Liam van Gelderen

Liam van Gelderen (born 23 March 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club RKC Waalwijk. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Suriname national team.

Club career Ajax Van Gelderen started his football journey in the youth teams of SVA Assendelft, Fortuna Wormerveer, and AZ. In 2015, he joined the Ajax Youth Academy, signing a contract until 2020 in February 2018.

He made his debut for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie on 25 March 2019, in a 3–3 draw against Jong Utrecht. In June 2020, he extended his contract for an additional three seasons, until mid-2023.

Van Gelderen was first named to the bench for the senior Ajax team on 27 February 2022, in a league loss to Go Ahead Eagles. He made his Eredivisie debut for Ajax on 23 April 2022 in a game against NEC as a 45th-minute substitute for the injured Perr Schuurs.

Groningen On 17 June 2022, Van Gelderen signed a four-year contract with Groningen. He made his debut for the club on 14 August, replacing Neraysho Kasanwirjo in the 92nd minute of a resounding 6–1 league loss to his former club, Ajax. On 25 February 2023, he scored his first goal for the Trots van het Noorden, contributing to a 3–0 home victory against Excelsior. At the end of the season, Groningen suffered relegation to the second-tier Eerste Divisie for the first time in 23 years, with Van Gelderen having scored once in 18 total appearances.

International career Born in the Netherlands, Van Gelderen is of Surinamese descent. He is a former youth international for the Netherlands.

On 5 September 2024, van Gelderen made his debut for the Suriname national team in a 3–1 away win against Guyana.

On 26 March 2026, he scored his first international goal for Suriname against Bolivia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Inter-Confederation Play-off semifinal.

Career statistics

Scores and results list Suriname's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each van Gelderen goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Liam van GelderenNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 26 March 2026 Estadio BBVA, Guadalupe, Mexico 1–0 1–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Ajax Eredivisie: 2021–22

Netherlands U17 UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2018 Individual

UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2018 Eredivisie Team of the Month: January 2025