Ella Van Kerkhoven
Belgian footballer (born 1993)
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Ella Van Kerkhoven (born 20 November 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Belgium national team. She previously played for Oud-Heverlee Leuven and RSC Anderlecht in Belgium, as well as Inter Milan in Italy.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ella Van Kerkhoven[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Leuven, Belgium | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Feyenoord | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Oud-Heverlee Leuven | 67 | (8) |
| 2015–2019 | Anderlecht | (27) | |
| 2019–2020 | Inter Milan | 9 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Gent | 13 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | Anderlecht | 4 | (2) |
| 2022–2023 | OH Leuven | 25 | (21) |
| 2023–2024 | Genk | 4 | (6) |
| 2024– | Feyenoord | 28 | (18) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | Belgium U19 | 17 | (1) |
| 2018– | Belgium | 27 | (15) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 December 2024[2] | |||
Club career
Van Kerkhoven started her career with Oud-Heverlee Leuven and joined Anderlecht in 2015.[3] During the 2017–18 season, she was the league's top goalscorer with 29 goals in 25 games.[4] In August 2019, Van Kerkhoven transferred to Inter Milan of the Italian Serie A.[5] before returning to Anderlecht on 21 June 2021.[6] On 20 June 2022, Van Kerkhoven was announced at Oud-Heverlee Leuven.[3]
On 1 February 2024, Van Kerkhoven was announced at Feyenoord on an eighteen-month contract.[7]
International career
Van Kerkhoven made her debut for the Belgium national team on 31 August 2018, in a 1–0 win over Romania in Botoșani. She scored the winning goal after entering play as a second half substitute.[8]
She was named in the Belgium squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2022 in England, where the Red Flames were beaten in the quarter-finals 1-0 by Sweden. She went on to contribute to Belgium's successful qualification for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 via the play-offs, starting both legs of the play-off final against Ukraine, scoring in the 2-0 first-leg victory in Antalya.[9][10]
On 11 June 2025, Van Kerkhoven was called up to the Belgium squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[11]
Personal life
Van Kerkhoven is in a relationship with Belgian footballer Diede Lemey.[12] She is not related to former Belgian international Nico Van Kerkhoven.
Career statistics
International
: As of match played 29 November 2024[13]
| G | C | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 31 August 2018 | Stadionul Municipal, Botoșani, Romania |  Romania | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 9 | 24 May 2019 | Municipal Stadium, Pylos, Greece |  Greece | 0–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 10 | 1 June 2019 | Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium |  Thailand | 1–0 | 6–1 | |
| 4 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 5 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 11 | 29 August 2019 |  England | 2–2 | 3–3 | ||
| 7 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 8 | 16 | 23 June 2022 | Herman Vanderpoortenstadion, Lier, Belgium |  Northern Ireland | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| 9 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 10 | 21 | 6 September 2022 | FFA Academy Stadium, Armenia |  Armenia | 0–2 | 0–7 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 0–5 | ||||||
| 12 | 0–6 | ||||||
| 13 | 23 | 12 November 2022 | Joseph Marien Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Slovakia | 7–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 25 | 29 October 2024 | Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium | Greece | 1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs |
| 15 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 16 | 26 | 29 November 2024 | Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey |  Ukraine | 1–0 | 2–0 | |