Bryan Smeets
Dutch footballer (born 1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bryan George Jeffrey Smeets (born 22 November 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eerste Divisie club MVV.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bryan George Jeffrey Smeets[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Maastricht, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | MVV | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| MVV | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2015 | MVV | 144 | (23) |
| 2015–2017 | De Graafschap | 52 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | Cambuur | 7 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | TOP Oss | 37 | (12) |
| 2019–2022 | Sparta Rotterdam | 68 | (10) |
| 2022 | Lommel | 10 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | RWD Molenbeek | 14 | (0) |
| 2023– | MVV | 67 | (14) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 May 2025 | |||
Club career
He formerly played for MVV Maastricht, De Graafschap and SC Cambuur. He is best known the myth of Bryan scoring the equalizer against Ajax in 2016, which dramatically decided the winner of the Eredivisie title to be PSV Eindhoven.
On 1 February 2022, Smeets signed with Lommel in Belgium.[2]
Only months later, on 18 May 2022, Smeets was announced as the first signing ahead of the 2022–23 season for RWDM.[3] He signed a two-year deal with an option for an additional year.[3] In December 2022, he was told by club management that he was unwanted and could leave.[4] In April 2023, he started practicing with his former club De Graafschap.[5]
Smeets returned to MVV Maastricht in June 2023, signing a three-year contract through 30 June 2026.[6][7] Local media described him during the 2024–25 season as him as MVV's playmaker and "architect" in midfield[8][9]
Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Smeets requested a transfer, and MVV confirmed that he had been excused from first-team duties while he sought a move.[10] When no deal materialised, he was demoted to the under-21 squad, and in September 2025, it was announced that he would remain outside the senior squad at least until the winter break.[11][12]
International career
He was part of the Netherlands squad at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Career statistics
- As of match played 9 May 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MVV | 2009–10 | Eerste Divisie | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | Eerste Divisie | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | Eerste Divisie | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2[b] | 0 | 28 | 4 | |
| 2012–13 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2[b] | 0 | 35 | 10 | |
| 2013–14 | Eerste Divisie | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 5 | ||
| 2014–15 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 6 | ||
| Total | 144 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 157 | 25 | ||
| De Graafschap | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 33 | 2 |
| 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 3 | ||
| Total | 52 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 58 | 5 | ||
| Cambuur | 2017–18 | Eerste Divisie | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
| TOP Oss | 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 37 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 41 | 12 |
| Sparta Rotterdam | 2019–20[c] | Eredivisie | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 4 | |
| 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 27 | 4 | |
| 2021–22 | Eerste Divisie | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 68 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 10 | ||
| Lommel | 2021–22 | First Division B | 10 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| RWD Molenbeek | 2022–23 | Challenger Pro League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| MVV | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 10 | |
| 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 34 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 36 | 5 | ||
| Total | 67 | 15 | 3 | 0 | — | 70 | 15 | |||
| Career total | 399 | 65 | 20 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 433 | 68 | ||
- Includes KNVB Cup, Belgian Cup
- Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
- Season curtailed due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
- Appearance(s) in Eredivisie European play-offs