Sontje Hansen

Misjonne Juniffer Naigelino "Sontje" Hansen (born 18 May 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

Sontje Hansen

Hansen with NEC in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Misjonne Juniffer Naigelino Hansen[1]
Date of birth	(2002-05-18) 18 May 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth	Hoorn, Netherlands
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Middlesbrough
Youth career
2007–2011	HSV Sport 1889
2011–2012	Zwaluwen '30
2012–2013	Always Forward
2013–2023	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Jong Ajax	84	(13)
2019–2023	Ajax	1	(0)
2023–2025	NEC	65	(12)
2025–	Middlesbrough	0	(0)
International career‡
2017	Netherlands U15	5	(2)
2017–2018	Netherlands U16	7	(2)
2018–2019	Netherlands U17	24	(13)
2019	Netherlands U18	3	(0)
2023–	Netherlands U21	6	(1)
Medal record Representing  Netherlands UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner Ireland 2019 U-17 Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2025

Early life and career

Born in Hoorn, Hansen began his football career at the age of five with local amateur club HSV Sport 1889, where his older brother Ricky also played. Their mother, Sonaida, raised them as a single parent and faced challenges, including a lengthy sick leave, which made it difficult to cover club fees and football gear expenses.^[3] In their time of need, the Leergeld West-Friesland Foundation stepped in, providing assistance to families with limited financial means. Thanks to this support, Hansen was able to pursue his development at the club. In 2011, he moved to Zwaluwen '30, and two years later, he earned admission to the Ajax Youth Academy.^[3]

Club career

Ajax

Hansen signed his first senior contract with Ajax in May 2018, keeping him at the club until 2021.^[4]

On 13 December 2019, he made his professional football debut for Jong Ajax, starting in an Eerste Divisie match against Cambuur and immediately scoring his first goal as Ajax secured a 2–0 away victory.^[5] Five days later, he made his first-team debut for Ajax on 18 December 2019 in a KNVB Cup match against Telstar. Four days later again, on 22 December, he played his first Eredivisie match against ADO Den Haag, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute.^[6]

In the 2020–21 season, he played for Jong Ajax again, participating in 28 out of 33 matches and contributing with three goals and five assists.^[2] During the first half of the 2021–22 season, a knee injury sidelined him for nearly two months, and after recovery, he struggled to regain form, managing only three goals and two assists in 23 matches.^[2]

On 22 August 2022, he had a standout performance, scoring twice and providing one assist against De Graafschap in a 5–1 victory.^[7] However, for the remainder of the season, he only scored two more goals. In a total of 84 matches with Jong Ajax between 2019 and 2023, he ended up scoring thirteen goals and providing thirteen assists.^[2]

NEC

On 8 May 2023, it was officially announced that Hansen would join fellow Eredivisie side NEC at the start of the 2023–24 season, signing a five-year contract with the club.^[8][9][10] He made his competitive debut for the club on the first matchday of the season, also scoring his first goal for NEC in a 4–3 home loss to Excelsior on 13 August.^[11]

Middlesbrough

On 13 August 2025, Hansen signed for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough for an undisclosed transfer fee.^[12]

International career

Hansen has been a part of the Netherlands national youth football teams since February 2017. In May 2019, he won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship with the Netherlands U17 team and became the top goalscorer of the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, with six goals.^[13]

During his time with the Netherlands under-17 team, he scored 13 goals in 24 matches, with only Daishawn Redan (20) and Brian Brobbey (16) scoring more for the team. Additionally, he featured in the under-15, under-16, and under-18 national teams.^[14]

On 8 September 2023, he made his debut for the Netherlands under-21 team with an assist to NEC Nijmegen teammate Dirk Proper in a 3–0 victory over Moldova U21.^[15]

Career statistics

As of match played 13 August 2025^[2]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Jong Ajax	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	10	3	—		—		—		10	3
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	28	3	—		—		—		28	3
	2021–22	Eerste Divisie	23	3	—		—		—		23	3
	2022–23	Eerste Divisie	23	4	—		—		—		23	4
	Total		84	13	—		—		—		84	13
Ajax	2019–20	Eredivisie	1	0	1	0	—		—		2	0
NEC	2023–24	Eredivisie	33	6	5	0	—		—		38	6
	2024–25	Eredivisie	32	6	2	1	—		—		34	7
	Total		65	12	7	1	—		—		72	13
Middlesbrough	2025–26	EFL Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Career total			150	25	8	1	0	0	0	0	158	26

Honours

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2019^[16]

Individual

• FIFA U-17 World Cup Golden Boot: 2019
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2019^[17]