Max de Waal

In this Dutch name, the surname is de Waal, not Waal.

Max de Waal (born 10 January 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eerste Divisie club VVV-Venlo on loan from Willem II.

Max de Waal

Personal information
Date of birth	(2002-01-10) 10 January 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Hoorn, Netherlands
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	VVV-Venlo
Youth career
2007–2012	Always Forward
2011–2013	HV Veerhuys
2012–2013	Hollandia
2013–2019	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Jong Ajax	41	(11)
2022	→ PEC Zwolle (loan)	7	(0)
2022–2023	→ ADO Den Haag (loan)	18	(2)
2023–	Willem II	14	(1)
2024–	→ VVV-Venlo (loan)	0	(0)
International career
2017	Netherlands U15	2	(0)
2018	Netherlands U16	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 August 2024

Club career

Ajax

De Waal began his football career with Always Forward, based in his hometown Hoorn,^[2] for whom he played until 2012. He also played for HV Veerhuys for three years while playing for Always Forward.^[3][4] He then moved to Hollandia for a year before moving to the renowned Ajax youth academy.^[5] In 2017–18, he made one appearance for the under-17 team. In the following season he established himself in the team and scored nine goals in 26 games. In 2019–20, De Waal mainly played for the under-19 team, including in the UEFA Youth League.^[6]

He made his first appearance for Jong Ajax in the second-tier Eerste Divisie in a match against Jong PSV on 16 September 2019. He came on in the 69th minute for Alex Mendez and scored the 2–0 winner in stoppage time.^[7] During the season he was utilised once more in the Eerste Divisie.^[8] In the following season, he played more regularly for the Jong Ajax team.^[9] However, he would only signed his first professional contract with Jong Ajax in December 2020.^[10]

Loans

In January 2022, De Waal extended his contract with Ajax but immediately went out on loan to bottom of the table side PEC Zwolle.^[11] He made his debut for the side on 5 February 2022, replacing Mustafa Saymak in the 81st minute of a 1–1 home draw against NEC.^[12][13] De Waal made seven appearances for PEC – all as a substitute – as the club suffered relegation to the Eerste Divisie at the end of the season.^[14][15]

On 24 June 2022, after returning to Ajax, De Waal was sent on a one-season loan to Eerste Divisie club ADO Den Haag.^[16] He made his ADO debut under new head coach Dirk Kuyt on the first matchday of the 2022–23 season, starting in midfield in a resounding 4–0 defeat against recently relegated Heracles Almelo; all goals fell in the first half.^[17][18] On 28 August, De Waal scored his first goal for the club against his parent club Jong Ajax, adding an assist to help ADO to a 4–0 home win.^[19] Following Kuyt's dismissal in November 2022, De Waal was utilised less frequently and mainly appeared as a substitute during his successor Dick Advocaat's tenure during the latter part of the season.^[20] De Waal scored twice in 21 appearances for ADO, before returning to Ajax in June 2023.^[21]

Willem II

On 12 July 2023, De Waal signed a three-year contract with Eerste Divisie club Willem II.^[22] He made his competitive debut for the club on the first matchday of the season, starting in a 1–1 away draw against FC Eindhoven on 13 August.^[23] On 6 October, he scored his first goal for the Tricolores in a 4–2 league victory against De Graafschap after coming on as a second-half substitute.^[24]

On 2 September 2024, de Waal moved on loan to VVV-Venlo.^[25]

International career

De Waal has played for two Netherlands national youth teams, but has yet to play in a major tournament.^[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 12 April 2024^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong Ajax	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	2	1	—		—		—		2	1
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	19	1	—		—		—		19	1
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	20	9	—		—		—		20	9
	2022–23	Eerste Divisie	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		41	11	—		—		—		41	11
PEC Zwolle (loan)	2021–22	Eredivisie	7	0	0	0	—		—		7	0
ADO Den Haag (loan)	2022–23	Eerste Divisie	18	2	3	0	—		—		21	1
Willem II	2023–24	Eerste Divisie	14	1	1	0	—		—		15	1
Career total			80	14	4	0	0	0	0	0	84	14

References

1. "M. de Waal". Voetbal International. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
2. "Hoorns talent Max de Waal tekent profcontract bij Ajax". OnsWestfriesland (in Dutch). 5 December 2020.
3. "Max de Waal naar Ajax". HV Veerhuys (in Dutch). 9 February 2013.
4. "Always Forward-talent Max de Waal gaat als een speer bij AJAX". S.V. Always Forward (in Dutch). 26 January 2018.
5. "Ajax contracteert Max de Waal - Amsterdamsdagblad.nl". Amsterdamsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 5 December 2020.
6. "Max de Waal » Youth Youth League 2019/2020". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
7. "Jong Ajax geeft alvast goede voorbeeld tegen Jong PSV". www.ajaxlife.nl (in Dutch). 17 September 2019.
8. "Max de Waal » Eerste Divisie 2019/2020". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
9. "Max de Waal » Eerste Divisie 2020/2021". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
10. "De Waal tekent contract: 'Was het wachten waard'". Ajax (in Dutch). 4 December 2020.
11. Schot, Vincent (4 January 2022). "Max de Waal verlengt zijn contract bij Ajax en gaat op huurbasis naar PEC Zwolle: Ik ben doordrongen van de enige doelstelling voor het komende half jaar: handhaving". Noordhollands Dagblad (in Dutch).
12. "Hekkensluiter PEC sleept met tien man punt uit het vuur tegen NEC". NOS (in Dutch). 5 February 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
13. "PEC Zwolle vs. NEC – 5 February 2022". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
14. Max de Waal at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
15. "PEC Zwolle na tien jaar eredivisie gedegradeerd na nederlaag bij Sparta". NOS (in Dutch). 11 May 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
16. "ADO Den Haag huurt Max de Waal voor een seizoen". ADO Den Haag (in Dutch). 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
17. "Horrordebuut voor Kuyt: Heracles walst met 4-0 over ADO Den Haag heen". Voetbalnieuws (in Dutch). 5 August 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
18. "ADO Den Haag kent valse start van het nieuwe seizoen en verliest 4–0 van Heracles Almelo". ADO Den Haag (in Dutch). 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
19. "Kuijt kan eindelijk juichen met ADO: 4–0 winst op Jong Ajax". NOS (in Dutch). 28 August 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
20. Bruijn, Thijs de (16 April 2023). "Komen ze terug of blijven ze weg? Dit is het perspectief voor de verhuurde Ajax-spelers". ELF Voetbal (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
21. Velzel, Bas; Schravendijk, Jasper van (30 June 2023). "Traditionele bosloop Ajax weer gehouden in Amsterdamse Bos: Hato en Wijndal verdwaald". AT5 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
22. "WELKOM MAX!" [WELCOME MAX!] (in Dutch). Willem II. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
23. "Willem II vs. De Graafschap 1–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
24. Willemsen, Raymond (6 October 2023). "De Graafschap zakt keihard voor examen in Tilburg". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
25. "VVV-Venlo neemt De Waal op huurbasis over van Willem II" [VVV-Venlo takes over De Waal on loan from Willem II] (in Dutch). VVV-Venlo. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
26. "Max de Waal - OnsOranje". Ons Oranje (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 April 2021.