Merel van Dongen

Club career She played for Ter Leede and ADO Den Haag before going to the United States where she played for Alabama Crimson Tide. She returned to the Netherlands in 2015 and signed with AFC Ajax.

International career

As a junior international she played the 2010 and 2011 U-19 European Championships.

Van Dongen made her senior Netherlands women's national football team debut in a 7–0 friendly win over Thailand on 7 February 2015. She was one of the last three players to be cut from national team coach Roger Reijners' final squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden. When Mandy van den Berg subsequently suffered knee ligament damage, Van Dongen was called up as a late replacement. She was also part of the Dutch squad at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

On 31 May 2023, she was named as part of the Netherlands provisional squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

International goals Scores and results list the Netherlands goal tally first. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 20 May 2015 Sparta Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands 3–0 7–0 Friendly2 22 October 2021 AEK Arena, Larnaca, Cyprus Cyprus 8–0 8–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier

Personal life She is in a relationship with Ana Romero. They are engaged since December 2021. Van Dongen and Romero welcomed their first child together named Ibbie Van Dongen Romero on 28 August 2024.

Honours ADO Den Haag Eredivisie: 2011–12 KNVB Women's Cup: 2011–12 Ajax Eredivisie: 2016–17, 2017–18 KNVB Women's Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18 Atlético Madrid Copa de la Reina: 2022–23 Monterrey Liga MX Femenil: Clausura 2024, Apertura 2024 Netherlands Algarve Cup: 2018 FIFA Women's World Cup runners-up: 2019