Mexx Meerdink (born 24 July 2003) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 July 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Winterswijk, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AZ | ||
| Number | 35 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2021 | de Graafschap | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Jong AZ | 54 | (14) |
| 2023– | AZ Alkmaar | 56 | (18) |
| 2024 | → Vitesse (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2026 | |||
Early life
editFrom Winterswijk, Meerdink was in the youth academy at de Graafschap from 2012 until 2021 when he signed up to Jong AZ.[2]
Career
edit2021: Jong AZ debut
editMeerdink made his league debut in the Eerste Divisie on 10 December 2021, appearing as a substitute in a 3–2 away defeat to ADO Den Haag.[3] Meerdink made his first start on 21 January 2022 against VVV Venlo in a youthful team that won 2–0 and in doing so earning the club their first win in four months. As well as Meerdink making a first start, Misha Engel and Lewis Schouten did as well. The oldest starting player for Jong AZ was 22-year-old Czech Richard Sedláček.[4]
2023: AZ debut
editOn 7 March 2023 Meerdink made his debut for AZ in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League against Lazio triggering a payment between €40,000 And €50,000 to his former club de Graafschap.[citation needed] On 19 March 2023, he made his Eredivisie debut against FC Twente.[5] Meerdink came off the bench to score the winning penalty in a UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final penalty shoot-out against RSC Anderlecht on 20 April 2023.[6]
On 24 April 2023, Meerdink scored twice in the 2022–23 UEFA Youth League final against Hajduk Split as AZ ran out 5–0 winners.[7]
2024: Vitesse
edit2024–25: Return to AZ
editMeerdink returned to his parent club AZ ahead of the 2024–25 campaign. On 30 August 2024, Meerdink scored his first Eredivisie goal in a 3–0 win away at RKC Waalwijk.[9] He played in the final of the KNVB Cup as AZ lost to Go Ahead Eagles on penalties on 21 April 2025. The game had ended 1–1 in normal time after Go Ahead Eagles scored a 98th minute equaliser.[10] Three days later, Meerdink scored a 97th-minute bicycle kick to secure a 1–1 draw against NAC Breda.[11]
In a 2025–26 UEFA Conference League third-round qualifying match against FC Vaduz, Meerdink scored the third goal in a 3–0 home victory for AZ, wherein he controls a cross-field pass from Mees de Wit and lobs the goalkeeper without letting the ball touch the ground. The "Bergkampesque" goal drew widespread praise from the Dutch media. His manager Maarten Martens would later say of the goal, "this is why [fans] come to the stadium".[12] The strike earned him AZ's Goal of the Year award for 2025.[13]
Meerdink received his first call-up for the Dutch national team in October 2025. However, he sustained an injury in training and withdrew from the squad before he could make his first national team appearance, mirroring the experience of his father Martijn Meerdink 20 years earlier.[14]
Personal life
editHe is the son of former AZ professional footballer Martijn Meerdink, who earned one cap for the Dutch national team.[15][16]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 17 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong AZ | 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 16 | 2 | — | — | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | 19 | 8 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 4 | — | — | — | 17 | 4 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 14 | — | — | — | 53 | 14 | |||||
| AZ | 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 29 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 8[b] | 0 | — | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12[a] | 3 | — | 32 | 8 | ||
| Total | 56 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 3 | — | 84 | 22 | |||
| Vitesse (loan) | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 116 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 145 | 36 | ||
- 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
Honours
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Mexx Meerdinl". Soccerway.
- ↑ "Mexx Meerdink can hurt De Graafschap with Young AZ: "They are not doing so well, are they"". Gelderlander.nl.
- ↑ "ADO DEN HAAG VS. AZ II 3 - 2". Soccerway.
- ↑ "Extremely young Young AZ surprised with a convincing victory. First win in almost four months". noordhollandsdagblad.nl.
- ↑ "AZ Suffer A Painful Defeat Against Twente". Football-Oranje. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ↑ "Mexx Meerdrink follows in the footsteps of father Martijn after reaching the Conference League semi-finals with AZ". Gelderlander.nl. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ↑ "UEFA Youth League final report: AZ Alkmaar 5-0 Hajduk Split". UEFA. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "MEXX MEERDINK (20) VERSTERKT VOORHOEDE VITESSE" [MEXX MEERDINK (20) STRENGTHENS VITESSE'S VANGUARD] (in Dutch). Vitesse. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ "AZ-aanvaller Mexx Meerdink maakt allereerste goal in de Eredivisie op dramatische avond voor RKC Waalwijk". Voetbalzone. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ↑ "Go Ahead Eagles Win The KNVB Cup". Football-Oranje. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ↑ "Mexx Meerdink bezorgt AZ tegen NAC punt met fraaie omhaal: 'Prijs voor doelpunt van het jaar is binnen, toch?'". AD.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ "Iedereen geniet zichtbaar van Bergkampiaans doelpunt Mexx Meerdink: 'Alles aan die goal is perfect'". AD.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ "Meerdink wint Doelpunt van het Jaar 2025". AZ.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ "Mexx Meerdink raakte ná training Oranje geblesseerd: 'Vader was in tranen'". NU.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ↑ "Young AZ base debutant Meerdink follows in his father's footsteps". nhnieuws.com.
- ↑ "These former internationals all have a son on the Dutch fields". destentor.nl.
- ↑ "Parrott, Koopmeiners shine as AZ Alkmaar wins KNVB Cup after 13 years". Sport Star. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
External links
editMexx Meerdink at Soccerway