Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar (born 12 August 1983), known professionally asKlaas-Jan Huntelaar (Dutch pronunciation:[ˌklaːˈɕjɑnˈɦʏntəlaːr]ⓘ),[a] is a Dutch former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.
Huntelaar was born inVoor-Drempt, a village in theAchterhoek region ofNetherlands, but moved toHummelo when he was six weeks old.[7] He lived with parents Dirk-Jan and Maud Huntelaar, and his two brothers Niek and Jelle.[7] At the age of five, Huntelaar, along with his two brothers, joined the local football team VV H. en K., where he played for the next six years.[7] He wasscouted as a youth talent during this period byGo Ahead Eagles but the distance required to travel to the team's base inDeventer prevented him from joining the club.[7]
Soon after, he was scouted byDe Graafschap and on 6 April 1994 he signed his first youth contract, aged 10.[7] During his first two years with De Graafschap, Huntelaar played in various positions including left wing, attacking midfield, left back, and even goalkeeper; only in his third year was he deployed as a striker.[7]
In the 1997–98 season, the 14-year-old Huntelaar was the main striker for the C-team at De Graafschap and scored 33 goals in 20 matches.[7] The following season saw him promoted to the B1 team, and in the 1999–2000 season he became top scorer of the B1 league with 31 goals.[7] His goalscoring abilities drew the attention ofPSV Eindhoven, who subsequently signed him in June 2000.[7]
In his first season atPSV, Huntelaar quickly established himself as a prolific goalscorer for their A1 youth teams under coachWilly van der Kuijlen,[8] scoring 26 goals in 23 games to become top scorer in the youth league.[7] In his second season at PSV, Huntelaar was added to the senior squad under coachGuus Hiddink. He made his first team debut on 23 November 2002 in a 0–3 away win overRoosendaal, coming on as a second-halfsubstitute forMateja Kežman in the 76th minute.[9] However, this turned out to be his only appearance for PSV.[10]
By the start of 2003, it was clear that Huntelaar's path into the first team was blocked,[11][12] therefore he was sent out on loan to his previous clubDe Graafschap, where his uncle was financial director.[13] He made his senior debut for De Graafschap on 8 February 2003, coming on as a substitute forHans van de Haar against Roosendaal.[14] He made his only appearance in the starting lineup on 16 February 2003 as De Graafschap were beaten 1–5 by his future clubHeerenveen.[15] He then made his final appearance in the team on 29 May 2003 as De Graafschap lost 2–1 toFC Zwolle, confirming theirdemotion from theEredivisie.[16] In total, Huntelaar made nine Eredivisie appearances for De Graafschap, one as a starter and eight as a substitute, but was unable to score and De Graafschap decided not to extend his loan.[17]
At the start of the 2003–04 season, Huntelaar was again sent out on loan, this time to newly promotedEerste Divisie sideAGOVV Apeldoorn under coachJurrie Koolhof.[18] He made a solid start, scoring on his debut for AGOVV againstTOP Oss,[19] and then scoring a hat-trick in his second league game againstHeracles Almelo.[20][21] Huntelaar scored 26 goals in 35 league appearances and finished the season as the division's top goalscorer as well as being named the Eerste Divisie's Player of the Season.[22] AGOVV later went on to name one of the stands at theirSportpark Berg & Bos stadium the "Klaas-Jan Huntelaar stand" in tribute to his impact at the club.[23][24]
At the end of his loan at AGOVV, Huntelaar turned down the opportunity to sign a new contract with PSV,[25] andFrisian clubHeerenveen moved in to sign him.[26] Huntelaar started the2004–05 season by scoring on his Eredivisie debut with Heerenveen againstAZ Alkmaar[27] and took his scoring tally to ten goals in 17 games at the winter break. At the end of the season, Huntelaar had scored a total of 17 goals in 31 matches, helping Heerenveen qualify for the2005–06 UEFA Cup. In the2005–06 season, Huntelaar continued where he had left off in his first season at Heerenveen, and by the winter, he had scored 17 goals in 15 matches at which point the top Dutch clubs began vying for his signature.[28][29]
In January 2006, Huntelaar signed forAjax, the club he had supported as a child. Heerenveen received €9 million[30][31] plus future incentives for the player, with 15% (€1.35 million) of the fee going to PSV.[32] Huntelaar made his Ajax debut after the winter break and scored his first goal for the team on 5 February 2006 against former club Heerenveen in aKNVB Cup tie.[33] In February, Huntelaar scored nine goals in seven matches for Ajax, including againstSerie A clubInter Milan on hisUEFA Champions League debut.[34] Huntelaar ended the season as top scorer for Ajax with 16 league goals in 16 appearances despite only joining in January, and also finished up as the Eredivise's top scorer with 33 league goals.[35] He scored a total of 44 goals in 47 appearances in all club competitions. Ajax finished fourth in the Eredivisie and Huntelaar featured in theEredivisie Playoffs for Champions League qualification, scoring in consecutive matches againstFeyenoord[36][37] as well as playing in the victory overGroningen to secure Ajax's place in the following season's Champions League.[38] In the KNVB Cup semi-final, Huntelaar scored abicycle kick equalizer ininjury-time againstRoda JC, taking the game toextra-time. Ajax went on to win 4–1 with Huntelaar scoring another goal in the 109th minute.[39] In the final, against his former club PSV, Huntelaar scored two goals to help Ajax win the KNVB Cup 2–1.[40] Huntelaar was namedDutch Football Talent of the Year and Ajax Player of the Year for 2005–06.[41]
Huntelaar celebrating Ajax's victory in theKNVB Cup
In July 2006, Huntelaar became the first player to score atArsenal's newEmirates Stadium in atestimonial match forDennis Bergkamp.[42] He was named vice-captain of Ajax for2006–07 in his first full season at the club.[43] Huntelaar scored two goals for Ajax in a Champions League qualifying match againstCopenhagen to secure a 1–2 away win in thefirst leg, but a 0–2 home defeat in the second leg saw them knocked out of the Champions League on aggregate. Ajax went on to play in theUEFA Cup, where Huntelaar scored seven goals in seven matches, including againstWerder Bremen, who would eliminate them in the third round. In theEredivisie, Huntelaar scored 21 goals as Ajax again finished second, once more having to play in the Eredivisie Playoffs to claim a place in the Champions League. Huntelaar scored two goals in the second leg of the Playoffs semi-final against Heerenveen in a 4–1 aggregate win.[44] Ajax then beatAZ Alkmaar 4–2 on aggregate for a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.[45] In the KNVB Cup, Huntelaar scored four goals in six matches, including an equalizer in the final against Alkmaar which ended in a 1–1 draw after extra-time. Huntelaar scored in thepenalty shoot-out decider to help Ajax retain the KNVB Cup, winning 8–7 on penalties.[46] Huntelaar scored 36 goals in 51 games in all competitions for Ajax in 2006–07.
In 2007–08, Huntelaar partnered up front with new striking-partnerLuis Suárez. However, Ajax were again knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage, with Huntelaar missing a penalty in the first leg againstSlavia Prague.[47] Ajax were also eliminated from the UEFA Cup byDinamo Zagreb on away goals, with Huntelaar's two goals not enough to secure Ajax's place in the competition.[48]
In the first Eredivisie match of the season, Huntelaar scored four goals in a 1–8 away victory over newly promotedDe Graafschap.[49] Following the retirement ofJaap Stam in October 2007, Huntelaar was made temporary captain, pending the return of experiencedmidfielderEdgar Davids from injury.[50] On 6 April 2008, Huntelaar scored his 100th goal in the Eredivise with a hat-trick in Ajax's 4–1 win against De Graafschap. In the previous 25 years, onlyDennis Bergkamp andDirk Kuyt had managed that feat before their 25th birthday.[51] Huntelaar finished the season with 33 goals in 34 appearances, becoming top scorer in the Eredivisie[52] and the first Ajax player to score 30 league goals in a season for 21 years, sinceMarco van Basten in 1986–87.[53][54] At the start of the2008–09 season, Marco van Basten was appointed as Ajax coach and named Huntelaar permanent first team captain.[55] Huntelaar scored nine goals in 15 appearances in all competitions before suffering torn ankle ligaments on 9 November 2008 in a league match againstSparta Rotterdam.[56] He would not play again for eight weeks, and this would turn out to be his last game for Ajax.
At the start of December 2008,Real Madrid reached an agreement with Ajax to sign Huntelaar in the mid-seasontransfer window in January. Huntelaar joined Real Madrid in January 2009 for an initial fee thought to be worth €20 million,[57][58] potentially rising to €27 million. Huntelaar made his debut on 4 January on his return from injury in aLa Liga home match againstVillarreal. He played for 56 minutes and made four further appearances as a substitute,[59] before scoring his first goal for the team on 15 February in a 0–4 away win atSporting Gijón.[60] Madrid had planned to add both Huntelaar and fellow new signingLassana Diarra to their2008–09 Champions League squad, but both players had already featured in the same season'sUEFA Cup for previous clubs Ajax andPortsmouth, respectively. UEFA rules would allow only one of the pair to be registered[61][62] by 1 February and Diarra was selected to play in the competition.[63] Huntelaar went on to score eight goals in 20 appearances (13 starts and seven substitute appearances) in just half a season at Real Madrid.[10][64][65]
On 6 August 2009, Huntelaar transferred toSerie A clubA.C. Milan for €17.75 million,[66] signing a four-year contract.[67][68] On 29 August, Huntelaar made his competitive league debut for Milan coming on as a sub in the 0–4 loss to cross-city rivalsInter Milan in theDerby della Madonnina. After a slow start, Huntelaar scored his first Milan goals on 29 November in a 0–2 away win atCatania, scoring twice after coming on in the 84th minute.[69]
After the match, managerLeonardo stated that he would give Huntelaar more chances. However, he only appeared as a substitute for the next few matches, and because of the great form of teammateMarco Borriello, Huntelaar did not even appear as a substitute very often until Borriello's injury. Huntelaar capitalized on the opportunity by scoring his second brace of the season, helping Milan to a 3–2 defeat ofUdinese. When Borriello hit bad form, Huntelaar was expected to play more often, but Leonardo chose to play veteranFilippo Inzaghi instead. On 3 April, Huntelaar started the match againstCagliari and scored from 30 meters out to stretch his goal tally to seven.
On 31 August 2010,Bundesliga clubSchalke 04 signed Huntelaar for a fee of €12 million.[70][71] On 19 September, he scored his first goal for Schalke in a 1–3 home defeat againstregional rivalsBorussia Dortmund,[72] and he added two in a Champions League group stage match againstLyon on 24 November 2010. On 21 May 2011, Huntelaar scored a brace againstMSV Duisburg in the2011 DFB-Pokal Final, securing a 5–0 win for Schalke, the club's fifthDFB-Pokal championship and their first major trophy in nine years.[73] Huntelaar finished the2010–11 season by scoring 13 goals in 35 matches.[74]
On 31 July 2011, Huntelaar scored four times in an 11–1 cup thrashing away toTeningen of theLandesliga Südbaden.[75] and he scored a hat-trick to win Schalke's first points of the season in a 5–1 win over1. FC Köln at theVeltins-Arena.[76] On 25 August, Huntelaar scored four goals, including two penalties, in a 6–1 win in the qualifying play-off round of theUEFA Europa League againstHJK Helsinki, allowing Schalke to overturn a 2–0 first leg deficit and advance to thegroup stage 6–3 on aggregate. After the resignation of head coachRalf Rangnick on 22 September 2011,[77] former Royal Blues managerHuub Stevens returned to the team for their game againstHamburger SV on 2 October.[78] Huntelaar powered his side to victory in Stevens' first game back, heading in a sensational opening goal and netting the winner in the 73rd minute with a flick past goalkeeperJaroslav Drobný.[79] He scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 win overTwente in the Europa League,[80] and finished the season with 38 goals in 37 appearances.[81] He said in February 2012 that he would reach his playing peak in two years time, because of his later physical development.[82] Huntelaar scored a second-half brace in the club's 3–2 victory overWerder Bremen on the last day of the season, earning his side automatic qualification into the group stage of theChampions League.[83] The two goals also meant that Huntelaar finished the season with 29 goals from 34 league games, making him the first Dutch player to earntop scorer in the Bundesliga.[84]
On 23 December 2012, Schalke announced that Huntelaar signed a two-year contract extension to 30 June 2015.[85] Huntelaar finished the2012–13 season with 16 goals in 35 matches.[86] Thefollowing season, Huntelaar scored 14 goals in 21 matches.[87]
On 31 January 2015, Huntelaar received a straight red card for a slide tackle onManuel Schmiedebach ofHannover 96. TheGerman Football Association (DFB) gave him a six-match ban, which Schalke appealed.[88] On 10 March 2015, Huntelaar scored twice against former club Real Madrid in a 3–4 victory at theSantiago Bernabéu. He had not scored a league goal since November 2014, after going over 1,000 minutes and 13 games without scoring. This has led to some minor criticism over his performance in the current season from his fans and the team's coach.[89] This goalless run, however, ended on 2 May 2015, when he scored an equaliser againstVfB Stuttgart.[90] Huntelaar finished the season with 14 goals in 37 matches.[91]
Due to injuries and a drop in form, during the2016–17 Bundesliga season Huntelaar only made 16 appearances in the league (7 starts, 9 appearances from the bench), and overall 24 appearances in all competitions (10 starts, 14 appearances from the bench), scoring a total of only five goals,[94] his lowest season goal tally at Schalke 04.
On 19 January 2021,Schalke 04 confirmed that they had signed Huntelaar until the end of the season.[98] With his goal in the 1–2 defeat againstBayer Leverkusen on 3 April 2021, he became Schalke's oldest Bundesliga goalscorer at the age of 37 years and 234 days.[99]
Huntelaar played in the2001 FIFA World Youth Championship for the Netherlands under coachLouis van Gaal. He scored two goals in the tournament before the Dutch were eliminated in the quarter-finals byEgypt.[7] After scoring 44 goals in 47 appearances for Heerenveen and Ajax in all competitions during 2005–06, Huntelaar was named in the preliminaryNetherlands squad for the2006 FIFA World Cup, but was not selected for the final squad and instead sent to play in theUEFA Under-21 Championship held inPortugal. Huntelaar became top scorer in the tournament with four goals[100] including two in the final on 4 June 2006 to help the Netherlands beatUkraine 3–0[101] and claim their first ever title at under-21 level. Huntelaar was named as one of two strikers in theUEFA Team of the Tournament.[102] In the aftermath, Huntelaar was promoted from the under-21 squad where he remains the Netherlands all-time top goalscorer with 18 goals in 22 matches.[6]
Following his achievements with the under-21 squad, Huntelaar was selected by senior team coachMarco van Basten for theNetherlands national team's next friendly match, away against theRepublic of Ireland on 16 August 2006. He scored two goals and provided twoassists on his senior debut in the Netherlands' 0–4 away win atLansdowne Road,[103] making him the first Dutch player to score on his full international debut for 28 years sinceDick Nanninga in 1978.[104]
SinceRuud van Nistelrooy's retirement from the national team, Huntelaar opposesRobin van Persie(right) for the first striker position. Both scored a historic combined total of 85 goals in the 2011–12 season at their respective clubs.
After being left out for a number of games, he was recalled to the squad in October 2007 for theUEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying games againstRomania andSlovenia.[105] Due to the suspension of strikerRuud van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar was in the starting line-up against Slovenia and went on to score his first competitive international goal in the Netherlands 2–0 victory.[106] Huntelaar was included in the NetherlandsEuro 2008 squad, and scored in his only appearance in the tournament with the opening goal of their finalGroup C match againstRomania in a 2–0 victory.[107]
With the retirement of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar became the new Netherlands national team coachBert van Marwijk's first choice striker for the2010 World Cup qualification match againstIceland in October 2008, and scored in a 2–0 victory.[108] Huntelaar was included in the preliminary squad for the2010 World Cup inSouth Africa.[109] On 27 May 2010, Van Marwijk announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.[110] On 24 June, he replaced goalscorerRobin van Persie in the 58th minute againstCameroon at theGreen Point Stadium inCape Town and scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute in a 2–1 win, taking his goal tally to 16 in 34 games for the Netherlands.[111] Huntelaar also came on as a substitute for Van Persie in the round of 16 game againstSlovakia and in the quarter-final againstBrazil.[112][113] He was an unused substitute in thefinal againstSpain as the Netherlands lost their third World Cup final 0–1 due to a late goal byAndrés Iniesta.[114]
On 3 September 2010, Huntelaar scored a hat-trick againstSan Marino in aEuro 2012 qualifying match away at theStadio Olimpico, a match which the Netherlands won 0–5.[115] He followed this up with both goals for the Netherlands as they defeatedFinland on 7 September 2010 inRotterdam.[116]
Huntelaar added further goals to his tally, with a double in a 4–1 win againstSweden on 12 October 2010.[117] He was the top goalscorer in theUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition with 12 goals, leaving him one shy ofNorthern Ireland'sDavid Healy's all-time qualification record.[118]
At the2014 World Cup, Huntelaar came off the bench for Robin van Persie in theround of 16 match againstMexico with the Netherlands 0–1 down. He went on to provide the assist forWesley Sneijder, and scored the winning goal with an injury-time penalty to qualify the team for the quarter-finals.[119] Huntelaar admitted after the match that team captainArjen Robben was supposed to take the penalty but offered him instead to take the penalty since Huntelaar was playing well after leaving the bench.
Huntelaar was described as a "prolific striker"[120] with a "brilliant first touch"[121] and was compared in style to players such asMarco van Basten[122] andRuud van Nistelrooy.[123] In 2009, former Netherlands national team managerLouis van Gaal was quoted saying about the player, "in thepenalty area, he is the best player in the world, bar none."[6]
Following the departure of director of football affairsMarc Overmars, Huntelaar returned toAjax in a technical role. He initially supported technical managerGerry Hamstra and head coachAlfred Schreuder.[124] After their departures, Huntelaar assumed the role of technical manager, reporting directly to director of footballSven Mislintat. His responsibilities included overseeing the progression of players fromJong Ajax to the first team, as well as managing squad composition and contractual matters within the reserve and youth setups. In June 2023, he extended his contract with Ajax until 30 June 2027.[125]
In October 2023, it was reported that Huntelaar had taken medical leave due toburnout. According to his agent Rob Jansen and punditRené van der Gijp, he had been "deeply affected" by internal turmoil during Mislintat's tenure and had "completely broken down" under the pressure.[126][127] Former Ajax team managerDavid Endt expressed concern about his condition, suggesting he was not yet ready to return to the role.[128] On 14 March 2025, Ajax announced the mutual termination of Huntelaar's contract, citing ongoing health concerns. The club thanked him for his contributions, with technical directorAlex Kroes stating that "his health comes first."[129][130]
Since 2000, Huntelaar has been in a relationship with Maddy Schoolderman.[131] The couple have four children and live inAngerlo,Gelderland.[132][133] Huntelaar's son, Seb, plays in the academy of PSV Eindhoven.[134]
^"Huntelaar aanvoerder in bekerduel".www.at5.nl. Archived fromthe original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved15 June 2025.Door het wegvallen van aanvoerder Jaap Stam begint Klaas Jan Huntelaar in het bekerduel tegen Heerenveen als aanvoerder [With the removal of captain Jaap Stam, Klaas Jan Huntelaar will start in the cup game against Heerenveen as captain]
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