Bryan Linssen

Bryan Catharina Anna Petronella Linssen (born 8 October 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Eredivisie club NEC.^[3] He formerly played for Fortuna Sittard, MVV, VVV-Venlo, Heracles Almelo, FC Groningen, Vitesse and Feyenoord.

Bryan Linssen

Personal information
Full name	Bryan Catharina Anna Petronella Linssen[1]
Date of birth	(1990-10-08) 8 October 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Neeritter, Netherlands
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s)	Forward, winger
Team information
Current team	NEC
Number	30
Youth career
	Veritas
0000–2008	Fortuna Sittard
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2009	Fortuna Sittard	14	(4)
2009–2010	MVV	30	(7)
2010–2013	VVV-Venlo	70	(12)
2013–2015	Heracles Almelo	64	(21)
2015–2017	Groningen	56	(13)
2017–2020	Vitesse	88	(41)
2020–2022	Feyenoord	63	(22)
2022–2025	Urawa Red Diamonds	39	(4)
2025–	NEC	15	(4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 June 2025

Career

Linssen made his professional debut in 2008 for Fortuna Sittard, the club where he spent much of his youth.^[4] He went on to play for MVV, VVV-Venlo, Heracles Almelo and FC Groningen,^[5] before signing for Vitesse in 2017.^[4]

Linssen scored 28 goals in 63 appearances in his first two Eredivisie seasons at the Arnhem club, an average of almost a goal every other match.^[4] He continued his fine form in front of goal last season, netting 14 times in 26 appearances before coronavirus hit and the Eredivisie was abandoned.^[4] That put him just one goal behind Steven Berghuis in the league scoring charts.^[4] In total, Linssen scored 47 goals and added a further 20 assists in 113 matches for Vitesse.^[5]

On 6 July 2020, Linssen signed a three-year deal with Feyenoord, joining on a free transfer from Vitesse.^[4] Linssen was Feyenoord's third signing of the summer after Mark Diemers and Christian Conteh.^[5]

After two seasons with Feyenoord, he signed with J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds in a full transfer on 27 June 2022; the first overseas experience in his footballing career.^[3] He made his unofficial debut for the Urawa Reds in a friendly match against Paris Saint-Germain on 23 July, replacing Yusuke Matsuo at half-time.^[6] His debut was short-lived, however, as he suffered a muscle injury just minutes into his debut, sidelining him for several months.^[7] He made his return to the pitch in his official debut for the club on 1 October, coming off the bench in the 63rd minute for Yoshio Koizumi in a J1 League match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. He provided his first assist minutes later, extending a cross to Kai Shibato for a goal, as Urawa Reds lost 4–1.^[8] On 23 April 2023, he scored his first goal in the J1 League in a 1–1 draw against Kawasaki Frontale.^[9]

On 5 January 2025, Linssen returned to the Netherlands and signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with NEC.^[10]

Personal life

He is the younger brother of former professional footballer Edwin Linssen.^[11]

Career statistics

As of match played 19 December 2023^[12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Fortuna Sittard	2008–09	Eerste Divisie	14	4	0	0	—		—		—		14	4
MVV	2009–10	Eerste Divisie	30	7	1	0	—		—		—		31	7
VVV-Venlo	2010–11	Eredivisie	10	0	1	0	—		—		0	0	11	0
	2011–12	Eredivisie	26	4	1	0	—		—		3[c]	0	30	4
	2012–13	Eredivisie	34	8	1	2	—		—		2[c]	0	37	10
	Total		70	12	3	2	—		—		5	0	78	14
Heracles Almelo	2013–14	Eredivisie	31	11	3	2	—		—		—		34	13
	2014–15	Eredivisie	33	10	3	2	—		—		—		36	12
	Total		64	21	6	4	—		—		—		70	25
Groningen	2015–16	Eredivisie	28	3	2	2	—		6[d]	0	3[e]	0	39	5
	2016–17	Eredivisie	28	10	1	0	—		—		2[f]	1	31	11
	Total		56	13	3	2	—		6	0	5	1	70	16
Vitesse	2017–18	Eredivisie	33	15	1	0	—		5[d]	2	5[g]	2	44	19
	2018–19	Eredivisie	30	12	3	0	—		4[d]	2	4[f]	0	41	14
	2019–20	Eredivisie	25	14	3	0	—		—		—		28	14
	Total		88	41	7	0	—		9	4	9	2	113	47
Feyenoord	2020–21	Eredivisie	30	9	2	2	—		6[d]	0	0	0	38	11
	2021–22	Eredivisie	34	13	1	0	—		18[h]	4	0	0	53	17
	Total		64	22	3	2	—		24	4	0	0	91	28
Urawa Red Diamonds	2022	J1 League	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2023	J1 League	19	2	3	0	7	3	6[i]	2	1[j]	0	36	7
	Total		22	2	3	0	7	3	6	2	1	0	39	7
Career total			408	123	26	10	7	3	45	10	20	3	496	148

1. Includes KNVB Cup, Emperor's Cup
2. Includes J.League Cup
3. Appearances in Eredivisie Relegation play-offs
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. One appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield, two appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
6. Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs
7. One appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield, four appearances and two goals in Eredivisie European play-offs
8. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
9. Appearances in AFC Champions League
10. Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup

Honours

Feyenoord

• UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2021–22^[13]

Urawa Red Diamonds

• AFC Champions League: 2022^[14][15]

Individual

• Eredivisie Goal of the Year: 2024–25