Daniëlle van de Donk

Early life Born in Valkenswaard, Netherlands, Van de Donk grew up playing football with boys. Her uncle noted, "If she started training at FC Eindhoven, she was laughed at by the boys. When she had played 3 balls, they were all silent." She started playing for SV Valkenswaard in her home town at the age of 4 and later moved to VV UNA.

Club career Willem II 2008–2011 At age 17, Van de Donk first played as a professional footballer for Dutch Eredivisie club, Willem II. She featured for the Tricolores for the next four seasons, playing in 47 competitive league matches and scoring five goals. She made seven appearances for Willem II during the 2009–10 season and the club finished in third place with a record. She played 18 regular season games, scoring 8 goals as a starter for the club. During a match against PEC Zwolle, she scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute to lift VVV to a 5–4 win. During another match against Heerenveen, Van de Donk scored a second brace helping VVV win 3–1. VVV finished in fifth place with a record. She also helped VVV reach the final of the KNVB Women's Cup in 2012.

PSV/FC Eindhoven 2012–2015 Van de Donk then left Venlo for PSV/FC Eindhoven ahead of Eindhoven's participation in the inaugural season of the Dutch & Belgian BeNe League. With Eindhoven, Van de Donk reached the final of the KNVB Cup of 2014, where she eventually earned a runners-up medal. She racked up an outstanding 30 goals in 53 appearances for the club.

Kopparbergs/Göteborg 2015 Loan In June 2015, Van de Donk was transferred to Swedish Damallsvenskan club Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC. Van de Donk made 13 appearances for the club, scoring 4 goals. Göteborg finished the 2016 season in sixth place with a record.

Arsenal 2015–2021

On 20 November 2015, Van de Donk signed with English club Arsenal of the FA Women's Super League (FA WSL). The move proved successful with her starting in the 2016 FA Cup final on 14 May 2016. Arsenal were eventually crowned champions, beating Chelsea 1–0 at the Wembley Stadium to earn their fourteenth FA Cup title.

On 7 October 2016, Van de Donk signed a new contract with Arsenal and was a starting midfielder in 14 of the 15 games she played. Van de Donk scored three goals helping lift Arsenal to a third place finish with a record. During the FA WSL Spring Series, she scored two goals in eight matches. Arsenal finished in third place with a record.

Van de Donk was instrumental in Arsenal's 2018–19 WSL championship season. She scored 23 combined goals and assists in all competitions. Sports Illustrated described her as "crucial to Arsenal's efforts in trying to recapture a first Women's Super League title since 2012." On 17 November, her double nutmeg went viral on Twitter. Arsenal finished in third place with a record.

Marking her fifth year with the club, Van de Donk signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in March 2019. Of the signing, Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro said, "She brings a world class attitude and quality that are vital to our team." Arsenal finished in third place with a record and played in the 2019–20 FA WSL Cup, where they eventually lost 2–1 to Chelsea during the 2020 FA Women's League Cup Final.

In October 2020, she was named WSL Player of the Week after her performance in a 5–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. Van de Donk scored Arsenal's second goal and had over 60 touches on the ball.

Lyon 2021–2025 In June 2021, Lyon announced they had signed Van de Donk to a two-year contract. On 5 September 2021, she made her league debut for Lyon against Saint-Étienne. Home against VfL Wolfsburg in the 2024–25 Champions League, Van de Donk scored in the 81st minute, making the final score 1–0.

London City Lionesses 2025 On 20 June 2025, the London City Lionesses announced Van de Donk joining the club on free transfer from Lyon. London City Lionesses had been competing in the England's second-highest tier competition, Women's Championship, and having won the competition in 2024–25, they were promoted to the top tier, the Women's Super League. The club became the first independent women's team (not affiliated with a men's team) to compete in WSL. It is owned by Michele Kang, the same owner of Lyon, who had projected to recruit high-profile players. Van de Donk became the first signing after the club's promotion to WSL.

International career

At the age of 19, Van de Donk made her debut for the Netherlands national team in a match against Mexico on 15 December 2010 at the 2010 City of São Paulo Tournament. She scored her first official international goal in the 2013 European Championship qualifiers against Serbia.

In June 2013, Dutch national team coach Roger Reijners selected Van de Donk for the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2013 in Sweden. The Netherlands squad lost all three of their group stage matches and did not advance at the tournament.

Van de Donk competed at the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada under the direction of Reijners. After finishing third in Group A and placing second in the ranking of third place teams, the Netherlands advanced to the knockout round where they faced 2011 champions, Japan and lost 2–1.

On 14 June 2017, Van de Donk was selected as part of the Dutch squad for UEFA Euro 2017 on home soil. She went on to play an integral part in the tournament. In the semi-finals, she scored against England in a 3–0 win for the Dutch. Van de Donk also played in the final against Denmark, where her creative presence helped the Netherlands come away with a victory. After the tournament, the team was honoured by the Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Sport Edith Schippers and made Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Van de Donk was selected to the final squad for the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France. Ahead of the tournament, ESPN named her to their top 25 player ranking. After winning all three of their group stage matches, the team finished at the top of their group and advanced to the knockout stage. During the Round of 16, the Dutch team faced 2011 champions, Japan, who had knocked them out of the 2015 World Cup. This time, the Netherlands won 2–1 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Of the match, The Guardian called Van de Donk "Holland's best player tonight." The Dutch team faced Italy in the quarterfinal and won 2–1 advancing to the semifinal for the first time in team history. Van de Donk played every minute of the semi-final against Sweden until the team scored a goal in the ninth minute of extra time and won the match 1–0, advancing to the final for the first time. The Netherlands faced 2015 champions the United States and lost 2–0. She also played in the Final. Following the loss, she noted: "The growth [of women’s football in the Netherlands] is ridiculous. If I look at women’s football and the hype, it’s amazing. I think that’s what I’m most proud of, that we got so much respect from the Netherlands."

On 8 October 2019, Van de Donk scored a goal in her 100th international appearance, a 2–0 win against Russia.

On 31 May 2023, she was named as part of the Netherlands provisional squad for the 2023 FIFA World Cup. In the group stage game against the United States, Van de Donk hit her head and received treatment for several minutes. She returned to play wearing a swim cap to prevent bleeding.

Personal life Van de Donk was in a relationship with former Arsenal teammate Beth Mead. After joining Lyon, she met Ellie Carpenter, a teammate and Australia national team defender. The two announced their engagement on 1 January 2024 during a holiday in the Maldives, and marriage on 7 June 2025 at the Château Hermitage de Combas in Servian in Southern France.

Career statistics Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each van de Donk goal.

Note: Match not considered as an official friendly.

Honours

VVV-Venlo KNVB Women's Cup: runner-up 2012 FA WSL Cup: 2017–18 FA WSL: 2018–19 2023–24 Première Ligue (new name of Division 1 since 2024): 2024–25 Coupe de France: 2022–23 Trophée des Championnes: 2022, 2023 UEFA Champions League: 2021–22

Netherlands Algarve Cup: 2018 Tournoi de France: runner-up 2020

Individual Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau: 2017 WSL Player of the Month: November 2018