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Kenneth Taylor (footballer, born 2002)
Dutch footballer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kenneth Ina Dorothea Taylor (born 16 May 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team.[3]
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Club career
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A product of Ajax's youth academy,[4] Taylor made his Eerste Divisie debut for Jong Ajax on 15 October 2018 in a game against Jong PSV as a 70th-minute substitute for Jasper ter Heide.[5] He became a regular for Jong Ajax over the following seasons, scoring 14 goals in 60 appearances by early 2022.[6]

Taylor made his Eredivisie debut for AFC Ajax on 12 December 2020 in a game against PEC Zwolle as a 64th-minute substitute for Perr Schuurs.[6] His appearances for the first team remained limited until the latter half of the 2021–22 season. In a match against Heracles Almelo on 6 February 2022, Taylor scored his first Eredivisie goal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, converting an assist from Sébastien Haller in a 3–0 victory.[7] Following this goal, he featured more frequently, finishing the season with 19 first-team appearances and contributing to Ajax winning the Eredivisie title.[6]
The 2022–23 season marked Taylor's breakthrough as a regular starter in the Ajax midfield.[7] He made 44 appearances across all competitions, scoring 9 goals, including 8 in the Eredivisie.[6] His performances earned him the Eredivisie Talent of the Month award for November 2022.[8] At the end of the season, he was named Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award).[9][10]
Taylor remained a key player during the turbulent 2023–24 season, playing under managers Maurice Steijn and John van 't Schip. He contributed 8 goals in 47 appearances, including his first goals in European competitions, scoring twice in the UEFA Europa League and once in the UEFA Europa Conference League.[6]
Under new manager Francesco Farioli, Taylor continued as a regular starter in the 2024–25 season and displayed notable goalscoring form from midfield. By late March 2025, he was Ajax's top scorer in the Eredivisie with 8 goals,[11] and had also scored 5 goals in the UEFA Europa League campaign.[6]
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International career
Taylor represented the Netherlands at various youth levels, starting with the under-15 team in 2017. He was part of the Netherlands U17 squad that won the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[12] Later that year, he captained the under-17 team at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[13] He subsequently progressed to the Netherlands U21 team, earning 15 caps and scoring once between 2021 and 2024,[6] and was included in the squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Romania.[14]
On 22 September 2022, Taylor made his senior debut for the Netherlands under manager Louis van Gaal, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory against Poland.[15] He was subsequently named in the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, making a brief substitute appearance in the final group stage match against the hosts on 29 November.[16] On 24 March 2023, Taylor played his fourth match – again as a substitute – in a 4–0 loss against France during UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying.[17] He earned his fifth cap two years later, coming on as a substitute in the UEFA Nations League Finals quarter-final second leg against Spain on 23 March 2025.[18]
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Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 August 2025[19]
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
- Eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
- As of match played 23 March 2025[20]
Honours
Ajax[21]
Netherlands U17
Individual
- Eredivisie Talent of the Month: November 2022[23]
References
External links
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