Mats Knoester
{{short description|Dutch footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Mats Knoester
| fullname =
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|11|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands
| height = 1.88 m
| position = Centre back
| currentclub =
| clubnumber =
| youthyears1 = 2005–2019
| youthclubs1 = Feyenoord
| years1 = 2019–2022
| clubs1 = Heracles Almelo
| caps1 = 88
| goals1 = 2
| years2 = 2022–2025
| clubs2 = Ferencváros
| caps2 = 29
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 2023–2024
| clubs3 = → AGF (loan)
| caps3 = 14
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2025–
| clubs4 = Aberdeen
| caps4 = 13
| goals4 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2013
| nationalteam1 = Netherlands U15
| nationalcaps1 = 3
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2013–2014
| nationalteam2 = Netherlands U16
| nationalcaps2 = 2
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2014–2015
| nationalteam3 = Netherlands U17
| nationalcaps3 = 8
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2015–2016
| nationalteam4 = Netherlands U18
| nationalcaps4 = 4
| nationalgoals4 = 1
| nationalyears5 = 2016
| nationalteam5 = Netherlands U19
| nationalcaps5 = 1
| nationalgoals5 = 0
| club-update = 31 May 2025
| nationalteam-update =
}}
Mats Knoester (born 19 November 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.{{Worldfootball.net|mats-knoester}}
Club career
Knoester joined the Feyenoord youth academy and developed there for 14 years, before transferring to Heracles on 17 January 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.voetbalzone.nl/doc.asp?uid=344911|title=Heracles pikt ‘talentvolle verdediger’ op bij Feyenoord: ‘Veel zin in’|date=17 January 2019|website=Voetbalzone}} Knoester made his professional debut with Heracles in a 1–0 Eredivisie win over Ajax on 9 February 2019.{{cite web|url=https://intsoccerway.com/matches/2019/02/09/netherlands/eredivisie/stichting-heracles-almelo/afc-ajax/2794108/|title=Heracles vs. Ajax - 9 February 2019|website=Soccerway}}
On 26 May 2022, Knoester signed with Ferencváros in Hungary.{{cite web|publisher=Ferencváros|url=https://www.fradi.hu/en/football/men-s/news/we-have-signed-a-dutch-youth-national-team-defender|title=WE HAVE SIGNED A DUTCH YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM DEFENDER|date=26 May 2022|access-date=21 July 2022}} On 5 May 2023, he won the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnokság I with Ferencváros, after Kecskemét lost 1–0 to Honvéd at the Bozsik Aréna on the 30th matchday.{{Cite web |last=nemzetisport.hu |date=2023-05-05 |title=NB I: a Ferencváros megszerezte 34. bajnoki címét - NSO |url=https://www.nemzetisport.hu/labdarugo_nb_i/nb-i-a-ferencvaros-megszerezte-34-bajnoki-cimet-2955187 |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=NSO.hu |language=hu}}{{Cite web |title=Summary - NB I - Hungary - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway |url=https://int.soccerway.com/national/hungary/nb-i/20222023/regular-season/r69309/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |website=int.soccerway.com}}
On 1 September 2023, Knoester joined AGF in Denmark on a one-year loan deal with a purchase option.{{cite web|publisher=Ferencváros|url=https://agf.dk/nyheder/2023/september/ny-mand-mats-pa-plads|title=NY MAND: MATS PÅ PLADS|date=1 September 2023|access-date=1 September 2023}}
On 3 February 2025, Knoester joined Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen after his contract expired with Ferencváros.https://www.afc.co.uk/2025/02/03/dutch-defender-joins-on-deadline-day/ In May, he won the Scottish Cup and was given the Man of the Match award, stating it was the best moment of his career to date.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/aberdeen-fc/6764958/mats-knoester-scottish-cup-win-career-highlight/ In June, he signed a long-term contract lasting until at least 2029.https://www.afc.co.uk/2025/06/03/defender-signs-contract-extension-with-the-dons/
Career statistics
{{updated|18 June 2023}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | |||||||||
| rowspan=2 | Club
! rowspan=2 | Season ! colspan=3 | League ! colspan=2 | Cup ! colspan=2 | Continental ! colspan=2 | Other ! colspan=2 | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division
! Apps ! Goals ! Apps ! Goals ! Apps ! Goals ! Apps ! Goals ! Apps ! Goals | |||||||||
| rowspan="5"|Heracles Almelo
|rowspan="4"|Eredivisie |5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20
|25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21
|27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22
|31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 32 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!88 | 2 | 4 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 92 | 2 | ||
| Ferencváros
|27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 42 | 0 | |
| colspan="3" |Career total
!115 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 2 |
Honours
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://agf.dk/herre-holdet/mats-knoester Mats Knoester] at AGF {{in lang|da}}
- [https://superliga.dk/agf/mats-knoester Mats Knoester] at Danish Superliga {{in lang|da}}
- {{Soccerway|385279}}
- [https://www.onsoranje.nl/teams/185191/speler/294 OnsOranje U16 Profile]
- [https://www.onsoranje.nl/teams/184965/speler/294 OnsOranje U17 Profile]
- [https://www.onsoranje.nl/teams/185189/speler/294 Onsoranje U19 Profile]
- [https://www.feyenoordacademy.nl/teams/jong-feyenoord/speler/mats-knoester Feyenoord Academy Profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoestern, Mats}}
Category:Dutch men's footballers
Category:Dutch expatriate men's footballers
Category:Footballers from Alphen aan den Rijn
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:Netherlands men's youth international footballers
Category:Nemzeti Bajnokság I players
Category:Heracles Almelo players
Category:Ferencvárosi TC footballers
Category:Aarhus Gymnastikforening players
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Hungary
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark
Category:21st-century Dutch sportsmen
{{Netherlands-footy-defender-stub}}