Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven is a Dutch professional footballer who plays either as a centre-back or left-back for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Netherlands national team. Known for his pace, ball-playing abilities and physicality, he is also one of the fastest players in the world.
Club career
Early career
Van de Ven began his career with Volendam, and made his first team debut against Jong PSV in the Eerste Divisie, going on to make 19 appearances during the 2019–20 season. He assumed the captaincy during his first full season and scored twice in 26 appearances as Volendam reached the promotion play-offs.Van de Ven transferred to German club VfL Wolfsburg in 2021 for a fee of £3.15 million and played all but one of the team's Bundesliga matches during the 2022–23 season, scoring his only goal in a 2–0 win against Borussia Dortmund. Van de Ven recorded the highest top speed of any defender in the Bundesliga that season, at.
Tottenham Hotspur
2023–24
On 8 August 2023, it was announced that van de Ven had signed a six-year deal with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. The transfer cost an initial fee of £34.5 million and a potential total fee of £43 million, equalling the club's record fee for a centre-back in Cristian Romero the year before.Van de Ven debuted on 13 August during the first matchday of the 2023–24 Premier League season, starting in an away match against Brentford. On 7 October 2023, he scored his first goal in English football in Tottenham's 1–0 win at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town.
On 6 November 2023, van de Ven was substituted with a hamstring injury during a game against Chelsea. He returned from injury in a 2–2 draw with Manchester United on 14 January 2024. Later that month, during a match against Brentford on 31 January, he was recorded as the Premier League's fastest ever player at since data collection began in 2020–21.
On 10 May 2024, van de Ven was awarded Tottenham's Player of the Season award at the Official Supporters' Clubs award night ceremony, having started 28 of the club's 38 games up until that point.
2024–25
Van de Ven suffered several injuries during the 2024–25 Premier League season. On 30 October 2024, during a EFL Cup match against Manchester City, he was injured and would not return until 8 December in a match against Chelsea, playing 79 minutes before being substituted. His next appearance for the club would not come until 30 January 2025, with a 45-minute appearance in the UEFA Europa League against IF Elfsborg. Despite his injury-hampered season, van de Ven was again recorded as the Premier League's fastest player, with a top speed of.Van de Ven started the 2025 UEFA Europa League final and delivered a crucial goal line clearance to help secure a 1–0 victory over Manchester United, securing his first major career honour and Tottenham Hotspur's first trophy in 17 years.
2025–26
Van de Ven captained Spurs for the first time on 30 September 2025, in a 2–2 draw away against Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League; he scored Tottenham's first goal of the night.On 4 November, Van de Ven made a box-to-box solo run to score the third goal in a 4–0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League.
International career
In October 2022, Van de Ven was included in the preliminary Netherlands squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He captained the under-21 team at the Under-21 Euro 2023.In August 2023, he received his first official call-up to the Netherlands senior national team by head coach Ronald Koeman, for two UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
On 13 October 2023, Van de Ven debuted for the Dutch senior squad in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against France, replacing Nathan Aké in the 80th minute.
On 29 May 2024, Van de Ven was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
He scored his first goal for the Netherlands on 10 June 2025 during an 8–0 win against Malta on 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Career statistics
Club
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
| 1 | 10 June 2025 | Euroborg, Groningen, Netherlands | 12 | 8–0 | 8–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Tottenham Hotspur- UEFA Europa League: 2024–25