Mats Deijl

Mats Deijl
Deijl in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-07-15) 15 July 1997
Place of birth Vlaardingen, Netherlands
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position Right-back
Team information
Current team
Feyenoord
Number 20
Youth career
2004–2006 MVV '27
2006–2010 WSC
2010–2014 RKC Waalwijk
2014–2015 Brabant United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2021 FC Den Bosch 108 (3)
2021–2026 Go Ahead Eagles 149 (10)
2026– Feyenoord 6 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1 March 2026

Mats Deijl (born 15 July 1997) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Eredivisie club Feyenoord.

Club career

He made his professional debut in the Eerste Divisie for FC Den Bosch on 16 December 2016 in a game against Fortuna Sittard[1] and was added to the Den Bosch first team squad a few weeks later.[2] On 4 January 2017, the club announced that Deijl had been permanently promoted to first team.[3]

On 16 June 2021, Deijl signed a three-year contract with recently promoted Eredivisie club Go Ahead Eagles.[4] He made his debut in the Eredivisie for the club on 13 August 2021 in a 1-0 home defeat against SC Heerenveen.[5]

In April 2025, he played and was the goalscorer for Go Ahead Eagles in the final of the KNVB Cup as the club won the trophy for the first time in their history, winning on penalties against AZ Alkmaar on 21 April 2025. The game had ended 1–1 in normal time after Deijl scored a 98th minute equalising penalty for his side after Peer Koopmeiners was penalised for a handball. He then also successfully scored the first penalty in the subsequent shoot-out.[6]

Feyenoord

On 24 January 2026, Deijl joined Dutch side Feyenoord on a 2.5 year contract, with an option for another year.[7] He made his debut the next day, starting in a 4–2 home win against Heracles Almelo and providing the assist for Feyenoord's third goal.[8]

Personal life

Deijl was born in Vlaardingen, but grew up in Maasland, Netherlands.[9] In December 2023, Deijl confirmed his Singapore – which was part of British Malaya at the time – ancestry through his father's side. When asked about his Singaporean heritage, Deijl stated, "Yes, really far away on my father's side. I don't even know how far".[10] In addition, due to FIFA rules, he also cannot represent Malaysia in international football as his ancestry is through a great-grandparent rather than a grandparent.[11][12]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 March 2026[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC Den Bosch 2016–17 Eerste Divisie 4 0 0 0 4 0
2017–18 Eerste Divisie 34 1 1 0 35 0
2018–19 Eerste Divisie 19 0 0 0 19 0
2019–20 Eerste Divisie 29 2 1 0 30 2
2020–21 Eerste Divisie 22 0 1 0 23 0
Total 108 3 3 0 111 2
Go Ahead Eagles 2021–22 Eredivisie 32 2 5 0 37 2
2022–23 Eredivisie 32 2 3 0 35 2
2023–24 Eredivisie 32 1 3 0 2[a] 0 37 1
2024–25 Eredivisie 34 4 5 2 2[b] 0 41 6
2025–26 Eredivisie 19 1 1 0 7[c] 1 1[d] 0 28 2
Total 149 10 17 2 9 1 3 0 178 13
Feyenoord 2025–26 Eredivisie 6 0 6 0
Career total 263 13 20 2 9 1 3 0 295 15
  1. ^ Appearances in Conference League play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield

Honours

Go Ahead Eagles

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 16 December 2016.
  2. ^ MATS DEIJL STROOMT DOOR NAAR EERSTE ELFTAL FC DEN BOSCH Archived 11 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine - FC Den Bosch (in Dutch)
  3. ^ "Mats Deijl stroomt door naar eerste elftal FC Den Bosch". FC Den Bosch (in Dutch). 4 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles versterkt selectie met verdediger Mats Deijl". RTV Oost (in Dutch). 16 June 2021.
  5. ^ "GO AHEAD EAGLES VS. HEERENVEEN 0 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles Win The KNVB Cup". Football-Oranje. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  7. ^ "Feyenoord heeft Deijl officieel binnen" [Feyenoord officially brings in Deijl] (in Dutch). 24 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Zorgen blijven bij Feyenoord ondanks zege op Heracles" [Worries remain at Feyenoord despite win against Heracles] (in Dutch). 25 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  9. ^ Gouka, Mikos (25 January 2026). "Mats Deijl geniet van samenwerking met Anis Hadj Moussa: 'Ik heb nog nooit zo'n makkelijke assist gegeven'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ^ Suhaimi, Muhamad Ardie Putra (14 December 2023). "FAM perlu segera 'pancing' Mats Deijl". Kosmo Digital (in Malay). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Deijl tak lepas sertai Harimau Malaya". Sinar Harian (in Malay). 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  12. ^ Zahiid, Syed Jaymal (4 October 2024). "What is a heritage player, and why did Dutch player Mats Deijl fail to don the Harimau Malaya kit?". Malaymail.com. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  13. ^ Mats Deijl at Soccerway. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  14. ^ "FC Utrecht dominates Eredivisie Team of the Month". Eredivisie. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.