Kenneth Taylor (footballer, born 2002)

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]

Kenneth Taylor

Taylor lining up for Ajax in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Ina Dorothea Taylor[1]
Date of birth	(2002-05-16) 16 May 2002 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth	Alkmaar, Netherlands
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Ajax
Number	8
Youth career
0000–2010	SV De Foresters
2010–2019	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	Jong Ajax	60	(14)
2020–	Ajax	117	(23)
International career‡
2017	Netherlands U15	5	(0)
2017–2018	Netherlands U16	6	(1)
2018–2019	Netherlands U17	14	(4)
2021–	Netherlands U21	15	(1)
2022–	Netherlands	5	(0)
Medal record Representing  Netherlands UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner Ireland 2019 U-17 Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:16, 17 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23 March 2025 (UTC)

Club career

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 with Ajax in 2023.

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]

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]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 August 2025^[19]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong Ajax	2018–19	Eerste Divisie	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	19	0	—		—		—		19	0
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	29	7	—		—		—		29	7
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	11	7	—		—		—		11	7
	Total		60	14	—		—		—		60	14
Ajax	2020–21	Eredivisie	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2021–22	Eredivisie	13	1	3	1	3[a]	0	0	0	19	2
	2022–23	Eredivisie	32	8	3	1	8[b]	0	1[c]	0	44	9
	2023–24	Eredivisie	34	5	1	0	12[d]	3	—		47	8
	2024–25	Eredivisie	33	9	2	0	17[e]	6	—		52	15
	2025–26	Eredivisie	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		2	0
	Total		117	23	9	2	40	9	1	0	167	34
Career total			177	37	9	2	40	9	1	0	227	47

1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
2. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
4. Eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 23 March 2025^[20]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Netherlands	2022	3	0
	2023	1	0
	2025	1	0
Total		5	0

Honours

Ajax^[21]

• Eredivisie: 2020–21, 2021–22
• KNVB Cup: 2020–21

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2019^[22]

Individual

• Eredivisie Talent of the Month: November 2022^[23]

• Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2022–23^[24]