Djenairo Daniels
Surinamese association football player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Djenairo Gillian Noell Daniels (born 7 January 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Suriname national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Djenairo Gillian Noell Daniels | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Spijkenisse, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kilmarnock | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2018 | Almere City | ||
| 2018–2020 | PSV | ||
| 2021–2022 | Utrecht | ||
| 2021–2022 | → Sassuolo (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Jong PSV | 3 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Jong Utrecht | 7 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Sassuolo (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Pacific FC | 44 | (6) |
| 2024 | Leixões | 14 | (0) |
| 2024 | Fram | 12 | (2) |
| 2025 | Cork City | 12 | (5) |
| 2025– | Kilmarnock | 7 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Netherlands U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Netherlands U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2025– | Suriname | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:02, 8 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:57, 10 October 2025 | |||
Early life
At age 11, he had a trial with the youth system of PSV Eindhoven,[1] but then joined the youth system of Almere City, where he played for the next six years.[2][3] In July 2018, he joined the youth system of PSV Eindhoven at the age of sixteen, signing a three-year contract.[4]
Club career
He made his senior debut for PSV's second team Jong PSV in the second tier Eerste Divisie on 29 August 2020 against Excelsior Rotterdam.[5] He scored his first professional goal on 2 October 2020 against SC Telstar.[6] After not getting any opportunities with the first team, he was allowed to leave the club in January 2021.[7]
In January 2021, he signed a contract with FC Utrecht until 2023 with an option for a further season,[8][9] where he would initially join the second team Jong Utrecht.[10] In September 2021, he went on loan to Italian club Sassuolo, with an option to purchase him permanently at the conclusion of the loan.[11] He was assigned to the Sassuolo U19 squad.[12][13] In February 2022, his loan was terminated[14] and he also terminated his contract with Utrecht by mutual consent.[15][16]
In February 2022, he signed with Canadian Premier League club Pacific FC.[17][18] Daniels scored his first goal for Pacific on 30 June, netting the opener in an eventual 3–3 draw with Cavalry FC.[19] After the season, he re-signed with the club for the 2023 season.[20][21] On 21 July, he was injured in a match against Forge FC, being stretchered out and taken to hospital later being diagnosed with a concussion.[22][23][24] After the 2023 season, he departed the club.[25]
In February 2024, Daniels joined Liga Portugal 2 club Leixões.[26][27]
He spent the second half of 2024 playing for Icelandic side Fram, scoring two goals in 12 games for the club.[28]
On 21 April 2025, Daniels signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Cork City on a short-term deal until July.[29] He scored five goals in 12 appearances during his short time with the club.[30]
On 7 July 2025, he signed for Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock on a two-year contract.[31]
International career
Born in the Netherlands, Daniels is of Surinamese descent.[32] He was named to the Netherlands U17 roster for the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[33][34] He also was named to the Netherlands U18 in a four nations mini-tournament in 2019.[35]
In August 2025, Daniels began filing the required paperwork to play for Suriname at international level.[36] On 30 September 2025, he was called up to the national team for the first time ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Guatemala and Panama.[37] He made his debut for Suriname, during the 1–1 draw against Guatemala on 10 October 2025, as a second-half substitute, but he had to be substituted out himself due to injury.[38]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played on 4 October 2025[39]
| 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 | ||
| Jong PSV | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Jong Utrecht | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Pacific | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 28 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Canadian Premier League | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2[e] | 0 | 26 | 3 | |||
| Total | 44 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 54 | 6 | |||
| Leixões | 2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Fram | 2024 | Besta deild karla | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 2 | |||
| Cork City | 2025 | LOI Premier Division | 12 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | ||||
| Kilmarnock | 2025–26 | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 13 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 99 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 115 | 18 | ||
- Includes Canadian Championship
- Includes Scottish League Cup
- Appearances in the CONCACAF League
- Appearance in the 2022 Canadian Premier League Playoffs
- Appearances in the 2023 Canadian Premier League Playoffs
International
- As of match played 10 October 2025[39]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suriname | 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |