Sean Klaiber

Club career Utrecht

Born in Nieuwegein, Klaiber played in the academies of VVIJ, Ajax, JSV Nieuwegein and SV Geinoord before joining the FC Utrecht youth academy in 2007. On 29 October 2013, Klaiber made his first appearance for the Utrecht first team in an official match. That day, the Domstedelingen played in Werkendam against Kozakken Boys in the KNVB Cup; a match which ended in a 1–2 away win after extra time in which Klaiber made an appearance as a 116th minute substitute for Kai Heerings. He made 12 appearances for the side in which he scored two goals, as they suffered relegation.

In the 2016–17 season, after returning from Dordrecht, Klaiber made seven appearances for the reserves, Jong FC Utrecht. The following season, he grew out to become a regular starter for the first team. He scored his first goal for Utrecht on 20 July 2017 in a UEFA Europa League qualifier against Maltese side Valletta, which ended in a 3–1 win. The move reunited him with his former Utrecht coach Erik ten Hag, as he was set to replace Sergiño Dest at right back, after the latter had joined FC Barcelona some days earlier.

On 18 October, he made his debut for Ajax as a substitute in the home match against sc Heerenveen. His first start for the club came on 24 October in a 13–0 win over VVV Venlo; an Eredivisie record. During the season, Klaiber was set to compete with Noussair Mazraoui for the right back position. On 27 October, Klaiber made his debut in the UEFA Champions League as a substitute during the away game against Italian club Atalanta.

Return to Utrecht On 29 August 2022, Klaiber returned to Utrecht and signed a three-year contract. He made his return debut for the Domstedelingen on 2 September, replacing Hidde ter Avest in the 63rd minute and providing an assist 14 minutes later to Anastasios Douvikas' goal, helping the team to a 4–3 away victory against Fortuna Sittard. On 20 October, he scored his first return goal for the club in a KNVB Cup win against Sportlust '46. Three days later, he also scored for Utrecht in the Eredivisie, a deflected shot from distance giving Utrecht the 3–0 lead in an eventual 3–1 victory against Sparta Rotterdam.

Brøndby On 1 September 2023, Danish Superliga club Brøndby signed Klaiber on a two-year contract, for a fee reported by B.T. to be around 8 million kr. He made his debut on 17 September in a 3–0 league win away to AGF, and scored his first goal on 26 November in a 3–3 away draw with Lyngby.

On 1 April 2024, Klaiber scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2–1 derby victory away to Copenhagen at Parken.

In March 2026, head coach Steve Cooper removed Klaiber and Benjamin Tahirović from the first-team squad, in what was reported as a response to the players' conduct. Klaiber remained out of the side for the rest of the season. In June 2026, the new head coach, Thomas Nørgaard, said that although Klaiber was training with the squad, the club intended for him to find another club; Klaiber, who had a year remaining on his contract, had by then made 78 appearances for Brøndby.

International career Born in the Netherlands, Klaiber is of Surinamese descent. Having played for the youth teams of the Netherlands, on 13 June 2021 it was announced that Klaiber had opted to represent Suriname internationally. On 25 June he was called up to represent the team at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On 12 July 2021, Klaiber made his debut in the group stage match against Jamaica. The match ended in a 2–0 loss, in Suriname's Gold Cup debut, which saw Klaiber being cautioned in the 25th minute.

Career statistics Club

International

Eredivisie: 2020–21, 2021–22 KNVB Cup: 2020–21

Individual Superliga Team of the Month: September 2023