Maikel van der Werff


Maikel van der Werff is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for FC Cincinnati of the MLS. He formerly played for FC Volendam, PEC Zwolle, and Vitesse.

Club career

FC Volendam

Born in Hoorn, van der Werff joined FC Volendam at a young age, having played for Hollandia and Always Forward. On 12 November 2008, van der Werff made his FC Volendam debut in a 1–0 victory over Ajax in a KNVB Cup third round tie, replacing Marijn Sterk in the 87th minute. On 13 November 2009, van der Werff scored his first FC Volendam goal in a 5–2 defeat against MVV, netting the equalizer.

PEC Zwolle

On 30 January 2013, after impressing at FC Volendam, van der Werff joined PEC Zwolle on a two-and-a-half-year deal for a fee reported to be around the margin of £140,000. On 10 March 2013, one month after joining the club, van der Werff made his PEC Zwolle debut in a 3–0 defeat against Ajax. On 30 March 2014, van der Werff scored his first PEC Zwolle goal in a 1–1 draw against ADO Den Haag, netting in the 21st minute. van der Werff was part of the squad that won the KNVB Cup in 2014, playing all but one game in their victorious campaign.

Vitesse

On 19 February 2015, it was announced that van der Werff would join Vitesse on the expiry of his contract at the end of the season. On 20 September 2015, van der Werff made his Vitesse debut in a 3–0 victory over local rivals De Graafschap, replacing Kevin Diks in the 27th minute.
He played as Vitesse won the final of the KNVB Cup 2–0 against AZ Alkmaar on 30 April 2017 to help the club, 3-time runners up, to the title for the first time in its 125-year history.

FC Cincinnati

On 2 July 2019, it was announced that van der Werff would join FC Cincinnati as a defender.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

PEC Zwolle
Vitesse