Dirk Wanner Proper

Dirk Proper's path to NEC Nijmegen's first team ran through the club's own academy: he arrived from local side SV Spero at the age of nine and spent a significant period working through the youth ranks before breaking into the senior squad in 2019. His debut that December opened the door to a run of over 160 appearances in NEC colours, and he grew into a regular presence, contributing 10 league goals along the way. He helped NEC win the Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs in May 2021, sending the club back into the Eredivisie after four years away.

His development also carried him through the Dutch youth international set-up, from the U15s upward, and he was part of the Netherlands squad that won the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship before playing at that year's U17 World Cup. He continued to be picked up through the U18s and into the U21s, where he took the captain's armband on occasion. He was named in the squad for U21 European Championship qualifiers, though a concussion forced him to withdraw before the final tournament squad was confirmed.

In July 2026, after seven years at NEC, Proper moved on to SC Heerenveen on a four-year contract. The switch closed a chapter defined almost entirely by NEC, a club he joined as a boy and left as one of its senior midfield mainstays.