Sem Westerveld
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 July 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | San Sebastián, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Zaragoza | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ajax Cape Town | |||
| –2016 | HC & FC Victoria | ||
| 2016–2021 | AZ | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2026 | Jong AZ | 39 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | → MVV (loan) | 38 | (0) |
| 2026– | Zaragoza | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 April 2026 | |||
Sem Westerveld (born 18 July 2002) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primera Federación – Group 2 club Real Zaragoza.
Career
[edit]Westerveld made his professional debut with Jong AZ in a 1–0 Eerste Divisie loss to Roda on 4 January 2021.[1] On 18 June 2021, he signed his first professional contract with AZ for three years.[2]
He suffered a torn cruciate knee ligament in 2024 and spent a year out of action. He returned to the Jong AZ team for a match against Vitesse in April 2025, in a 2–2 draw.[3]
On 2 July 2025, Westerveld joined Eerste Divisie club MVV on a one-season loan.[4] He quickly established himself as a key figure for MVV, producing a series of decisive performances that included a penalty save in a goalless draw away to Jong Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for much of the previous two and a half years, he described the run of form as a personal breakthrough after a "long, dark period".[5]
On 6 July 2026, Westerveld returned to his birth nation and signed a three-year contract with Real Zaragoza in Primera Federación.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Westerveld was born in Spain to a Dutch family, as his father was playing football in the country at the time. His father Sander Westerveld and grandfather Hennie Ardesch were also professional football goalkeepers.[7] Sem was born in San Sebastián, Spain while his father was playing for Real Sociedad.[8] Sem holds dual Spanish and Dutch citizenship and is a fluent Spanish speaker.[9]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of match played 25 April 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong AZ | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Eerste Divisie | 13 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 40 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | ||||
| MVV (loan) | 2025–26 | Eerste Divisie | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | |
| Real Zaragoza | 2026–27 | Primera Federación | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 78 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 0 | ||
References
[edit]- ↑ "AZ II vs. Roda JC - 4 January 2021". Soccerway.
- ↑ "AZ legt Westerveld vast". www.az.nl.
- ↑ "Ro-Zangelo Daal bezorgt Jong AZ in extremis een punt tegen Vitesse". One Football. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ↑ "Westerveld op huurbasis naar MVV" [Westerveld joins MVV on loan]. AZ (in Dutch). 2 July 2025. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ↑ Schreurs, Joost (30 August 2025). "Westerveld 'na donkere periode' sterkhouder van MVV: 'Hij straalt veel rust uit'" [After a difficult spell, Westerveld emerges as key figure at MVV: 'He brings great composure]. L1 Nieuws (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ↑ "Sem Westerveld, nuevo jugador del Real Zaragoza" [Sem Westerveld, new player of Real Zaragoza] (in Spanish). Real Zaragoza. 6 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Unique professional debut goalkeeper Sem Westerveld for Jong AZ". 5 January 2021.
- ↑ "El donostiarra Sem Westerveld debuta en la Segunda holandesa". Marca.com. 5 January 2021.
- ↑ "El portero neerlandés puede aspirar a un fichaje espectacular gracias a su lugar de nacimiento | Goal.com México". www.goal.com. 2 May 2026.
External links
[edit]- Career stats - Voetbal International
- Sem Westerveld at Soccerway
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Footballers from San Sebastián
- Spanish men's footballers
- Dutch men's footballers
- Spanish people of Dutch descent
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Eerste Divisie players
- Jong AZ players
- MVV Maastricht players
- Real Zaragoza players
- 21st-century Spanish sportsmen
- 21st-century Dutch sportsmen