Wieke Hendrikje Maria Kaptein (Dutch: [ˈʋikə ˈɦɛndrɪkjə maːˈrijaː ˈkɑptɛin];[2] born 29 August 2005) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Netherlands national team.[3]
.jpg) Kaptein in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wieke Hendrikje Maria Kaptein[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 August 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Hengelo, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Achilles '12 | |||
| Twente | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Twente | 40 | (3) |
| 2023– | Chelsea | 36 | (4) |
| 2023–2024 | → Twente (loan) | 22 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Netherlands U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021 | Netherlands U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Netherlands U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Netherlands U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2023– | Netherlands | 32 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 June 2026 | |||
Club career
editKaptein started playing football at Achilles '12. Already at the age of 15, she received a professional contract with FC Twente Enschede.[4] Capping off her first season with the league title, she also featured in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League qualifying, scoring the goal in the opening game against FC Nike Tbilisi to make it 9–0.[5] Twente, however, lost out to Benfica in the Champions Path final. A year later, Benfica was the last stop on the way to the group stage.
In March 2023, Kaptein was voted one of the nine best talents in the world.[6]
Kaptein made her debut for Chelsea on 27 September, 2024. She scored her first goal for the club in the 5–0 win against Everton on 3 November.[7]
International career
editKaptein played some games for the Dutch junior teams from the U-15. With the U-17 team, she took part in the first and second qualifying rounds of the 2022 U-17 European Championship, which was successfully completed in April 2022, where she was captain in the second round.[8] However, she was not part of the squad for the finals in May 2022, because she was wanted for the end of the league season.[9] With the U-19 team, she qualified in October 2022 for the second qualifying round for the 2023 U-19 European Championship. She was not used in the second round in April 2023, as she was nominated for the senior national team games that took place at the same time.[10]
On 11 April 2023, she had her first senior cap. She came on as a substitute in the 81st minute for Lieke Martens in a friendly they won 4–1 against Poland.[11][12]
On 30 June 2023, she was nominated for the World Cup finals.[13] She was the youngest World Cup debutant ever for the Dutch national team.
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 16 May 2026[3]
| 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 | ||
| Twente | 2021–22 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 29 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 20 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| Twente (loan) | 2023–24 | Vrouwen Eredivisie | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[c] | 1 | 30 | 4 |
| Total | 62 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 89 | 8 | ||
| Chelsea | 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | — | 33 | 4 | |
| 2025–26 | Women's Super League | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 35 | 6 | ||
| Total | 36 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 98 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 157 | 18 | ||
- ↑ Includes KNVB Women's Cup, Women's FA Cup
- ↑ Includes Eredivisie Cup, Women's League Cup
- 1 2 Appearance(s) in Dutch Women's Super Cup
International
edit- As of match played 5 June 2026[3]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 32 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kaptein goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 November 2024 | Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel, Rotterdam, Netherlands |  China | 1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 April 2025 | Stadion Schnabelholz, Altach, Austria |  Austria | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League |
| 3 | 18 April 2026 | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, Auxerre, France |  France | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2027 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editTwente
- Eredivisie: 2021–22,[14] 2023–24[15]
- KNVB Women's Cup: 2022–23[16]
- Eredivisie Cup: 2021–22,[17] 2022–23,[18] 2023–24[19]
- Dutch Women's Super Cup: 2022,[20] 2023[21]
Chelsea
- Women's Super League: 2024–25[22]
- Women's FA Cup: 2024–25[23]
- FA Women's League Cup: 2024–25,[24] 2025–26[25]
Individual
References
edit- ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: France (FRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 11 July 2023. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Chelsea player pronunciations 😅 🗣️". Instagram. Chelsea F.C. Women. 27 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 Wieke Kaptein at Soccerway
- ↑ Twente, F. C. "Wieke Kaptein en Sterre Kroezen naar FC Twente Vrouwen". FC Twente (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Twente vs. Samegrelo – 18 August 2021 – Soccerway". de.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ Twente, F. C. "NXGN9 Award voor Wieke Kaptein". FC Twente (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Wieke Kaptein". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ↑ Twente, F. C. "Kroese, Kroezen en Kaptein met Oranje O17 naar het EK". FC Twente (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ Twente, F. C. "Wieke Kaptein geniet van elke wedstrijd". FC Twente (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Folkertsma terug bij Oranjevrouwen; Kaptein nieuw gezicht". www.onsoranje.nl. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Niederlande vs. Poland – 11 April 2023 – Soccerway". de.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ Twente, F. C. "Wieke Kaptein maakt debuut bij winnend OranjeLeeuwinnen". FC Twente (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Andries Jonker maakt WK-selectie bekend". www.onsoranje.nl. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "Het wonder van De Toekomst blijft uit: Twente Vrouwen voor achtste keer kampioen". 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ↑ "FC Twente Vrouwen benut derde kans wél en grijpt op slotdag negende landstitel" (in Dutch). 11 May 2024. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ↑ "FC Twente-vrouwen veroveren KNVB-beker en geven seizoen toch nog glans" (in Dutch). 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ↑ "Vrouwen Twente winnen ook Eredivisie Cup na doelpuntenfestijn tegen Ajax: 4–3". 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ↑ "Voetbalsters FC Twente winnen Eredivisie Cup opnieuw". 29 May 2023. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ↑ "FC Twente Vrouwen sleept Eredivisie Cup in blessuretijd binnen". 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ↑ "FC Twente wint ten koste van Ajax eerste editie van supercup voor vrouwen". NU.nl (in Dutch). 11 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ↑ "FC Twente Vrouwen maakt gehakt van Ajax Vrouwen en wint Super Cup" (in Dutch). 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ↑ Sanders, Emma (30 April 2025). "Chelsea secure sixth successive WSL title at Man Utd". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ↑ Sanders, Emma (18 May 2025). "Chelsea seal treble with FA Cup win over Man Utd". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Women's League Cup final: Chelsea 2-1 Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ↑ Sanders, Emma (15 March 2026). "Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United: Lauren James and Aggie-Beever Jones score in League Cup final". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "Jurriën Timber en Fenna Kalma grote winnaars Eredivisie Awards" [Jurriën Timber and Fenna Kalma big winners of Eredivisie Awards]. eredivisie.nl. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
External links
edit- Wieke Kaptein at WorldFootball.net (archive)
- Senior national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Wieke Kaptein at TeamNL (in Dutch)
- Wieke Kaptein on Instagram
