Matthew Lentink

Matthew Lentink
Personal information
Full name Matthew Robert Lentink
Date of birth (1993-08-18) 18 August 1993 (age 33)
Place of birth Oranjestad, Aruba
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Kloetinge
Number 31
Youth career
River Plate Aruba
–2004 Kloetinge
2004–2010 RBC Roosendaal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 RBC Roosendaal 0 (0)
2011–2014 Goes
2014–2018 Kloetinge
2018–2019 Zeelandia
2019–2020 Vlissingen
2020–2026 Goes 89 (0)
2026– Kloetinge 0 (0)
International career‡
2014– Aruba 28 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 08:46, 25 October 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 September 2026

Matthew Robert Lentink (born 18 August 1993) is an Aruban footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Tweede Divisie club Kloetinge, and the Aruba national football team.

Born in Oranjestad, Aruba, Lentink moved to the Netherlands at the age of six. He has spent his club career in amateur football in Zeeland, most of it with Goes and Kloetinge. He made his debut for Aruba in 2014. In March 2026, he kept goal as Aruba won their 2026 FIFA Series tournament in Kigali.

Early life

Lentink was born in Oranjestad, Aruba, and moved to the Netherlands at the age of six. He played youth football for RBC Roosendaal.

Club career

After RBC Roosendaal went bankrupt in June 2011, Lentink joined Eerste Klasse club Goes. He spent three seasons there and had a trial with NAC Breda. On 10 May 2014, he signed for Kloetinge. He stayed for four seasons before joining Zeelandia Middelburg in 2018. After a season there and another at VC Vlissingen, he returned to Goes in 2020.

In October 2020, Goes lost a KNVB Cup tie against ODIN '59 after a penalty shoot-out of 34 kicks. It was the longest shoot-out in a competitive match in Zeeland, beating the 30 kicks taken by DOSKO and VV Terneuzen in 2000. Lentink stayed at Goes for six seasons.

In the summer of 2026, Lentink rejoined Kloetinge, who had just been promoted to the Tweede Divisie, the highest amateur level. He began the season as back-up to Teun van Remortel.

International career

At 16, Lentink played at the WK Amsterdam, a tournament for players with roots abroad, in an Aruba side that included national team players Raymond Baten and Ronald Gómez. He received a call from the national team a few years later. He made his debut on 28 March 2014 in a friendly against Guam.

In June 2025, Lentink started both of Aruba's World Cup qualifiers, a 1–1 draw away to Barbados and a 5–0 defeat to Haiti. In March 2026, Aruba took part in the FIFA Series in Kigali. They beat Macau 4–1 in the semi-final, where Lentink made a diving save to deny a header in the 29th minute. He then started the final, which Aruba won 4–1 against Liechtenstein. By October 2026, he had won 30 caps.

Career statistics

International

As of match played 30 September 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Aruba 201430
201510
2016–
2017–
2018–
201920
2020–
2021–
2022–
202340
202490
202540
202650
Total280

Honours

Aruba

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Spaans, Jan Willem (24 October 2026). "De wonderlijke Arubaanse avonturen van Kloetinge-doelman Matthew Lentink" [The remarkable Aruban adventures of Kloetinge goalkeeper Matthew Lentink]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  2. ↑ "Goes haalt keeper Matthew Lentink" [Goes sign goalkeeper Matthew Lentink]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Keeper Matthew Lentink naar Kloetinge" [Goalkeeper Matthew Lentink joins Kloetinge]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Kloetinge-doelman Lentink naar Zeelandia Middelburg" [Kloetinge goalkeeper Lentink joins Zeelandia Middelburg]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). 27 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Nieuwe aanwinst voor ZM 1" [New signing for ZM 1]. Zeelandia Middelburg (in Dutch). 27 March 2018.[dead link]
  6. ↑ Snaaijer, Peter (22 July 2019). "Vlissingen (zon) 1 start de voorbereiding" [Vlissingen's Sunday first team begins pre-season]. VC Vlissingen (in Dutch).[dead link]
  7. 1 2 3 "Matthew Lentink keert terug naar VV Kloetinge" [Matthew Lentink returns to VV Kloetinge]. VV Kloetinge (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 Boogert, Rudy (6 October 2020). "Enige troost: Goes tekent voor langste strafschoppenserie in Zeeuwse voetbalgeschiedenis" [The only consolation: Goes take part in the longest shoot-out in Zeeland football history]. PZC (in Dutch).
  9. ↑ Vervelde, Daniel (7 October 2020). "Dag na recordreeks heeft Matthew Lentink nog steeds een 'apart gevoel'" [A day after the record shoot-out, Matthew Lentink still has a 'strange feeling']. PZC (in Dutch).
  10. ↑ "Kloetinge shopt weer bij Hoek: derde speler verkast van Denoek naar Wesselopark" [Kloetinge shop at Hoek again: third player moves from Denoek to Wesselopark]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "Zeeuwse internationals vliegen weer uit: Lentink mist vier duels van Kloetinge, De Nooijer reist af naar Belize" [Zeeland internationals fly out again: Lentink to miss four Kloetinge matches as De Nooijer travels to Belize]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Matthew Lentink debuteert voor Aruba" [Matthew Lentink makes his Aruba debut]. Omroep Zeeland (in Dutch). 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "Matthew Lentink". ESPN. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "FIFA Series: Liechtenstein shock Tanzania to set up final against Aruba". The New Times. 26 March 2026. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Aruba v Liechtenstein, 29 March 2026". 11v11. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Matthew Lentink". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 August 2026.