Mexx Meerdink

Mexx Meerdink
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-07-24) 24 July 2003 (age 23)
Place of birth Winterswijk, Netherlands
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 AZ
Number 9
Youth career
2012–2021 de Graafschap
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2025 Jong AZ 54 (14)
2023– AZ 64 (21)
2024 → Vitesse (loan) 7 (0)
International career‡
2026– Netherlands 4 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 October 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 October 2026

Mexx Meerdink (born 24 July 2003) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club AZ and the Netherlands national team.

Early life

From Winterswijk, Meerdink was in the youth academy at de Graafschap from 2012 until 2021 when he signed up to Jong AZ.

Club career

2021: Jong AZ debut

Meerdink made his league debut in the Eerste Divisie on 10 December 2021, appearing as a substitute in a 3–2 away defeat to ADO Den Haag. Meerdink made his first start on 21 January 2022 against VVV Venlo in a youthful team that won 2–0 and in doing so earning the club their first win in four months. As well as Meerdink making a first start, Misha Engel and Lewis Schouten did as well. The oldest starting player for Jong AZ was 22-year-old Czech Richard Sedláček.

2023: AZ debut

On 7 March 2023 Meerdink made his debut for AZ in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League against Lazio triggering a payment between €40,000 And €50,000 to his former club de Graafschap.[citation needed] On 19 March 2023, he made his Eredivisie debut against FC Twente. Meerdink came off the bench to score the winning penalty in a UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final penalty shoot-out against RSC Anderlecht on 20 April 2023.

On 24 April 2023, Meerdink scored twice in the 2022–23 UEFA Youth League final against Hajduk Split as AZ ran out 5–0 winners.

2024: Vitesse (loan)

On 31 January 2024, Meerdink moved on loan to Vitesse until the end of the season.

2024–25: Return to AZ

Meerdink returned to his parent club AZ ahead of the 2024–25 campaign. On 30 August 2024, Meerdink scored his first Eredivisie goal in a 3–0 win away at RKC Waalwijk. He played in the final of the KNVB Cup as AZ lost to Go Ahead Eagles on penalties on 21 April 2025. The game had ended 1–1 in normal time after Go Ahead Eagles scored a 98th-minute equaliser. Three days later, Meerdink scored a 97th-minute bicycle kick to secure a 1–1 draw against NAC Breda.

In a 2025–26 UEFA Conference League third-round qualifying match against FC Vaduz, Meerdink scored the third goal in a 3–0 home victory for AZ, wherein he controls a cross-field pass from Mees de Wit and lobs the goalkeeper without letting the ball touch the ground. The "Bergkampesque" goal drew widespread praise from the Dutch media. His manager Maarten Martens would later say of the goal, "this is why [fans] come to the stadium". The strike earned him AZ's Goal of the Year award for 2025.

International career

Meerdink received his first call-up for the Dutch national team in October 2025. However, he sustained an injury in training and withdrew from the squad before he could make his first national team appearance, mirroring the experience of his father Martijn Meerdink 20 years earlier.

In September 2026, he was included again in the senior Netherlands squad, ahead of the start of the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Germany on 24 September as a first-half substitute for the injured Brian Brobbey. He scored his first senior international goals for the Netherlands with a brace of goals in a 2–1 win against Serbia on 27 September.

Personal life

He is the son of former AZ professional footballer Martijn Meerdink, who earned one cap for the Dutch national team.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 October 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Jong AZ 2021–22 Eerste Divisie 162———162
2022–23 Eerste Divisie 198———198
2023–24 Eerste Divisie 174———174
2024–25 Eerste Divisie 10———10
Total 5314———5314
AZ 2022–23 Eredivisie 600030—90
2023–24 Eredivisie 200000—20
2024–25 Eredivisie 29133180—4014
2025–26 Eredivisie 19510123—328
2026–27 Eredivisie 83002111115
Total 642141254119627
Vitesse (loan) 2023–24 Eredivisie 7010——80
Career total 12435512541115641
  1. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA (Europa) Conference League
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield

International

As of match played 4 October 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands 202642
Total42
As of match played 27 September 2026
Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Meerdink goal
List of international goals scored by Mexx Meerdink
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
127 September 2026Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia2 Serbia1–02–12026–27 UEFA Nations League A
22–1

Honours

AZ

References

  1. ↑ "Mexx Meerdinl". Soccerway.
  2. ↑ "Mexx Meerdink can hurt De Graafschap with Young AZ: "They are not doing so well, are they"". Gelderlander.nl.
  3. ↑ "ADO DEN HAAG VS. AZ II 3 - 2". Soccerway.
  4. ↑ "Extremely young Young AZ surprised with a convincing victory. First win in almost four months". noordhollandsdagblad.nl.
  5. ↑ "AZ Suffer A Painful Defeat Against Twente". Football-Oranje. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Mexx Meerdrink follows in the footsteps of father Martijn after reaching the Conference League semi-finals with AZ". Gelderlander.nl. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "UEFA Youth League final report: AZ Alkmaar 5-0 Hajduk Split". UEFA. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "MEXX MEERDINK (20) VERSTERKT VOORHOEDE VITESSE" [MEXX MEERDINK (20) STRENGTHENS VITESSE'S VANGUARD] (in Dutch). Vitesse. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "AZ-aanvaller Mexx Meerdink maakt allereerste goal in de Eredivisie op dramatische avond voor RKC Waalwijk". Voetbalzone. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Go Ahead Eagles Win The KNVB Cup". Football-Oranje. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  11. ↑ "Mexx Meerdink bezorgt AZ tegen NAC punt met fraaie omhaal: 'Prijs voor doelpunt van het jaar is binnen, toch?'". AD.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Iedereen geniet zichtbaar van Bergkampiaans doelpunt Mexx Meerdink: 'Alles aan die goal is perfect'". AD.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Meerdink wint Doelpunt van het Jaar 2025". AZ.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Mexx Meerdink raakte ná training Oranje geblesseerd: 'Vader was in tranen'". NU.nl. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Dit is de Oranje-selectie van Xavi: Van Bommel en Zechiël, geen Memphis" [This is the Dutch squad from Xavi: Van Bommel and Zechiël, no Memphis] (in Dutch). 18 September 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
  16. ↑ Gouka, Mikos (25 September 2026). "Ruben van Bommel and Mexx Meerdink give Oranje the freshness that was so longed for: 'I'm keeping this shirt for myself'". bndestem.nl. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  17. ↑ "Meerdink double seals soured Netherlands victory". Beinsports. 27 September 2026. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Young AZ base debutant Meerdink follows in his father's footsteps". nhnieuws.com.
  19. ↑ "These former internationals all have a son on the Dutch fields". destentor.nl.
  20. ↑ "Parrott, Koopmeiners shine as AZ Alkmaar wins KNVB Cup after 13 years". Sport Star. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "AZ rout 10-man PSV 4-0 to lift second Johan Cruyff Shield". NL Times. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.

Mexx Meerdink at Soccerway