Thomas Anton Rudolph Lam (born 18 December 1993) 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

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

club

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC (, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship tit ...

. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Finland national team. He began his senior club

career A career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work (human activity), work and other aspects of personal life, life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ...

playing for

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...

, before signing with

PEC Zwolle Prins Hendrik Ende Desespereert Nimmer Combinatie Zwolle, commonly known as PEC Zwolle, is a Dutch professional football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football. They have played in the Ered ...

at age 20 in 2014. Lam made his international debut for Finland in June 2015, at the age of 21 and has since had over 20 caps, including appearing in

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA FIFA#Structure, confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia national football team, Rus ...

and in Finland's

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...

campaign in which Finland national team secured its first ever place in European Football Championship tournament's group stage.

Club career

AZ Alkmaar

Lam, born and grew up in the Netherlands to a Finnish mother and a Dutch father, started his youth career at AFC before moving to

in 2005, where he progressed through the academy and started his senior

at AZ Alkmaar in 2011, where he signed his first professional contract. Shortly after, Lam was given number twenty–eight shirt for the new season. Though he made no appearances in the 2011–12 season, it was announced on 13 April 2012, Lam signed a contract with AZ, keeping him until 2016 and was named Finnish Tale's Promising Player of the Year. In the 2012–13 season, Lam suffered a setback when he suffered a thigh problems at the start of the season. It wasn't until on 16 September 2012 when Lam made his AZ debut, coming on as a substitute for Giliano Wijnaldum in the late substitute, in a 1–0 home win over

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; ), shortly as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or simply Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. The c ...

. Having appeared in most of the games in the season, Lam, received a straight red card in the 31st minute, in a 2–1 win over

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to t ...

on 31 March 2013 and served a two match suspension as a result. Despite this, Lam went on to finish the season, making six appearances for the club. Although he did not feature in the squad, the club won the

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...

after beating

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...

2–1 to win the tournament. In the 2013–14 season, Lam was demoted back to the reserve side following the newly arrival of

Dick Advocaat Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat (; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former association football, football player and coach. He is currently the manager of the Curaçao national football team. Advocaat was successful as a football player and as a ...

. Despite this, Lam scored his first AZ goal on 12 December 2013, in a

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

against

PAOK PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

, in a 2–2 draw. This turned out to be his only appearance for the club this season. Lam went on to make six appearances in

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 ...

during his three years spell there.

Zwolle

On 24 July 2014, it was announced that Lam had signed a contract with

, signing a long-term contract. After appearing as an unused substitute in a 4–1 win over

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

in the

Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

. Lam made his PEC Zwolle debut on 16 August 2014, where he came on as substitute for Maikel van der Werff in the second half, in a 2–1 win over

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...

. It wasn't until on 29 October 2014 when Lam scored his first hat–trick of his career, in a 6–1 win over

Hardenberg Hardenberg (; or '' 'n Arnbarg'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel, Eastern Netherlands. The municipality of ...

in the third round of the

. Lam then scored his first league goal of the season on 20 December 2014, in a 2–1 loss against Cambuur. Lam scored once again in the quarter-final of the KNVB Cup, in a 3–2 win over Cambuur, followed up by scoring in a 2–0 win over

FC Utrecht Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...

several days later. Despite suffering from injury and suspension, as the 2014–15 season progressed, Lam went on to make thirty–four and scoring six times in all competitions. Lam played 81 minutes in the final of the KNVB Cup, which saw them unsuccessfully defend the title, in a 2–0 loss against

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. In the 2015–16 season, Lam established himself in the first team regular in the centre–back position and scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–1 loss against Vitesse on 18 October 2015. Lam then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Groningen on 30 January 2016. Despite missing one game, due to suspension, Lam finished his second season, making thirty–six appearances (33 league) and scoring two times in all competitions. During Eredivisie seasons 2014–15 and 2015–16 he made a total of 64 appearances and scored 4 goals.

Nottingham Forest

Despite interests of returning to his former club, AZ, Lam was transferred from Zwolle to

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...

on 8 July 2016, on a free transfer. Upon joining the club, Lam was given the number twenty–eight shirt for the new season, the same number he wore at AZ Alkmaar. In the opening game of the season, Lam scored on his Nottingham Forest debut in a 4–3 win over Burton Albion on 6 August 2016. After missing out two matches, Lam scored his second goal for the club on his return from the squad, in a 4–3 win over

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

on 20 August 2016. After missing most of September, due to injury, Lam made return to the first team from injury, playing 45 minutes, in a 2–1 loss against

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

on 1 October 2016. Three weeks later, on 22 October 2016, Lam received a straight red card in the second half, in a 2–1 loss against

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

. After serving a one match suspension, he made his return from suspension, in a 1–1 draw against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

on 5 November 2016. However, towards the end of the season, Lam soon lost his first team place following the sacking of Philippe Montanier. at the end of the 2016–17 season, Lam went on to make a total of 21 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.

FC Twente (loan)

However, ahead of the 2017–18 season, Lam was told by manager

Mark Warburton Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who is currently the Sporting Director and Head of Soccer for Sporting Club Jacksonville ...

that he was no longer part of his first team plan, which Lam described as ''"unfair and frustrating"''. Because of this, he hinted that he could be leaving the club. It was announced on 30 August 2017 that Lam signed on a season-long loan to

side

FC Twente Football Club Twente (), sometimes known internationally as FC Twente Enschede, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from the city of Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub E ...

. Lam made his FC Twente debut, where he started and played for 87 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 loss against

Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...

on 10 September 2017. In a follow-up match against FC Utrecht on 17 September 2017, Lam scored his first goal for the club, in a 4–0 win. He then scored again on 5 November 2017, in a 4–3 loss against PSV Eindhovem. Since making his debut for the club, Lam started in every match until he was suspended in early-December.

Return to Zwolle

On 29 August 2018 it was announced that Lam would return to Zwolle on a two-year contract. He made his debut on 2 September, playing the full 90 minutes of a 0–1 win at

CSKA Sofia

On 16 August 2021 he signed for

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...

Melbourne City

On 16 August 2022, Lam signed a two-year deal with

A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...

side Melbourne City, making his debut for the club in the opening match of the 2022–23 A-League Men season against Western United. Lam scored his first goal for the club on 29 January 2023 against

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

, with the match finishing 3–3. On 13 June 2023, Lam announced his departure from Melbourne City. He wanted to play closer to his family in The Netherlands, because he and his partner are expecting a second child.

Second return to Zwolle

On 25 July 2023, Lam signed a contract with

until 2025. It was the second time Lam returned to Zwolle, after he had played there between 2014 and 2016, and again between 2018 and 2021.

Apollon Limassol

On 15 August 2024, Lam signed a two-year deal with

International career

Finland youth teams

Despite being eligible for the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

through his father, Lam opted to play for

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

through his mother. He has represented Finland in various junior national teams, starting off with Finland U17 and Finland U18 and Finland U19. It was not until in February 2012 when he was called up by Finland U21 for the first time. Lam made his Finland U21 debut on 13 October 2012, where he played for 45 minutes, against Estonia U21, which saw them win in the penalty–shootout

Finland first team

After being playing for the various junior national teams, Lam was finally called by the senior team in 2015. He then made his debut for the senior national team on 9 June 2015, in a 2–0 home defeat to

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. Lam soon got his first appearance in a UEFA Euro qualification match on 7 September 2015 when he played 84 minutes in a match against

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

. However, Finland did not qualify for the

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...

, as they finished fourth in the Group F in the qualification of the tournament. Since making his senior debut, Lam became a first team regular at the national team. He made his first appearance in

FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments ar ...

s in a match against

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Tampere Stadium Tampere Stadium (), also known as Ratina Stadium (), designed by architect Timo Penttilä and completed in 1965, is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere, Finland, with a seating capacity of 16,800 people, and up to 32,000 people for concerts. In ...

on 9 October 2016 when he replaced Alexander Ring on 67th minute. Lam was called up for the

pre-tournament friendly match against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

on 29 May 2021. Lam was a member of the Finnish squad at the

tournament but remained as an unused substitute. Finland was placed 3rd in

Group B Group B was a set of regulations for Grand tourer, grand touring (GT) cars used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World S ...

following a 2-0 defeat to

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 ...

on 21 June 2021.

Personal life

Lam was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, Netherlands, to a Dutch father and a Finnish mother, through whom he gained Finnish citizenship. While he was growing up in the Netherlands, his parents owned a hotel. He has a brother. In his late teens, Lam suffered a tragic loss when his father died of lung cancer in 2009.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

AZ Alkmaar *

: 2012–13 PEC Zwolle * Johan Cruijff Shield:

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Melbourne City *

Premiership: 2022–23 Individual *

Football Association of Finland The Football Association of Finland (, SPL; ) is the governing body of football (soccer), football and futsal in Finland. It was founded in Helsinki on 19 May 1907. The SPL organises the Finland national football team, men's and Finland women's ...

Promising player of the year: 2011

References

External links

PEC Zwolle official profile

Finnish Football Federation profile
* * * *
Thomas Lam
at ''

Voetbal International ''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running. History and profile ''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM. It l ...

'' – * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lam, Thomas 1993 births Living people Footballers from Amsterdam Men's association football defenders Finnish men's footballers 21st-century Finnish sportsmen Finland men's international footballers Finland men's youth international footballers Finland men's under-21 international footballers Dutch men's footballers Finnish people of Dutch descent Dutch people of Finnish descent AZ Alkmaar players PEC Zwolle players Nottingham Forest F.C. players FC Twente players PFC CSKA Sofia players Melbourne City FC players Eredivisie players English Football League players UEFA Euro 2020 players Finnish expatriate men's footballers Dutch expatriate men's footballers Finnish expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players A-League Men players Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Apollon Limassol FC players 21st-century Dutch sportsmen