013, coming on forTom Noordhoff as a half-time substitute.[3] On 28 June 2014, Mirani made his unofficial debut for the Ajax first team in a friendly againstSDC Putten which was won 13–1. Mirani replacedKenny Tete after the break and scored the 7–0 from a corner-kick in the 50th minute.[4]
In March 2016, it was announced that Mirani's expiring contract would not be extended, which meant that he could start looking for a new club. Mirani made a total of 24 appearances for Jong Ajax in three seasons, and failed to make his official first-team debut.[5]
On 31 May 2016, Mirani signed a two-year contract withEerste Divisie clubAlmere City.[6] He made his official debut for Almere City on 5 August in an away match againstVolendam. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[7] Mirani quickly grew into a starter atcentre-back for Almere. On 7 April 2017, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–2 league loss toVVV-Venlo.[8] He missed the end of the regular season and the playoffs due to an injury.[9]
Mirani remained a starter for the next three seasons, leading Almere City to the promotion playoffs three times without success. In 2018, they came closest but lost the final toDe Graafschap.[10] Over five seasons, Mirani played 180 matches for Almere City, scoring 16 goals.[11]
On 15 June 2021, Mirani moved to Volendam on a two-year contract, a club where he already worked part-time as a youth coach.[12] Mirani thus returned to the club he had left at sixteen for an opportunity at Ajax. At Volendam, he reunited with coachWim Jonk, his former coach in the Ajax youth team. Mirani was appointedcaptain upon arrival and made an immediate impact by scoring the opening goal in his debut on August 6, 2021, againstFC Eindhoven. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.[13] In his first season, Mirani was a starter and played every minute of every match.[11] On April 22, 2022, he helped Volendam secure promotion to theEredivisie with a 2–1 victory overDen Bosch.[14]
In the2022–23 season, Mirani continued to play every match in full until the winter break.[11] During the break, coach Wim Jonk namedCarel Eiting as the new captain, replacing Mirani.[15] On January 14, 2023, in a match againstRKC Waalwijk, Mirani was substituted for the first time in over sixty matches.[16] On April 21, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win againstCambuur.[17] Despite a loss toGo Ahead Eagles a month later, FC Volendam secured their Eredivisie status.[18]
In March 2024, Volendam announced that Mirani's contract was expiring and that he would decide on his future at the end of the season.[19] In May 2024, Volendam were relegated from the Eredivisie following a defeat againstAjax.[20]
On 5 June 2024, Mirani signed a three-year contract withHeracles Almelo.[21]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Ajax | 2013–14 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Eerste Divisie | 4 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||||
| Almere City | 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 35 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | Eerste Divisie | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6[a] | 3 | 39 | 6 | |
| 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 36 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Eerste Divisie | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| Total | 163 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 180 | 13 | ||
| Volendam | 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 4 | |
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 3 | ||
| Total | 103 | 10 | 4 | 0 | — | 107 | 10 | |||
| Heracles Almelo | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |
| Career total | 309 | 24 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 331 | 24 | ||
Individual