_(4)_(Wout_Weghorst).jpg) Weghorst withAjax in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wout François Maria Weghorst[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-08-07)7 August 1992 (age 33)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Borne, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| NEO | |||
| –2011 | DETO | ||
| 2011–2012 | Willem II | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2014 | Emmen | 62 | (20) |
| 2014–2016 | Heracles | 64 | (20) |
| 2016–2018 | AZ | 60 | (31) |
| 2018–2022 | VfL Wolfsburg | 124 | (69) |
| 2022–2024 | Burnley | 22 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | →Beşiktaş (loan) | 18 | (9) |
| 2023 | →Manchester United (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | →TSG Hoffenheim (loan) | 30 | (7) |
| 2024– | Ajax | 36 | (16) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Netherlands U21 | 1 | (1) |
| 2018– | Netherlands | 49 | (14) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:33, 22 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:30, 12 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Wout François Maria Weghorst (born 7 August 1992) is a Dutch professionalfootballer who plays as astriker forEredivisie clubAjax and theNetherlands national team.
Weghorst began his professional career in thesecond tier of Dutch football withEmmen. He then played in theEredivisie withHeracles andAZ, before joiningVfL 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 thePremier League, Weghorst had loan spells at TurkishSüper Lig clubBeşiktaş, fellow English clubManchester United and German clubTSG Hoffenheim, before returning to the Netherlands with Ajax in mid-2024.
Weghorst made one appearance for theNetherlands under-21 team in 2014, before making his senior international debut in March 2018. He represented the Netherlands atUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 FIFA World Cup (where he notably scored two goals in his side'squarter-final match againstArgentina), andEuro 2024.
Born inBorne, Overijssel, Weghorst started his career at local clubs RKSV NEO andDETO Twenterand,[4] before joiningEredivisie clubWillem 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 forEerste Divisie clubEmmen in 2012,[6] making his debut in a match againstDordrecht on 10 August. Weghorst went on to score his first goal in professional football a month later, in the derby againstVeendam, a match that ended in a 2–1 win for Emmen. In his debut season, Weghorst appeared in 28 league matches scoring eight goals. The following season, he scored 13 times from 36 appearances.
After his spell with Emmen, Weghorst signed a contract with Eredivisie clubHeracles on a free transfer.[7]
On 9 August 2014, Weghorst made his Eredivisie debut for Heracles, in a 0–3 home loss againstAZ in thePolman Stadion.[8] He scored his first Eredivisie goal in his first start – a 2–1 loss againstAjax at theAmsterdam Arena.[8] He ended the2014–15 Eredivisie season with eight goals from 31 appearances, as Heracles successfully battled relegation.
In his second season, Heracles finished in sixth place and, through the subsequentplay-offs, the club qualified for theEuropa League qualifying round – the first time in history that the club qualified for an international competition.[9] Weghorst was the team's top goalscorer with twelve goals in the Eredivisie.[8]
After his successful season with Heracles, Weghorst signed a four-year contract withAlkmaar-based clubAZ in July 2016, with the option for an extra year.[10][11]
On 7 August, Weghorst marked his debut for AZ with a goal in a 2–2 draw withHeerenveen.[8] On 24 October, he scored his first European goal in a 1–0UEFA Europa League group win against Irish teamDundalk.[12] On 2 February 2017, he converted the winning kick of the 3–2penalty shootout win against second division clubCambuur in theKNVB semi-final. On 30 April, he started at centre forward in the2017 KNVB Cup Final, where AZ were beaten 2–0 byVitesse at theDe Kuip stadium inRotterdam.[13]
He ended his first season in Alkmaar with 18 goals from 49 appearances in all competitions.[8]
Ahead of the2017–18 Eredivisie season, Weghorst was appointedvice-captain toRon Vlaar.[14] He finished the season as the joint-third top scorer in the Eredivisie with 18 goals, tied withSteven Berghuis, and trailing onlyAlireza Jahanbakhsh andBjørn Johnsen, who scored 21 and 19 goals respectively.[15] He also recorded nine goals in sixKNVB Cup matches, scoring in every round en route tothe final, where AZ were beaten for the second consecutive season, this time byFeyenoord.[16]
On 26 June 2018, Weghorst joined GermanBundesliga clubVfL Wolfsburg,[17] for a reported transfer-fee of €10.5m.[18]
He debuted for Wolfsburg againstSchalke 04 in the opening match of the2018–19 Bundesliga season and scored his first goal on Matchday 2 in a 3–1 win atBayer Leverkusen.[8] On 16 March 2019, he scored his first hat-trick for Wolfsburg, and first by any player for the club sinceMario Gómez in April 2017, in a 5–2 league win overFortuna Düsseldorf.[19] He ended the season with another hat-trick in the final Bundesliga fixture – an 8–1 win overFC Augsburg – giving him a final total of 17 goals, ranking joint-third in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts for the campaign.[20]
In the2019–20 Bundesliga season, Weghorst produced another impressive goal return, scoring 16 times in the league.[8][21]
On 25 October 2020, he scored a goal in a 2–1 victory againstArminia Bielefeld, from a free-kick routine which was later replicated during the2022 FIFA World Cup.[22] In the 2020–21 season, he scored 20 goals in theBundesliga and 25 times in all competitions, helpingdie Wölfe to a fourth-placed finish and qualification to the2021–22 UEFA Champions League.[23]
Weghorst scored six times in the first 20 Matchdays of the2021–22 Bundesliga season, before the club accepted an offer for the player from English clubBurnley during the Januarytransfer window.[24]
On 31 January 2022, Weghorst signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with EnglishPremier League clubBurnley for a fee of £12 million.[25][26] Weghorst made his debut for the club on 5 February, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw withWatford atTurf Moor.[27] Weghorst scored his first goal for the club on 19 February in a 3–0 win againstBrighton & Hove Albion, helping to end an eleven game winless run for his new club.[28] His second Burnley goal came on 17 April, in a 1–1 draw againstWest Ham United.[29]
Burnley ended the2021–22 season in 18th place, resulting in relegation to theEFL Championship, with Weghorst registering only two goals from 20 appearances.[30]
On 5 July 2022, Weghorst signed forSüper Lig clubBeşiktaş onloan until the end of the2022–23 season.[31] He made his Süper Lig debut on 6 August in a 1–0 home win againstKayserispor[32] and scored his first league goal on 21 August, with the opening goal againstFatih Karagümrük in a 4–1 win for Beşiktaş.[33] On 7 January 2023, he scored a goal in his last match for Beşiktaş which ended in a 2–1 victory overKasımpaşa.[34]
His loan to Beşiktaş was cancelled in January ahead of a loan toManchester United,[35] with a £3 million loan fee being split between Burnley and Beşiktaş.[36] On 13 January, Weghorst signed for United on loan until the end of the season.[37] He was given the number 27 shirt most recently worn byAlex Telles.[38] On 18 January, he made his debut by starting in a 1–1 away draw againstCrystal Palace.[39]
On 25 January, he scored his first goal for United in a 3–0 away win overNottingham Forest in theEFL Cup semi-final first leg.[40] On 26 February, he played in the2023 EFL Cup final and assistedMarcus Rashford for United's second goal of the match in their 2–0 victory overNewcastle United.[41] It was the first time in his career that he had won a trophy.[42] On 9 March, he scored his first goal atOld Trafford in a 4–1 win againstReal Betis in theEuropa League round of 16.[43]
On 9 August 2023, he joinedTSG Hoffenheim on a season-long loan.[44][45] During his spell in Hoffenheim, Weghorst scored seven goals from 28Bundesliga matches.[46]
On 21 May 2024, Burnley said the player would be returning once the loan ended.[47] He made hisEFL Championship debut as a substitute forLyle Foster in Burnley's opening game of the2024–25 season, a 4–1 win overLuton Town on 12 August; it was his first appearance for the club in over two years.[48]
On 29 August 2024, Weghorst joinedEredivisie clubAjax on two-year deal.[49]On 6 October 2024, Weghorst scored his first goal for Ajax, scoring in injury time in a 3–1 victory overGroningen.[50]
On 3 October 2014, Weghorst was called up to theNetherlands under-21 team for the first time for their two-legged2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualificationplay-off againstPortugal.[51] He made his first and only appearance for theJong Oranje in the second leg, scoring the team's first goal and winning apenalty kick converted byNathan Aké for their fourth in a 5–4 defeat.[52][53]
Weghorst received his first full international call-up inRonald Koeman's firstDutch squad in March 2018.[54] He made his senior international debut in afriendly againstEngland on 23 March at theAmsterdam Arena, appearing an 89th-minute substitute forStefan de Vrij.[55]
On 26 May 2021, Weghorst was selected in theNetherlands squad forUEFA Euro 2020,[56] Weghorst scored his first senior international goal in the team's final pre-tournament friendly againstGeorgia on 6 June.[57]
He started in the Netherlands' opening match of the tournament, scoring the team's second goal of a 3–2 win againstUkraine in Amsterdam.[58] He went on to start the second match againstAustria and appear as a substitute in the third againstNorth Macedonia, as well as theround of 16 loss toCzechia.[59][57]
In November 2022, Weghorst was selected as a member of theDutch squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[60] He made substitute appearances against bothEcuador andQatar in thegroup stage, as well as theUnited States in theround of 16.[57]
In thequarter-final match againstArgentina, Weghorst came on as a 78th minute substitute with the Netherlands trailing 2–0. After pulling a goal back with an 83rd minute header, he equalised with a left-footed finish fromTeun Koopmeiners' disguised free-kick eleven minutes into added time to send the match into extra time and an eventualpenalty shootout.[61] After saves byEmiliano Martínez from the Netherlands' first two kicks byVirgil van Dijk andSteven Berghuis, Weghorst's successful fourth kick was in vain as theOranje were eliminated 4–3 in the shootout.[62] The bad tempered match came to be known as theBattle of Lusail due to theWorld Cup record 18 yellow cards and one red card, including a booking for Weghorst for dissent prior to his entrance as a substitute. After the match, Weghorst was engaged in a confrontation withLionel Messi after the Argentinacaptain refused toswap shirts with him.[63] Weghorst interrupted Messi's post-match interview withTyC Sports, calling "Hey, Messi, eh, Messi," to which Messi replied dismissively by saying “Quémirá(s), bobo? ¿Qué mirá(s), bobo? Andá pa allá, bobo. Andá pa allá.” ("What are you looking at, idiot? What are you looking at, idiot? Get lost, idiot. Get lost.")[64] The response went on to become a popularmeme on social media, particularly inLatin America,[65] and Weghorst became known by the nickname "Bobo" by his Argentine teammateLisandro Martínez during his loan spell atManchester United in 2023.[66]
DuringUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, Weghorst scored three goals from eight appearances[67] including winning goals in both fixtures against theRepublic of Ireland,[68] the latter of which ensured the Netherlands' qualification for the tournament finals in Germany.[69]
On 29 May 2024, Weghorst was named in the Netherlands' squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[70] He scored in the team's two final warm-up matches againstCanada andIceland respectively.[71] In opening match againstPoland, he came off the bench in the 81st minute, before scoring two minutes later off of his first touch to give his country a 2–1 victory.[72]
At 1.97 metres (6 ft 6 in), Weghorst commonly plays as astriker, in particular a 'target man' role, due to his ability to hold up the play.[73] He is renowned as agoal poacher, with good reactive finishing inside the penalty area,[74] but also regularly drops deep to help link play.[75] In the2021–22 Premier League season, Weghorst averaged more presses per 90 minutes than any other player.[76] His style of play has been compared to that ofEdin Džeko.[77][78]
| 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 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Championship | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 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 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 7 | |||
| Ajax | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 24 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 1 | — | 31 | 11 | ||
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 1 | — | 16 | 7 | |||
| Total | 36 | 16 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 2 | — | 47 | 18 | ||||
| Career total | 423 | 166 | 39 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 517 | 200 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2018 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 14 | |
| 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(3–4p) | 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 |
| 10 | 6 June 2024 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 32 |  Canada | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 10 June 2024 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | 33 |  Iceland | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 12 | 16 June 2024 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany | 34 |  Poland | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| 13 | 7 September 2024 | Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands | 40 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4–2 | 5–2 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 14 | 16 November 2024 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 42 |  Hungary | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
Manchester United
Netherlands squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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