Matteo Waem
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-06-21) 21 June 2000
Place of birth Merksem, Belgium[1]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 ADO Den Haag
Youth career
2005–2006 Seja
2006–2016 Antwerp
2016–2017 Westerlo
2017–2020 Antwerp
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 MVV 87 (1)
2023– ADO Den Haag 19 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:15, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

Matteo Waem (born 21 June 2000) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eerste Divisie club ADO Den Haag.

Career

Early years

Matteo Waem, who is of Belgian and Italian parentage, grew up in Merksem, a suburb of Antwerp.[3] He took his first steps in football at the age of five at Seja, a regional football club.[4] At the age of six he joined the Royal Antwerp academy, where he played until 2020.[4] During this period, he also had a short stint at Westerlo for a year before resuming his career at Antwerp. During the 2019–20 season, he was on a trial practice at English EFL Championship club Birmingham City[5] and succeeded in convincing them to a transfer.[6] Due to external factors, however, the deal fell through.[4]

MVV

In June 2020, Waem signed with Dutch Eerste Divisie club MVV.[7] He made his professional debut on 5 September 2020 in a 7–1 home loss to Cambuur, replacing Koen Kostons in the 84th minute.[8]

Waem was appointed team captain of MVV ahead of the 2022–23 season.[9] He scored his first professional goal on 5 February 2023, opening the score in the derby against Roda JC, which MVV lost 2–1.[10]

ADO Den Haag

On 13 July 2023, ADO Den Haag announced the signing of Waem on a three-year contract.[3]

Personal life

Waem has described his younger brother Andreas as his main inspiration.[4] His brother has autism, something Waem has mentioned as the reason for him studying psychology next to his career as a professional footballer.[9]

Career statistics

As of match played 23 December 2023[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
MVV 2020–21 Eerste Divisie 19000—190
2021–22 Eerste Divisie 34020—360
2022–23 Eerste Divisie 341102[lower-alpha 1]0371
Total 8713020921
ADO Den Haag 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 1922000212
Career total 106350201133
  1. ↑ Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs

References

  1. ↑ De Munter, Kevin (25 November 2020). "Merksemnaar Matteo Waem (ex-Antwerp) ligt op schema bij MVV Maastricht: "Beste keuze voor mijn carrière"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "M. Waem – Profiel". Voetbal International. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 "ADO Den Haag trekt Matteo Waem aan". ADO Den Haag (Press release) (in Dutch). 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Talentscout – Matteo Waem". Keuken Kampioen Divisie (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Antwerp-belofte op proef bij Engelse traditieclub". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  6. ↑ Visser, Emil (8 January 2021). "MVV-verdediger Matteo Waem: 'Door mijn broertje ben ik zo ver gekomen'". De Limburger (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Lux, Kevin (4 September 2020). "Verdediger Waem (20) op amateurbasis naar MVV". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "SC Cambuur boekt historische uitoverwinning". SC Cambuur (in Dutch). 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 Sporken, Rob (10 December 2022). "Door psychologie te studeren hoopt MVV-aanvoerder Matteo Waem ook beter te begrijpen hoe zijn autistische broertje redeneert". De Limburger (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "NAC Breda – MVV 1:0 (Playoffs Eredivisie 2022/2023 Degradatie, 1. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Matteo Waem at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
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