Joël Veltman

In February 2017, against Sparta Rotterdam, Joël Veltman pretended to kick the ball out of play so that an injured opponent could receive treatment. When the defender relaxed, Veltman sprinted past and won the ball back. The incident went viral. He later defended it as "being clever".

Veltman joined the Ajax youth academy in 2001 and made his senior debut in August 2012. He stayed until 2020, making 246 appearances and scoring 10 league goals. Ajax won the Eredivisie in 2012–13 and 2013–14 in his first seasons, and again in 2018–19, when the club also took the KNVB Cup. He was named in the Eredivisie Team of the Year four times, from 2013–14 to 2016–17, and was in the Ajax squad that reached the 2016–17 Europa League final.

His progress was interrupted twice by knee trouble. He suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2011, before his debut. In April 2018 he tore a cruciate ligament again, which kept him out for nearly a year. He was back for the 2018–19 season.

For the Netherlands he won 28 caps and scored twice between 2013 and 2021. He was part of the side that finished third at the 2014 World Cup.

In July 2020 he moved to Brighton & Hove Albion for about €1 million (£900,000). The fee was widely reported as being set by a release clause in his contract. He spent six seasons on the south coast, making 191 appearances and scoring five league goals. In January 2025 he conceded a penalty against Everton for a handball. He argued it was unintentional and that he had been pushed.

His Brighton contract expired in June 2026. In August he joined West Ham United on a one-year deal as a free agent.