Kerstin Casparij
|
Casparij with Manchester City in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kerstin Yasmijn Casparij[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester City | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Heerenveen | 35 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | VV Alkmaar | 22 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | Heerenveen | 34 | (6) |
| 2020–2022 | Twente | 42 | (4) |
| 2022– | Manchester City | 67 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Netherlands U15 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016 | Netherlands U16 | 9 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | Netherlands U17 | 8 | (3) |
| 2017–2019 | Netherlands U19 | 28 | (9) |
| 2019–2021 | Netherlands U23 | 6 | (0) |
| 2021– | Netherlands | 51 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:20, 14 December 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Kerstin Yasmijn Casparij (Dutch: [ˈkɛrstɪ ɲɑsˈmɛiŋ kɑspaːˈrɛi]; born 19 August 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back or central midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the Netherlands national team.[2]
Club career
First spell at Heerenveen
Casparij made her debut for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie at the age of 15.[3] She made her league debut against Twente on 6 November 2015.[4] Casparij scored her first league goal against Achilles '29 on 23 December 2016, scoring in the 65th minute.[5]
VV Alkmaar
After two years, she moved to VV Alkmaar.[6] She made her league debut against Heerenveen on 1 September 2017.[7] She scored her first league goal against Excelsior on 10 November 2017, scoring in the 45th minute.[8]
Heerenveen (second stint)
After a year at VV Alkmaar, she returned to Heerenveen.[9] During her second spell, she made her league debut against Achilles '29 on 14 September 2018.[10] She scored a hat trick, which was also her first goals for the club during her second spell, against Achilles '29 on 27 November 2018.[11]
Twente
She joined Twente in 2020.[12] Casparij made her league debut against Ajax on 6 September 2020.[13] She scored her first league goal against PEC Zwolle on 11 September 2020, scoring in the 82nd minute.[14]
Manchester City
On 26 July 2022, Casparij joined Women's Super League club Manchester City on a three-year deal.[15] She was signed to replace Lucy Bronze.[16] Casparij made her league debut against Chelsea on 25 September 2022.[17]
Along with Rico Lewis, Casparij was named as the club's PFA Community Champions on 24 May 2024.[18]
International career
Casparij has played for Netherlands youth teams in several age groups. She made her senior team debut on 22 October 2021 as an 83rd-minute substitute for Daniëlle van de Donk in a 8–0 win against Cyprus.[19]
On 31 May 2023, she was named as part of the Netherlands provisional squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[20]
Personal life
Casparij is queer[21] and a lesbian.[22] As of 2025, she is dating Ruth Brown, a woman who she met on Tinder and does not work in football.[23][24][22][25]
Casparij is supportive of trans people, dedicating her goal in the 20 April 2025 match against Everton to "all my trans siblings, who’ve had an incredibly tough & heartbreaking week", in the wake of the UK Supreme Court judgement in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.[22][26][27] In September 2025, she became a patron of the LGBT Foundation[24][28] and will help with fundraising for safe spaces for queer women in the community.[24]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 14 December 2025[2]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Heerenveen | 2015–16 | Eredivisie | 13 | 0 | ? | ? | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 22 | 1 | ? | ? | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 35 | 1 | ? | ? | — | — | 35 | 1 | ||||
| VV Alkmaar | 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 22 | 2 | ? | 0 | — | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Heerenveen | 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 23 | 5 | ? | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| 2019–20 | 11 | 1 | ? | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Total | 34 | 6 | ? | ? | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 6 | |||
| FC Twente | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 20 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 26 | 5 | |
| 2021–22 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 57 | 6 | ||
| Manchester City | 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Total | 67 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 100 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 200 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 249 | 20 | ||
- ^ Includes KNVB Women's Cup, Women's FA Cup
- ^ Includes Eredivisie Cup, FA WSL Cup
International
- As of match played 2 December 2025[2]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 0 | |
Honours
Twente
- Eredivisie: 2020–21, 2021–22
- Eredivisie Cup: 2021–22
References
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: Netherlands (NED)" (PDF). FIFA. 11 July 2023. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Kerstin Casparij at Soccerway
- ^ Kelsey, George (26 July 2022). "Kerstin Casparij: 10 Things You Didn't Know". Manchester City F.C.
- ^ "Heerenveen vs Twente - 6 November 2015". Soccerway.
- ^ "Achilles '29 vs Heerenveen - 23 December 2016". Soccerway.
- ^ "16-jarige Casparij maakt overstap van Heerenveen naar Alkmaar". Sportnieuws (in Dutch). 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Heerenveen vs Alkmaar - 1 September 2017". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Excelsior vs Alkmaar - 10 November 2017". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Kerstin Casparij: "Die twee jaar zijn wel erg belangrijk geweest"". Twente Fans (in Dutch). 1 January 2023. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Achilles '29 vs Heerenveen - 14 September 2018". Soccerway.
- ^ "Heerenveen vs Achilles '29 - 27 November 2018". Soccerway.
- ^ Stoelwinder, Dennis. "Kerstin Casparij zet voetbalcarrière voort bij FC Twente". Groot Heerenveen (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Ajax vs Twente - 6 September 2020". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Twente vs PEC Zwolle - 11 September 2020". Soccerway.
- ^ "Oranje Leeuwin Kerstin Casparij maakt droomtransfer naar Manchester City: 'Ik ben dolgelukkig'" (in Dutch). 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Kerstin Casparij: Man City sign Dutch defender to replace Barcelona-bound Lucy Bronze". Sky Sports. 26 July 2022.
- ^ "Chelsea vs Manchester City - 25 September 2022". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Lewis and Casparih Pick Up Community Award". Manchester City F.C. 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Kerstin Casparij maakt debuut in Oranje". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). 23 October 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ White, Mark (5 June 2023). "Netherlands Women's World Cup 2023 squad: 30-player preliminary team named". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Casparaij, Kestin [@kerstin_casparij]; (11 October 2024). "Happy international coming out day! 🏳️🌈👩❤️💋👩🏳️⚧️⚧️ [...]". Retrieved 17 September 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c Peters, Alex (20 May 2025). "Man City's Kerstin Casparij on FA trans ban: 'It breaks my heart'". Dazed. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ Parker Humphreys, Jessy (5 February 2025). "Kerstin Casparij: Manchester City's cult hero of post-match puns on creating a community of 'lovely people'". The Athletic. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ a b c Chantelle Billson (17 September 2025). "Manchester City star Kerstin Casparij urges cis women to 'look out for your trans sisters'". Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ Wrack, Suzanne (29 December 2024). "Manchester City's Kerstin Casparij: 'When you think it can't get any more detailed, it can'". The Guardian.
- ^ Stillman, Andrew J. (21 April 2025). "'More Kerstin Casparij and less JK Rowling,' soccer fans react to this trans ally moment". Pride.com. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ Buzinski, Jim (20 April 2025). "Soccer star dedicates goal to trans women after U.K. court ruling: 'You are women no matter what anyone says'". Outsports. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Manchester City Women's Kerstin Casparij Announced as LGBT Foundation's Newest Patron" (Press release). LGBT Foundation. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
External links
- Kerstin Casparij at WorldFootball.net
- Senior national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Under-23 national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Under-19 national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Under-17 national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Under-16 national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)
- Under-15 national team profile at Onsoranje.nl (in Dutch)