Kaj de Rooij

Kaj de Rooij made his name in the Dutch lower and second divisions before earning a move to Spain. Born in Best, the forward turned professional at FC Eindhoven in 2018 and scored 10 goals in 40 appearances there, a return that carried him to NAC Breda on a free transfer that October. Over three seasons at NAC Breda he added a further 10 goals from 73 appearances.

De Rooij's move to PEC Zwolle in January 2024 began modestly, on an amateur contract that ran only to the end of that season. Zwolle rewarded him with a two-year professional deal once the campaign finished, and he went on to make 58 appearances across all competitions for the club, scoring eight goals. That spell closed at the end of June 2026, when his contract expired.

He did not stay without a club for long. On 3 July 2026, de Rooij signed a four-year contract with Real Valladolid in the Spanish Segunda División, joining as a free agent and taking the number 22 shirt. Across his senior career in the Netherlands, he built up close to 30 goals and 16 assists in 182 league appearances, playing predominantly as a forward or left winger.

One detail from earlier in his life sits outside football altogether: in 2015 the Dutch Sports Council gave him a Young Talent Award, though that recognition came for his achievements as a junior archer rather than for anything on the pitch.