Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld (born 31 January 1997) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a forward for

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Villarreal Villarreal (officially, in ) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital ( ...

. Born in Nigeria, he played for the Netherlands national team, most recently in 2022. After making one substitute appearance for

Jong PSV Jong PSV is a Dutch football team based in Eindhoven. It is the reserve team of PSV Eindhoven and plays in the Eerste Divisie since the 2013–14 season. History Until 2013, Jong PSV played in the Beloften Eredivisie, a league exclusively fo ...

in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (; ) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the Keuken Kampioen Divisie due to sponsorship reasons, while ...

, he played for

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

in the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

and Eerste Divisie,

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

in the

Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...

and

AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...

in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

and

EFL Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...

. He signed for Villarreal for an estimated €25 million in 2021. Born in Nigeria and raised mainly in the Netherlands, Danjuma earned his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for the Netherlands national team in October 2018. He was recalled to the team three years later.

Club career

Early career

Danjuma was born in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother. After his parents' divorce, he was briefly homeless and spent time in

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...

. He joined PSV in 2008 from

TOP Oss TOP Oss (), is a professional association football club based in the town of Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. Founded in 1928 as T.O.P., a Dutch abbrevia ...

; he made his professional debut for

in the

on 7 December 2015 against NAC, replacing Moussa Sanoh after 65 minutes of a 3–0 home loss. In the summer of 2016, Danjuma signed for

where he was expected to play for the second team. On 10 September, he made his debut and first

appearance against his former club PSV; he was an 85th-minute substitute for

Reagy Ofosu Reagy Baah Ofosu (born 20 September 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a winger for TFF First League club Şanlıurfaspor. Career Ofosu became the Slovak champion with Spartak Trnava in 2017–18 season. On 8 January 2023, ...

in a 4–0 home loss. In 16 appearances in his first season, he scored once to open a 2–0 win at

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...

on the final day of the season; the team were relegated through the playoffs.

Club Brugge

In July 2018, Danjuma signed for

. He made his debut on 22 July in the 2018 Belgian Super Cup, helping his team to a 2–1 win over

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...

. On 3 October, he scored a goal against

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

in a 3–1 loss in the Champions League group stage. In his only full season in the

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

, he scored five goals, starting with two in a 3–0 home win over

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

on 10 August.

AFC Bournemouth

On 1 August 2019, Danjuma joined

club

for a fee of £13.7 million, signing a long-term contract. He made his debut against Burton Albion in the third round of the

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

on 25 September, as a 61st-minute substitute for

Dominic Solanke Dominic Ayodele Solanke-Mitchell (born 14 September 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. Solanke started his career with Chelsea, making his first-team ...

in a 2–0 away loss; his first goal was in a 3–2 win against

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

on 12 September 2020. After ten goal contributions in a month, Danjuma was awarded the Championship Player of the Month award for April 2021. He was awarded the Bournemouth Player of the Year award after receiving 40% of the supporters' vote, narrowly beating Asmir Begović who had 38% of the vote.

Villarreal

On 19 August 2021, Danjuma joined

club

for a fee believed to be in the region of €25 million, signing a contract until June 2026. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with reigning league champions

on 29 August, and his first

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

goal in a 2–2 draw against

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

on 14 September. On 19 February 2022, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 league victory over

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

; two months later he contributed both goals of a home win against regional rivals

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. Danjuma scored six Champions League goals in his first season at Villarreal. His brace in a 3–2 win at Atalanta on 9 December put the team into the last 16 as group runners-up. On 6 April 2022, he scored the only goal against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

at the

Estadio de la Cerámica es:Estadio is the spanish language word for Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered s ...

in the quarter-finals first leg; he missed the second leg of the semi-final elimination by

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

through a muscle injury.

Loan to Tottenham Hotspur

During January 2023, Danjuma was set to return to England to join Everton, before

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

hijacked the deal. On 25 January 2023, he joined Tottenham on loan until the end of the season. Three days later Danjuma was added to the squad as a substitute for the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

game. He came off the bench marking his debut and scored a goal in the 3–0 victory away against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

. He scored his first Premier League goal on 15 April 2023 in a 3–2 home defeat by Bournemouth. Tottenham confirmed the end of Danjuma's loan spell on 15 June 2023.

Loan to Everton

On 23 July 2023, Danjuma joined Everton on a season-long loan from

, taking the number 10 shirt. He made his first appearance against

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

in a pre-season friendly on 29 July, playing 45 minutes before being substituted in a 1-0 away win. Danjuma made his debut in a 1–0 league defeat against

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...

Loan to Girona

On 30 August 2024, Danjuma was loaned to fellow

club

Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...

on a season-long loan.

International career

Danjuma was born in Nigeria to a Dutch father and Nigerian mother, and was eligible for either national team. He was first called up for the Netherlands national team by

Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Koeman scor ...

in October 2018. He made his debut on 13 October in a 3–0

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

home win over

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, as a 68th-minute substitute for former Jong PSV teammate

Steven Bergwijn Steven Charles Bergwijn (born 8 October 1997) is a Dutch professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Winger, left winger or a Forward (association football)#Inside forward, forward for Saudi Pro Le ...

. Three days later, he scored his first international goal to equalise in a 1–1 friendly draw away to neighbours

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. After nearly three years without a cap, Danjuma returned to the squad as a replacement for

Cody Gakpo Cody Mathès Gakpo (; born 7 May 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left winger or forward for club Liverpool and the Netherlands national team. A PSV academy graduate, Gakpo made his first-team debut in February 2018 ...

. On 11 October 2021 in a

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

qualifier at home to

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, he came off the bench and scored in a 6–0 win.

Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former association football, football player and former manager who currently serves as an advisor for AFC Ajax, Ajax. At club level, he served as manager of AFC Ajax, Aj ...

did not call him up for the final tournament in Qatar.

Personal life

Arnaut and Danjuma are the player's first names, with him describing the latter as his Nigerian name; he also uses Adam as his Muslim name. He was raised Muslim but stated that he did not become a practising Muslim until he was an adult; he celebrates goals by saying the '' Tahmid''.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''As of match played 11 October 2021. Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Danjuma goal.''

Honours

Club Brugge *

Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( ; ; ), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian Pro League champions (also received the Super Cup host) and the Belgian Cup winners. If both teams are the same, ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Individual * EFL Championship Player of the Month: April 2021 *

Player of the Year: 2020–21 * EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2020–21

References

External links

Arnaut Danjuma
at the Everton F.C. website *
Arnaut Danjuma
at the Royal Dutch Football Association website * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Danjuma, Arnaut 1997 births Living people Footballers from Lagos Dutch men's footballers Dutch Muslims Nigerian Muslims Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Netherlands men's international footballers Nigerian men's footballers Dutch people of Nigerian descent Nigerian people of Dutch descent Men's association football midfielders PSV Eindhoven players Jong PSV players NEC Nijmegen players Club Brugge KV players AFC Bournemouth players Villarreal CF players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Everton F.C. players Girona FC players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players Belgian Pro League players Premier League players English Football League players La Liga players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Spain 21st-century Dutch sportsmen 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen