Michael Jeroen Maarten Michiel de Leeuw (born 7 October 1986) is a Dutch professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward for
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...
club
Willem II.
Career
Born in
Goirle
Goirle () is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Part of the suburban area of the city of Tilburg, it shares with it its phone area code and public transport system.
The municipality also includes ...
, De Leeuw began his career at amateur clubs DWC and RKTVV before joining the youth department of
Willem II. He never broke through to the first team, and therefore chose to play for
BV Veendam
Sportclub Veendam () was a Dutch professional association football club based in Veendam, province of Groningen. Founded on 4 September 1894 as Look-Out, it became P.J. Veendam in 1909, Veendam in 1910, SC Veendam in 1974, BV Veendam in 1997 a ...
in the Dutch second division.
Veendam
De Leeuw was placed as a striker in his first year for Veendam, and he was an immediate success, scoring 25 goals in 36 league matches. At the end of the year, he won the topscorer award and the award for 'Talent of the Year', for the most talented player of the season. He was chased by several clubs in the
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
and clubs abroad, but in the end chose to stay in Veendam.
Groningen
On 22 May 2012,
FC Groningen announced that they had signed De Leeuw. He helped the club win the
KNVB Cup in 2014–15 against defending champions
PEC Zwolle
PEC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. They have played in the Eredivisie for a total ...
. It was their first major trophy and they qualified for the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
.
Chicago Fire
On 17 May 2016, the
Chicago Fire announced they have signed De Leeuw to a three-year deal through 2018 with a club option for 2019.
In his first season with Chicago, De Leeuw contributed seven goals and three assists across 17 games. In his second season with Chicago, de Leeuw's role switched to supporting striker behind
Nemanja Nikolić, who led the league in scoring in 2017. In his new role, De Leeuw contributed a career high eight assists along with three goals. His season was cut short by a ruptured ACL injury suffered against New York City FC on 30 September 2017. De Leeuw was released by Chicago at the end of their 2018 season.
Emmen
On 31 December 2018, De Leeuw signed a one-and-a-half year deal with
FC Emmen with an option for an additional year.
Return to Groningen
On 26 March 2021, De Leeuw returned to Groningen when he signed a contract for the 2021–22 season. On 26 October, he scored his first goal back with the team in a 2–0 victory over
AZ.
Return to Willem II
On 10 August 2022, de Leeuw returned to his youth club
Willem II on a two-year contract.
Career statistics
Honours
Groningen
*
KNVB Cup:
2014–15
References
External links
Michael de Leeuwat ''
Voetbal International
''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running.
History and Profile
''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM but le ...
'' –
Michael de Leeuwat
Chicago Fire Soccer Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeuw, Michael de
1986 births
Living people
People from Goirle
Association football forwards
Dutch footballers
Eredivisie players
Eerste Divisie players
Major League Soccer players
Willem II (football club) players
FC Groningen players
SC Veendam players
De Graafschap players
FC Emmen players
Chicago Fire FC players
Dutch expatriate footballers
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Footballers from North Brabant