Joshua Zirkzee

Joshua Zirkzee
Zirkzee playing for Bayern Munich in 2019
Personal information
Full name Joshua Orobosa Zirkzee[1]
Date of birth (2001-05-22) 22 May 2001 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth Schiedam, Netherlands
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 11
Youth career
2007–2010 VV Hekelingen
2010–2013 Spartaan '20
2013–2016 ADO Den Haag
2016–2017 Feyenoord
2017–2019 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Bayern Munich II 32 (6)
2019–2022 Bayern Munich 12 (4)
2021 → Parma (loan) 4 (0)
2021–2022 → Anderlecht (loan) 38 (16)
2022–2024 Bologna 53 (13)
2024– Manchester United 16 (3)
International career‡
2016 Netherlands U15[4][5] 2 (0)
2016–2017 Netherlands U16[6] 6 (3)
2017 Netherlands U17[7] 2 (1)
2018 Netherlands U18[8] 7 (2)
2019–2020 Netherlands U19[9] 9 (8)
2020–2023 Netherlands U21[10] 19 (7)
2024– Netherlands 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:55, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:13, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Joshua Orobosa Zirkzee (born 22 May 2001) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the Netherlands national team.

Club career

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Born in Schiedam to a Nigerian mother and a Dutch father, Zirkzee began his footballing career as a five-year-old with VV Hekelingen after the family had moved to Spijkenisse.[11] After impressing early on, he moved to the youth department of Spartaan '20 in 2010,[11] where he played alongside his cousin, Nelson Amadin.[12] He then left for ADO Den Haag in 2013, before ending up in the Feyenoord youth academy in 2016.[13] One year later, Zirkzee left the Feyenoord academy in his native Netherlands to join the youth setup of Bayern Munich.[14]

Bayern Munich

[edit]

On 1 March 2019, Zirkzee scored a hat-trick in his debut for Bayern Munich II.[14] Just a day later, he scored the winning goal for the under-19 side as they defeated 1. FC Nürnberg 2–1.[14] Zirkzee made his professional debut in the 3. Liga for Bayern Munich II on 20 July 2019, coming on as a substitute in the 74th minute for Oliver Batista Meier in the away match against Würzburger Kickers.[15]

On 11 December 2019, Zirkzee made his debut for the senior team against Tottenham Hotspur in the final group stage match of the Champions League.[16] He subsequently made his Bundesliga debut on 18 December, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute in a match against Freiburg tied at 1–1; he scored the winner almost immediately after entering the game. Shortly after, Serge Gnabry added another stoppage-time goal to secure a 3–1 victory.[17] Two days later, he again came off the bench in the final minutes of the game and scored the winning goal as Bayern defeated Wolfsburg.[18] On 13 June 2020, Zirkzee scored the opening goal in Bayern Munich's 2–1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.[19] He finished off his debut season with a continental treble.

Loan to Parma

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On 31 January 2021, Zirkzee moved to Italian club Parma on a loan deal.[20] The deal included an option to buy.[20] On 2 April 2021, he suffered an LCL injury,[21] and his loan was limited to four appearances, all as a substitute.

Loan to Anderlecht

[edit]

On 3 August 2021, Anderlecht announced the signing of Zirkzee on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich.[22] He finished the 2021–22 season as the club's top scorer with 16 goals, in addition to providing nine assists in 34 league starts.[23]

Bologna

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On 30 August 2022, Zirkzee transferred to Serie A club Bologna on a permanent deal.[24] Later that year, on 16 October, he scored his first goal at the club, by netting the opener in a 3–2 defeat against Napoli.[25] In his second season under coach Thiago Motta, he managed to score eight goals in 16 games in the first half of the 2023–24 campaign, attracting transfer interest from several top European clubs with his former club Bayern Munich still having a 40% cut of any possible transfer fee.[26] He ultimately finished the season as Bologna's top scorer, netting 11 goals and providing five assists,[27] helping his club secure a berth in the Champions League group stage.[28]

Manchester United

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On 14 July 2024, Premier League club Manchester United announced the signing of Zirkzee on a five-year contract for a fee of £36.5m.[29] He made his debut as a substitute in the season's opening fixture against Fulham on 16 August, where he scored the match's only goal.[30][31] He made his first start for United in a 3–0 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on 1 September.[32]

On December 1, he scored a brace to help Manchester United secure a 4-0 victory over Everton.[33]

International career

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Born in the Netherlands to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother,[34][35] Zirkzee was a youth international for the Netherlands.[36]

On 12 June 2024, Zirkzee was added to the Netherlands senior team's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. Zirkzee had not initially been chosen, but was called up by head coach Ronald Koeman following injuries to Dutch midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners.[37] On 6 July, he earned his first international cap during a 2–1 victory over Turkey in the quarter-finals, becoming the third player to debut for the Netherlands during a European competition following Martien Vreijsen (Euro 1980) and Cody Gakpo (2020).[38]

Style of play

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Zirkzee is a versatile forward. His height and strength enable him to be dominant in the air as well as play with his back to goal and hold up the ball. Despite his tall frame, he has excellent technique and dribbling abilities which also allow him to drop deeper into a more traditional playmaker position.[39]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 19 December 2024[40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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
Bayern Munich II 2018–19 Regionalliga Bayern 12 4 — — — — 12 4
2019–20 3. Liga 16 2 — — — — 16 2
2020–21 3. Liga 4 0 — — — — 4 0
Total 32 6 — — — — 32 6
Bayern Munich 2019–20 Bundesliga 9 4 2 0 — 1[c] 0 0 0 12 4
2020–21 Bundesliga 3 0 0 0 — 1[c] 0 1[d] 0 5 0
Total 12 4 2 0 — 2 0 1 0 17 4
Parma (loan) 2020–21 Serie A 4 0 — — — — 4 0
Anderlecht (loan) 2021–22 Belgian Pro League 38 16 6 2 — 3[e] 0 — 47 18
Bologna 2022–23 Serie A 19 2 2 0 — — — 21 2
2023–24 Serie A 34 11 3 1 — — — 37 12
Total 53 13 5 1 — — — 58 14
Manchester United 2024–25 Premier League 16 3 0 0 3 1 4[f] 0 0 0 23 4
Career total 155 42 13 3 3 1 9 0 1 0 181 46
  1. ^ Includes DFB-Pokal, Belgian Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in DFL-Supercup
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League

International

[edit]
As of match played 19 November 2024[41]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 2024 6 1
Total 6 1
Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zirkzee goal.[41]
List of international goals scored by Joshua Zirkzee
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 7 September 2024 Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands 3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 5–2 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A [42]

Honours

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Bayern Munich II

Bayern Munich

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Nederland O15 – Servië O15". www.onsoranje.nl.
  5. ^ "Nederland O15 – Servië O15". www.onsoranje.nl.
  6. ^ "OnsOranje U16". www.onsoranje.nl.
  7. ^ "OnsOranje U17". www.onsoranje.nl.
  8. ^ "OnsOranje U18". www.onsoranje.nl.
  9. ^ "OnsOranje U19". www.onsoranje.nl.
  10. ^ "OnsOranje U21". www.onsoranje.nl.
  11. ^ a b van Trigt, Jorrit (2 October 2020). "'Bij Feyenoord beter dan zijn leeftijdsgenoten'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch).
  12. ^ Gouka, Mikos (11 March 2020). "Van A tot Zirkzee: zien we deze nieuwkomer in Koemans voorselectie?". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Rotterdam. Retrieved 20 October 2020. Via zijn neef Nelson Amadin, die nu bij FC Dordrecht speelt, belandde Zirkzee ooit bij Spartaan '20. Daar, na drie jaar, waren de scouts van ADO de eersten die hem rijp vonden voor betaald voetbal.
  13. ^ "Oud-jeugdspeler ADO Den Haag langer bij Bayern München". Omroep West (in Dutch). 19 September 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020. Zirkzee speelde van 2013 tot 2016 in de jeugdopleiding van ADO Den Haag.
  14. ^ a b c "The rise of youngster Joshua Zirkzee". SB Nation. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Würzburger Kickers – Bayern München II -:- (3. Liga 2019/2020, 1. Round)". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Prachtig moment: Zirkzee debuteert in de Champions League". vtbl.nl (in Dutch). 11 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Zirkzee macht's! 18-jähriger Debütant führt Bayern zum Sieg in Freiburg". Eurosport (in German). 18 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Bayern Munich's Joshua Zirkzee, Serge Gnabry strike late to beat Wolfsburg". ESPN. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Champagne on ice as Reds overcome Gladbach". FC Bayern Munich. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Zirkzee confirms Parma move". Football Italia. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. ^ "BENEVENTO VS. PARMA – SQUAD LIST". Parma. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee will play in the Lotto Park this season". RSC Anderlecht. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Anderlecht, Club Brugge and PSV all interested in Bayern Munich's Joshua Zirkzee". Get Belgian & Dutch Football News. 17 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee al Bologna" (in Italian). Bologna. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Napoli 3–2 Bologna". BBC Sport. 16 October 2022.
  26. ^ Mills, Richard (25 January 2024). "Arsenal and Manchester United both interested in signing Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee but Bayern clause may scupper deal". Goal.com.
  27. ^ Stokes, Jake (22 May 2024). "Joshua Zirkzee learns Arsenal transfer incentive as Bernardo Silva sends Man City stark warning". Yahoo!.
  28. ^ "Bologna back in dreamland as Motta's giddy journey jumbles up old order". Guardian. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee: Man Utd complete £36.5m signing of Netherlands striker from Bologna". Sky Sports. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  30. ^ Dawson, Rob. "Joshua Zirkzee hails 'perfect' debut with Man United winner". www.msn.com. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  31. ^ Stone, Simon (16 August 2024). "Man Utd 1–0 Fulham: Zirkzee scores late winner on debut as Man Utd beat Fulham in opener". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  32. ^ Hytner, David (1 September 2024). "Luis Díaz strikes twice as dominant Liverpool win at Manchester United". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  33. ^ Wright, Nick (2 December 2024). "Man Utd 4-0 Everton: Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee on target as Ruben Amorim gets first Premier League win". Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  34. ^ "Ex- Bayern Munich Nigerian Left-back Gives Two Reasons Zirkzee Should Choose". allnigeriasoccer. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  35. ^ Taiwo, Taiye (20 April 2020). "Zirkzee admits he dreams of playing for Netherlands instead of Nigeria". goal.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Official : Prolific Nigerian Striker Extends Contract With Bayern Munich". All Nigeria Soccer. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee opgeroepen voor EK" [Joshua Zirkzee called up for EC] (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Football Association. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  38. ^ Smith, George (7 July 2024). "Joshua Zirkzee sends five-word transfer message as Manchester United "close in" on first signing". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  39. ^ Anka, Carl. "How Joshua Zirkzee fits into Manchester United's starting XI". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  40. ^ "Joshua Zirkzee". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Joshua Zirkzee". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  42. ^ "Zirkzee gets 1st Netherlands goal in big win over Bosnia". ESPN. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  43. ^ "Bayern Munich secure eighth successive Bundesliga title with win at Werder Bremen". bundesliga.com. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  44. ^ "Titelverteidigung: Lewandowski besiegelt Bayerns 20. Pokalsieg". kicker.de (in German). 4 July 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  45. ^ "Supercup 2020, Finale: Bayern München 3:2 Borussia Dortmund: Analyse" [Supercup 2020, Final: Bayern Munich 3:2 Borussia Dortmund: Analysis]. kicker (in German). Olympia-Verlag. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  46. ^ "Sadio Mane debut goal helps Bayern Munich to Supercup win over RB Leipzig". Bundesliga. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  47. ^ "Bayern win the Champions League". ESPN. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  48. ^ "Joker Javi Martinez köpft Bayern zum Supercup". kicker.de (in German). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  49. ^ "MVPs of the Serie A Made in Italy 2023/2024". Serie A. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  50. ^ Young, Peter (2 December 2024). "Every category and Serie A nominee at the Gran Gala del Calcio". Football Italia. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
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