Wout Weghorst

Wout François Maria Weghorst (born 7 August 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

Weghorst began his professional career in the second tier of Dutch football with Emmen. He then played in the Eredivisie with Heracles and AZ, before joining VfL Wolfsburg in 2018. After scoring 70 goals in 144 games for Wolfsburg, he was signed by Burnley in January 2022 for a fee of £12 million. After the club were relegated from the Premier League, Weghorst had loan spells at Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş, fellow English club Manchester United and German club TSG Hoffenheim, before returning to the Netherlands with Ajax in mid-2024.

Weghorst made one appearance for the Netherlands under-21 team in 2014, before making his senior international debut in March 2018. He represented the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup (where he notably scored two goals in his side's quarter-final match against Argentina), and Euro 2024.

Born in Borne, Overijssel, Weghorst started his career at local clubs RKSV NEO and DETO Twenterand, before joining Eredivisie club Willem II in 2011. Despite having the opportunity to make his way into the first-team, he never broke through, and only featured for the reserve team. He signed for Eerste Divisie club Emmen in 2012, making his debut in a match against Dordrecht on 10 August. Weghorst went on to score his first goal in professional football a month later, in the derby against Veendam, a match that ended in a 2–1 win for Emmen. In his debut season, Weghorst appeared in 28 league matches scoring eight goals. The following season, he scored 13 times from 36 appearances.

After his spell with Emmen, Weghorst signed a contract with Eredivisie club Heracles on a free transfer.

On 9 August 2014, Weghorst made his Eredivisie debut for Heracles, in a 0–3 home loss against AZ in the Polman Stadion. He scored his first Eredivisie goal in his first start – a 2–1 loss against Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena. He ended the 2014–15 Eredivisie season with eight goals from 31 appearances, as Heracles successfully battled relegation.

In his second season, Heracles finished in sixth place and, through the subsequent play-offs, the club qualified for the Europa League qualifying round – the first time in history that the club qualified for an international competition. Weghorst was the team's top goalscorer with twelve goals in the Eredivisie.

After his successful season with Heracles, Weghorst signed a four-year contract with Alkmaar-based club AZ in July 2016, with the option for an extra year.