Matteo Waem

Matteo Waem
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-06-21) 21 June 2000 (age 26)
Place of birth Merksem, Belgium
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 ADO Den Haag
Number 4
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 113 (9)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 October 2026

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

Career

Early years

Matteo Waem, who is of Belgian and Italian parentage, grew up in Merksem, a suburb of Antwerp. He took his first steps in football at the age of five at Seja, a regional football club. At the age of six he joined the Royal Antwerp academy, where he played until 2020. 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 EFL Championship club Birmingham City and succeeded in convincing them to a transfer. Due to external factors, however, the deal fell through.

MVV

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

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

ADO Den Haag

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

Personal life

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

Career statistics

As of match played 27 October 2026
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 3411020371
Total 8713020921
ADO Den Haag 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 3534040433
2024–25 Eerste Divisie 3231020353
2025–26 Eerste Divisie 37310—383
2026–27 Eredivisie 9010—100
Total 113970601269
Career total 199101008021710
  1. 1 2 3 Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs

Honours

ADO Den Haag

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 Belgian Dutch). 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 Belgian Dutch). 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 Belgian Dutch). 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.
  12. ↑ Engelen, Siep; Rosendaal, Rian (10 April 2026). "ADO Den Haag have been crowned KKD champions, yet they will not receive the trophy just yet, for a surprising reason". goal.com. Retrieved 19 April 2026.