Lars Veldwijk facts for kids
Veldwijk with Nottingham Forest
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lars Veldwijk | ||
| Date of birth | 21 August 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Uithoorn, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.96 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SV Argon | |||
| FC Volendam | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011 | FC Volendam | 2 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Utrecht | 5 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Dordrecht (loan) | 31 | (14) |
| 2013–2014 | Excelsior | 38 | (30) |
| 2014–2016 | Nottingham Forest | 12 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → PEC Zwolle (loan) | 33 | (14) |
| 2016–2017 | Kortrijk | 9 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Aalesund (loan) | 16 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Groningen | 18 | (4) |
| 2018–2020 | Sparta Rotterdam | 42 | (27) |
| 2020 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 10 | (1) |
| 2020–2023 | Suwon FC | 110 | (40) |
| 2024 | Castellón | 6 | (0) |
| 2024 | BG Pathum United | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2016– | South Africa | 7 | (0) |
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Lars Veldwijk, born on 21 August 1991, is a professional football player from South Africa. He plays as a striker, which means he's usually trying to score goals! Currently, he is a Free Agent, looking for his next team. He also plays for the South Africa national team.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Excelsior
Veldwijk played for Eerste Divisie team Excelsior during the 2013–14 season. He scored an amazing 35 goals in 45 games across all competitions that year.
Joining Nottingham Forest
On 12 June 2014, Veldwijk moved to Nottingham Forest from Excelsior. He made his first appearance on 16 August 2014 against Bolton Wanderers. He came on as a substitute late in the game. His first start for Forest was on 26 August 2014 in a 2–0 win against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup.
Loan to PEC Zwolle
Veldwijk was loaned to PEC Zwolle for the 2015–16 season. During this time, he scored 14 goals in 33 league games. When he returned to Forest, he scored his only goal for the club. It was in a 2–1 EFL Cup win against Millwall on 23 August 2016.
Moving to KV Kortrijk
In mid-2016, Veldwijk joined Belgian team KV Kortrijk. He played only 9 games and scored just 1 goal for them. After this, he went on loan to Aalesund in Norway.
Loan to Aalesunds FK
On 31 March 2017, Veldwijk joined Norwegian club Aalesunds FK on a loan for the season. He did very well in the Eliteserien, helping his team score 8 goals in 16 games.
Time at FC Groningen
Veldwijk then joined Dutch team FC Groningen. He started well in his first season back in Dutch football. However, he later had a disagreement with the club about playing time. This led to him leaving the team.
Success at Sparta Rotterdam
On 16 June 2018, Veldwijk signed with Sparta Rotterdam on a free transfer. Even though other big clubs were interested, he chose Sparta. In his first season, he played a huge role in helping them get promoted back to the Eredivisie. He scored 24 goals and made 3 assists, which was his best performance yet! This success also led to him being called back to the national team.
Playing in South Korea
On 15 January 2020, Veldwijk signed with K League 1 champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea. He made his first official appearance in March in an AFC Champions League game. However, league games were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After recovering from a small knee injury, he scored a winning goal in his K League 1 debut.
Joining Suwon FC
On 17 July 2020, Veldwijk moved to K League 2 team Suwon FC. He signed a contract that lasted until the end of 2022. In the 2021 K League 1 season, he scored 18 goals in 32 games and also made 6 assists.
Playing for Castellón
On 1 February 2024, Veldwijk decided to return to Europe. He joined Spanish team CD Castellón, which was playing in the third tier of Spanish football. He signed a six-month contract. He missed most of the season due to an injury, so he couldn't play much in their promotion to the Spanish Second Division. However, he did play in two play-off games and even got an assist in one!
Time at BG Pathum United
After leaving Castellón, Veldwijk joined Thai team BG Pathum United. He was linked with other clubs, but chose to return to Asia. Injuries kept him out for the first half of the season, except for a few games. One of these was a 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, where he got an assist. Later, he and the club decided to end his contract. As of January 2025, Veldwijk, who is 33, is once again a Free Agent. He hopes to continue his football career and is looking for a new club.
International Career
Even though Lars Veldwijk was born in the Netherlands, he could play for South Africa. This was because of his father's family background. He was first called up for South Africa's 2018 World Cup qualifier in October 2016. He made his first appearance in a friendly game against Mozambique the next month. After some time away, he returned to the national team in 2019. He played in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where South Africa reached the quarter-finals.
Personal Life
Lars Veldwijk was in a relationship with television presenter Monica Geuze. They have a daughter together, who was born in July 2018. Veldwijk and Geuze separated in November 2019. He also has a son, born in 2015, from a previous relationship.
Honours
Individual
- Eerste Divisie top scorer: 2013–14
- K League 1 Best XI: 2021
