 Janssen with theNetherlands in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vincent Petrus Anna Sebastiaan Janssen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-06-15)15 June 1994 (age 30) | ||
| Place of birth | Heesch, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Antwerp | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | SV TOP | ||
| 2002–2006 | TOP | ||
| 2006–2009 | NEC | ||
| 2009–2013 | Feyenoord | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | Almere City | 69 | (29) |
| 2015–2016 | AZ | 34 | (27) |
| 2016–2019 | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | →Fenerbahçe (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2019–2022 | Monterrey | 77 | (15) |
| 2022– | Antwerp | 99 | (39) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Netherlands U15 | 4 | (2) |
| 2009 | Netherlands U16 | 6 | (1) |
| 2011 | Netherlands U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2014 | Netherlands U20 | 2 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Netherlands U21 | 10 | (8) |
| 2016–2022 | Netherlands | 22 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 November 2022 (UTC) | |||
Vincent Petrus Anna Sebastiaan Janssen (born 15 June 1994) is a Dutch professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forBelgian Pro League clubAntwerp.
He began his professional career in theEerste Divisie withAlmere City before playing in theEredivisie withAZ Alkmaar in2015–16, finishing as the league's top scorer. He then moved toTottenham Hotspur of thePremier League for a fee of £17 million, spending his second season on loan atFenerbahçe in the TurkishSüper Lig. He spent three years inLiga MX withMonterrey, winning honours including theCONCACAF Champions League in2021. He signed forRoyal Antwerp in 2022, and won theBelgian Cup in his first season while scoring in thefinal.
Janssen earned 22caps for theNetherlands between 2016 and 2022, scoring seven goals. He was part of their squad at the2022 FIFA World Cup.
Janssen started playing at the amateur branch ofTOP, after which he became part of the youth academy of the professional branch of the club. Through a merger of the TOP and N.E.C. academies, he became part of the academy ofNEC. From NEC, he transferred toFeyenoord youth teams, winning the U19s national title with Feyenoord in 2013.[3]
After being released by Feyenoord, he joinedEerste Divisie teamAlmere City in 2013.[4][5] He made his debut for Almere on 3 August 2013 in a 3–2 home defeat againstVolendam.[6] After netting ten goals in the2013–14 season, he reached 19 goals thefollowing season.[7] He scored 32 goals in 74 appearances in all competitions for Almere.[5]
After two seasons with Almere, Janssen moved toEredivisie sideAZ in 2015, signing a contract with the club until 2019.[8] He was signed by directorRobert Eenhoorn, a Dutch formerMajor League Baseball player who signed based on data, following the example of his friend and advisorBilly Beane; due to financial constraints, Eenhorn signed Janssen and fellow second division playerAlireza Jahanbakhsh for under £1 million and sold them for a combined £33 million.[9]
Janssen scored his first official goal for the club againstİstanbul Başakşehir in aUEFA Europa Leaguequalifier on 30 July 2015.[10][11] His first goal in theEredivisie was on 4 October 2015, where he scored the first and second goal in a 3–1 home win againstTwente.[12][13] After failing to score in his first eight matches for the club, he went on to score 20 league goals in the second half of the season – the first player to achieve this feat in 52 years[5] – and became the top scorer of the Eredivisie with a total of 27 goals. This also made him the youngest player to score more than 25 goals in an Eredivisie season sinceRonaldo in the1994–95 season.[14][15] His first hat-trick for AZ was on 24 January 2016, in a 4–2 home win against former clubFeyenoord.[16] He also scored four goals in a 5–1 home win againstPEC Zwolle on 16 April 2016.[17] He was awarded the 2016Johan Cruyff Trophy, the Dutch "Talent of the Year" award.[15][18]
On 12 July 2016, Janssen joinedPremier League sideTottenham Hotspur for £17 million (€20 million) on a four-year contract.[19][20] ManagerMauricio Pochettino had seen Janssen during aNetherlands friendly with theRepublic of Ireland, saying Janssen "ticked all the boxes we needed". With his signing, he became the most expensive player sold by AZ Alkmaar in their football history.[21]
Janssen played inthree friendlies for Tottenham before the2016–17 season, providing a goal and an assist in the final game againstInter Milan. Janssen made his Premier League debut on 13 August, coming on as a substitute forEric Dier againstEverton. He made his first start the next week at home toCrystal Palace, playing at forward the full 90 minutes. Following an ankle injury to starHarry Kane on 18 September, Janssen was thrust into a larger role for the club, with Pochettino stating "this is a big opportunity for him to show what he can do".[22] He scored his first goal for the club on 21 September 2016, converting a penalty in a 5–0 victory in theEFL Cup againstGillingham.[23] His first Premier League goal, another penalty, was on 29 October in a 1–1 draw withLeicester City.[24] He scored his first goal from open play for Tottenham on 12 March 2017, scoring the fifth goal in a 6–0 FA Cup Quarter Final win overMillwall.[25] On 4 September 2017, it was confirmed that Janssen had been omitted from Spurs' Champions League squad for the 2017–18 campaign.[26]
On 8 September 2017, Janssen joinedSüper Lig clubFenerbahçe for the season.[27] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 win overAlanyaspor,[28] and a second in the Istanbul derby againstBeşiktaş that resulted in a 2–1 win.[29] However, he was injured againstBursaspor in early December, and was out of action for a few months.[30]
In summer 2018 Janssen returned to Tottenham but at the beginning of the 2018–19 season he was not issued a number.[31][32] Spurs reported on their website that Janssen had surgery for a foot injury and would be in recovery with the club's medical staff.[31][33] In January 2019, Pochettino publicly said that Janssen was not in his plans, despite Kane being injured andSon Heung-min being away at theAFC Asian Cup; he was subject to interest fromMajor League Soccer and teams from China and Europe, but Tottenham would not sell for under £15 million.[34] After being out for most of the season Janssen made a substitute appearance and a return to first team football for Spurs against Brighton on 23 April 2019.[35]
On 23 July 2019,Liga MX clubMonterrey signed Janssen on a permanent deal for a fee of an estimated £6 million.[36] He made his official debut on 17 August as a substitute forRogelio Funes Mori in a 2–0 win againstToluca,[37] and a week later he scored his first goal in Mexican football againstSantos Laguna.[38]
He scored his first hat-trick for the club on 5 November in aCopa MX group stage match againstChiapas.[39]
He proved to be a vital part of the team as he helped Monterrey win theApertura 2019 finals againstAmérica. Coming on as substitute in the second leg, he managed to score in the eventualpenalty shoot-out as Monterrey won their first title since 2010, his first league title.[40]
In the2021 CONCACAF Champions League, Janssen scored in each leg of a 6–1 aggregate win overAtlético Pantoja of the Dominican Republic in April,[41][42] as his team went on to win thefinal against América.[43]
On 18 June 2022, Janssen joined Belgian sideRoyal Antwerp on a four-year deal.[44] He made his league debut for the club on 24 July, in a 2–0 win overK.V. Mechelen on the first matchday of the2022–23 Belgian First Division A season.[45] He was one of several Dutch players bought in by compatriotsporting directorMarc Overmars and managerMark van Bommel and won theBelgian Cup in his first season, scoring the first goal of the 2–0 final win over Mechelen on 30 April 2023.[46]
On 30 August 2023, he helped the club secure a spot in the group stage of theUEFA Champions League for the first time ever, by scoring a goal in the first leg of their 3–1 aggregate victory overAEK Athens in the play-off round.[47]
Janssen received his first call up to the seniorNetherlands team in March 2016 for friendlies againstFrance andEngland.[48] In his first international start, a 2–1 win against England on 29 March, he scored his first senior international goal and provided his first assist on the other.[49]
In May 2022, Janssen received a call up from coachLouis van Gaal forUEFA Nations League fixtures, ending a nearly five-year hiatus from the national team.[50] In November, he was included in the2022 FIFA World Cup squad.[51] Janssen announced his international retirement via social media on 12 March 2023, aged 28, citing the schedule for club football. He was criticised for his decision by former internationalsRafael van der Vaart andIbrahim Afellay.[52]
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A two-footed player,[15][53] Janssen is credited with good finishing, movement and pace.[5][53][54] Due to his strength,[5][15][53] he is an "exceptional" hold-up man[5] who can bring teammates into play,[15] and as a good passer of the ball,[5][53][54] he can set up goal-scoring opportunities for teammates.[55] He is also praised for his work ethic,[5][53] as well as his competitive mentality.[22] Janssen's style of play has invited comparisons withRuud van Nistelrooy.[5][7]
His weaknesses are shots from outside the penalty box, the timing of his movement and ball control.[53]
Janssen is the son ofAnnemarie Verstappen, a former world champion swimmer andDutch Sportswoman of the year.[56] He was awarded the 2016Johan Cruyff Trophy, the Dutch "Talent of the Year" award.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Almere City | 2013–14 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 36 | 10 | |||
| 2014–15 | Eerste Divisie | 34 | 19 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2[c] | 1 | 38 | 22 | |||
| Total | 69 | 29 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 74 | 32 | ||||
| AZ | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 34 | 27 | 5 | 1 | — | 10[d] | 3 | — | 49 | 31 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2016–17 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 38 | 6 | |
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | 42 | 6 | |||
| Fenerbahçe | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 16 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | |||
| Monterrey | 2019–20 | Liga MX | 25 | 5 | 9 | 7 | — | — | — | 34 | 12 | |||
| 2020–21 | Liga MX | 25 | 7 | — | — | 5[f] | 2 | — | 30 | 9 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Liga MX | 27 | 3 | — | — | — | 2[g] | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 77 | 15 | 9 | 7 | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 93 | 24 | |||
| Antwerp | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 36 | 18 | 5 | 3 | — | 5[h] | 0 | — | 46 | 21 | ||
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 35 | 11 | 5 | 4 | — | 8[i] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 17 | ||
| 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 10 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 33 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 99 | 39 | 15 | 9 | — | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 50 | |||
| Career total | 326 | 116 | 37 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 403 | 148 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2016 | 10 | 4 |
| 2017 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 7 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 March 2016 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 2 |  England | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 1 June 2016 | Stadion Energa Gdańsk,Gdańsk, Poland | 4 |  Poland | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 4 June 2016 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion,Vienna, Austria | 5 |  Austria | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 7 October 2016 | De Kuip,Rotterdam, Netherlands | 8 |  Belarus | 4–1 | 4–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 31 May 2017 | Stade Adrar,Agadir, Morocco | 11 |  Morocco | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 4 June 2017 | De Kuip,Rotterdam, Netherlands | 12 |  Ivory Coast | 5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 9 June 2017 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 13 |  Luxembourg | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Monterrey
Antwerp
Individual
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Awards | |||||||
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