Sam de Grand

Sam de Grand's route to AZ Alkmaar has run almost entirely through Belgian football. Born in 's-Hertogenbosch, he moved into the Belgian youth system early, coming through Oud-Heverlee Leuven before joining Anderlecht, where he spent five years developing as a left-back. From there he moved to KRC Genk in 2022, splitting time between the first team and the club's reserve side, Jong Genk.

A switch to Lommel SK in January 2023 gave de Grand a settled run of first-team football that lasted three and a half years. That spell caught the attention of AZ Alkmaar, who signed him in July 2026 on a contract running to the middle of 2030, in a move some reports have valued at around four million euros, though the exact terms have not been confirmed in detail.

At AZ, de Grand has started with the club's reserve side. He made his debut for Jong AZ in the Eerste Divisie on 10 August 2026, in a match against FC Eindhoven, and has since also featured for the first team. He wears the number 13 shirt, a number that had been out of regular use at AZ since Thomas Lam left the club back in 2014.

de Grand has also drawn interest from the Dutch youth setup, having been mentioned in connection with Jong Oranje.