Manon Melis

Gabriëlla Maria "Manon" Melis (Dutch pronunciation: [ɣaːbriˈɛlaː maːˈriaː maːˈnɔn ˈmeːlɪs]; born 31 August 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward and for nine years was the all-time top goal scorer for the Netherlands women's national football team. She spent most of her career playing in the Swedish league Damallsvenskan, which she won three times with her club LdB FC Malmö, in 2010, 2011, and 2013. In 2011, she also won the Swedish Supercup with Malmö. She had one-year spells with the Swedish teams Linköpings and Göteborg. Three times she was crowned the Damallsvenskan top scorer, in 2008, 2010, and 2011. At the end of her career, in 2016, she moved to the National Women's Soccer League in the US, playing for Seattle Reign, alongside World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo.

Manon Melis
Melis playing for the Netherlands in 2013
Personal information
Full name Gabriëlla Maria Melis
Date of birth (1986-08-31) 31 August 1986
Place of birth Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Forward[1]
Youth career
RVVH
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2006 RVVH
2006–2007 Be Quick '28
2007–2011 LdB FC Malmö 103 (84)
2011–2012 Sky Blue FC
2012 Linköpings FC 21 (16)
2013 LdB FC Malmö 21 (11)
2014–2016 Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 42 (25)
2016 Seattle Reign FC 16 (7)
National team
2001–2002 Netherlands Under 17 9 (3)
2003–2004 Netherlands Under 19 21 (13)
2004–2016 Netherlands 136 (59)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Melis made her debut for the Dutch national team in 2004 at the age of 17. Her goals helped the Dutch qualify for their first major finals, the UEFA Women's Euro 2009. At the final group game against Denmark she scored a crucial goal, sending them through to the quarter-finals. In a penalty shoot-out against France, she kept her nerves and scored, as did enough of her teammates to progress. In the semi-final they were eliminated by England. At the Euros 2013 in Sweden and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada she played all matches for her country, a total of seven combined, but did not score. When she retired from international football in 2016, she had earned 136 caps and scored 59 goals.

Melis currently is manager women's football development at Feyenoord, with the goal of creating a first team that competes in the Dutch Eredivisie and is supported by youth and reserve teams. She is the daughter of former Feyenoord player Harry Melis.

Early life

Manon Melis was born on 31 August 1986 in Rotterdam.[1] Her father is Harry Melis, a former professional football player who played as a winger in the Dutch Eredivisie for Feyenoord, ADO Den Haag, and DS'79.[2][3] At a young age she expressed her desire to follow in his footsteps.[4] She started playing organised football in 1993 for RVVH in Ridderkerk, where she initially played in the girls team.[4][5] The Royal Dutch Football Association soon advised the talented young Melis to play with and against boys, a scheme the association had introduced in 1986.[6][7] She enjoyed the more challenging environment, all the way up to the highest youth teams. Girls playing football was still unusual and she later reported that her direct opponents often were ridiculed for having to duel with a girl.[6] In 2012, Melis observed that most of her teammates at the senior national team had played in boys teams in their youth.[3]

She once was a ball girl at a match of the national team played at Sparta Rotterdam's venue Het Kasteel. From early on she has been a Feyenoord fan. When growing up her favourite players were Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Henrik Larsson.[5]

Club career

RVVH

At the senior level Melis continued to play for RVVH, but was no longer allowed to play in mixed teams and had to switch to the club's only women's team. Teammate Leonne Stentler, who had joined her in the boys teams and who ended up playing 16 caps for the Dutch national team, transitioned with her to the women's league and later remarked that the drop in level affected their motivation.[8][9] Other internationals at the club were Jeanine van Dalen and Sandra Muller.[10] For two seasons she played in the highest amateur league of women's football in the Netherlands.[6] There was no professional league in the Netherlands at the time.[11] The women had to make their own way for away games; unlike for the men the club did not organise transport for them.[8] RVVH did not win the league during Melis's tenure.[12]

Be Quick '28

In 2006, Melis had an offer to play in the German Frauen-Bundesliga, for Duisburg. She declined the offer. Her dream was to be able to fully focus on football, but this offer meant she had to find other work as well, which, unable to speak German fluently, seemed daunting. She decided to stay in the highest Dutch league and accept an offer from Be Quick '28 in Zwolle, because of their more intensive training regime. Zwolle being too far to commute to daily from Ridderkerk, she rented a room in Zwolle.[13][14] She joined Sylvia Smit, with whom she had played in the national team, in attack.[15][16] Melis only played a few months for Be Quick.[17]

LdB FC Malmö

In January 2007, at the age of 20 she moved abroad to play professionally for LdB FC Malmö in the Swedish league Damallsvenskan, one of the strongest leagues in the world according to FIFA.[3][17] She later recalled that the women's game was far more advanced in Sweden than in the Netherlands, both in terms of professionalism, examplified by the number of times and intensity of training, and of media coverage.[6] Malmö had finished in fourth place the previous season and signed her to challenge champions Umeå IK. She joined teammates Ásthildur Helgadóttir, an Iceland international, and Caroline Jönsson, Sweden's goalkeeper, in the pursuit of the 2007 title of the 12-teams league.[18] In her first home game, against Örebro in front of 1,013 spectators, she scored twice.[19] In her first season she scored ten goals, and ended up the club's top scorer, ahead of Helgadóttir, but her tally was dwarfed by Lotta Schelin of Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC who scored 26.[20][21] Malmö finished third as Umeå won the league.[22]

In her second season at Malmö Melis scored a crucial goal in a heated match with Umeå, in which Brazilian star Marta was shown a red card. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.[23] Umeå ended up winning the league again, a fourth consecutive title.[24] Malmö came third again but fewer points behind the winner than in Melis's first season.[25] Melis shared the league's top scorer spot that season with Marta, each scoring 23 goals. Prior to the season's last game, Marta was on 17, but she managed to catch up with Melis by scoring six times in an 11–1 win over relegated Bälinge.[24][26] In November 2008 she was nominated for the Forward of the Year award at the annual Swedish Football Gala, with legendary Brazilian football star Pelé handing out awards.[27] Marta won the award.[28]

In the 2009 season Melis played 20 games in which she scored 10 goals. She shared the club's top scorer spot with Frida Nordin.[29] Despite a notable series early on in the season in which Malmö scored seven goals three games in a row, with Melis scoring a hat-trick in one of them, they finished in fourth place, as Linköpings took the title.[30][31][32] Linköping also eliminated Malmö in the third round of the domestic cup, Svenska Cupen Damer.[33]

In her fourth season at the club Melis finally won the league. She surpassed her 2008 goal tally of 23 by scoring 25 goals in 22 games and was crowned Damallsvenskan 2010 top scorer.[34] Malmö finished 11 points ahead of number two, Göteborg, thus securing a place in the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League.[35] She scored hat-tricks in key matches: in the 5–3 defeat of Göteborg early on in the season, and in the 4–0 away win over old rivals Umeå in June.[36][37] She also scored a crucial goal in a 2–1 win over champions Linköpings.[38] In the final game of the season Melis scored twice in another big defeat of Umeå.[39] In the domestic cup she scored twice in a notable 11–1 win over Asarums in the third round.[40] In the quarter-finals Örebro eliminated Malmö.[41] In November 2010 she won the awards for Forward of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the Damallsvenskan.[42] In their description of the history of Damallsvenskan the Swedish Football Association wrote that the 2010 season saw some of the stars leaving the league and, consequently, audience numbers going down, and thus a decrease in sponsor funds, which is needed to attract new stars.[35]

In her first Supercup, held just prior to the start of the 2011 Damallsvenskan season between league champions Malmö and cup winners Örebro, Melis scored the winning goal in extra time. It was a simple tap-in when the ball rebounded off the cross-bar from a Sarah Storck shot.[43] Melis helped Malmö successfully defend their title.[44] With three games to play Melis scored the winning goal in a 2–1 defeat of Kristianstad, keeping Malmö in the race with leaders Tyresö and rivals Göteborg and Umeå.[45][46] Tyresö lost their last two games, where Malmö won both, staying ahead of Göteborg by one point.[46] Melis played both crucial last games but did not score.[47][48] In the domestic cup, Malmö again stranded in the quarter-finals. This time it was Linköping that, despite Melis's opening goal putting Malmö in the lead at half-time, defeated her team, 2–1.[49] Melis was again crowned Damallsvenskan top scorer, with 16 goals from 21 games, sharing the honour with Kristianstads' Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir.[50] For five straight seasons she was Malmö's top scorer.[44] Melis played her first ever Champions League game on 29 September 2011, in Italy against Tavagnacco. In the return leg she scored twice to secure a 5–0 win and progress to the next round. The next opponent was SV Neulengbach from Austria. Melis scored once in the away leg of the tie, helping her club to a 3–1 win and comfortable position for the return match. This home game, on 10 November 2011, was her last game at the club. Melis scored the only goal of the match. This meant Malmö progressed to the quarter-finals, scheduled for March 2012.[51][52][53]

Sky Blue FC

In November 2011 she announced she was moving from Malmö to Sky Blue FC, based in Harrison, New Jersey, to play in the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league.[54] Sky Blue FC head coach Jim Gabarra said because the WPS defenses were quick and physical he needed a fast forward player.[55] Daphne Koster, with whom Melis played at the Dutch national team, played for Sky Blue the year before.[56] Before Melis could play for Sky Blue the WPS suspended operations in January 2012, due to a legal dispute with an ousted owner. This left many players, including Melis, scrambling to find a new club.[57]

Linköpings FC

In February 2012, Melis signed for Linköpings, ahead of the 2012 season start in April. Coach Jörgen Petersson called her "a strong addition to an already very interesting player squad".[58] Her colleague in attack was the Australian Lisa De Vanna, also a fast player. Reflecting on her years of experience in the Swedish league Melis said "I think the league is more equal and harder than previous years. There are so many internationals and good players in the league."[3] She was assigned the jersey number 9.[59] The club did not start the season well, but she kept her scoring ability.[60][3] A 2–1 defeat at the hands of Kristianstad in an early round meant that Melis again did not see success in the domestic cup.[61] She had more success in an 11–0 win over Djurgården, scoring four times.[62] In June she faced her old club Malmö at the venue she had played for five years. In the sixth minute she scored the game's opening goal, on an assist from Louise Schillgard. Malmö managed to come back from behind and defeated Melis and her new team 2–1.[63] The second encounter with her old teammates, in August, was equally unsuccessful. Malmö took an early lead before Melis equalised for Linköpings. She provided an assist to Jonna Andersson who put Linköpings ahead. But Malmö fought back and mostly due to a hat-trick by German international Anja Mittag won 3–5.[59] Linköping finished third in the league, 16 points behind Tyresö and Malmö, with Tyresö, now with Marta, taking the title in a dramatic last match of the season.[64] Melis scored 16 goals from 21 games, finishing third on the top scorers list behind Mittag and Göteborg's Christen Press.[65]

LdB FC Malmö

Melis agreed a return to Malmö in December 2012 for the 2013 Damallsvenskan season, regaining her number 14 jersey and joining Mittag in attack.[51][66] In the away game against her former club Linköping Melis did not manage to score, and Malmö lost 3–1, with Danish international Pernille Harder scoring twice.[67] In the reverse fixture a few months later Malmö beat Linköping convincingly 4–0; Melis scored the second goal of the match on an assist from Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir.[68] A 3–2 away win over defending champions Tyresö was a turning point for the club's season, although with about 20 minutes to go and one player and 2–1 down a win seemed unlikely.[69] In her last ever home game at the Malmö IP stadium, against old rivals Umeå, she scored the opening goal in front of over 2,500 spectators. Malmö went on to win 2–0.[70] Unlike the previous season's dramatic ending, this time the champions were already known by the final match of the year, Malmö. They rested their star players, including Melis, in a game against already relegated Mallbacken.[71] With the score still 1–1 and just 16 minutes left to play, Melis, Ramona Bachmann and Therese Sjögran were brought on, but to no avail.[72] Nevertheless, she collected her third Damallsvenskan winner's medal, as her team finished seven points ahead of number two, Tyresö.[51][71] She scored 11 goals in 21 league matches, two goals fewer than her teammate Mittag and 12 fewer than the league's top scorer Press.[73]

Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Melis playing for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in 2014

In November 2013, Melis was offered a lucrative contract from Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC she could not refuse, despite being happy at Malmö.[74] Göteborg had seen key players depart, notably midfielders Yael Averbuch, Marie Hammarström, Anita Asante and Johanna Almgren, and needed to invest in strong players to contend for the title again.[75] The club's subsequent signings included Dutch internationals Lieke Martens and goalkeeper Loes Geurts.[76][77] The Dutchwomen's first competitive match together in Sweden was a cup tie. Melis scored in the last minute but could not prevent a 3–1 defeat at the hands of her old club Linköping, which meant she again was knocked out of the domestic cup early.[78] Göteborg started the 2014 Damallsvenskan season well with a 5–0 away win over Vittsjö GIK; Melis scored a hat-trick, twice on an assist from Göteborg stallwart Sara Lindén.[79] Coach Stefan Rehn said that the team benefitted from Melis and Martens having linked up for years at the Netherlands national team. He had noticed in training how Martens held up the ball for an extra second so Melis could make her runs.[80] Melis's return to the Malmö IP stadium yielded a disappointing result. Malmö, which had merged with FC Rosengård 1917 and now played under the new name of FC Rosengård, won 5–0.[81] In a notable match in July 2014 against Jitex BK she scored four goals in the first 20 minutes.[82] In the penultimate game of the season, with Rosengård already title winners, Göteborg lost sight of second place due to a 3–2 defeat at Kristianstad, despite Melis scoring twice.[83] This meant that Rosengård and Örebro qualified for the 2015 Champions League.[84] Melis ended the season in second place on the top scorers list, far behind Mittag, who scored 23 versus her 16. The two foreigners did share the honours for most assists in the season (11).[75]

Melis's final season in Sweden, the 2015 Damallsvenskan was a disappointment. Göteborg only managed to rank sixth in the table. Her old club Rosengård again won the title on the last day of the season in front of season record audience of 4,225 fans.[85] In October 2015, she played her last match in Sweden, a home game against Örebro, with 373 spectators.[51] The club's fourth Dutchwomen Daniëlle van de Donk opened the score early on, from an assist by Melis, but the away team came back strong and the game finished 2–4.[86] Melis ranked sixth on the top scorers list, scoring 9 goals, higher than any of her teammates yet far behind leader Gaëlle Enganamouit of Eskilstuna.[87] After a frustrating season she considered retirement from professional football.[88]

Seattle Reign FC
Melis (centre, 14) with Estelle Johnson during Seattle Reign FC vs Washington Spirit

In November 2015, Melis signed a one-year contract with Seattle Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League for the 2016 season.[88] In an interview she said it was a dream come true to play in the US.[89] Of her signing, Seattle's head coach Laura Harvey said, "Manon is a fantastic talent who will bring something new to our attack next season. We're thrilled to have a player with her experience and consistent record of success at the highest levels of club and international football join our club next season."[90] Other stars playing for Seattle included 2011 FIFA World Cup winners Nahomi Kawasumi and Rumi Utsugi, 2015 World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo, as well as Kim Little.[91] Melis was amazed at the popularity of women's football in the US, exemplified by how her teammate Solo had to travel with hoodie and sunglasses to avoid attention.[6] Seattle's season got off to a bad start with a home defeat at the hands of Melis's old club Sky Blue, ending their streak of 24 undefeated home games in front of a crowd of 4,000.[92] She wore the number 14 jersey.[93] In the next game, away at Boston Breakers, she scored her first goal on US soil, in a 3–0 win.[94] In May, in a game against Portland Thorns FC, she fractured her tibia after landing wrongly on the pitch. She joined Rapinoe and Jess Fishlock on Seattle's injury list and missed the following four games.[95] She came back strong from injury, scoring five goals in five consecutive matches.[51][96] On 25 September 2016 she played the last game of her career, in front of over 5,500 people. She scored in the 60th minute to help Seattle to a 3–2 away win over Houston Dash.[97] Seattle finished the season in fifth place, narrowly missing out on a spot in the play-offs.[98] In 16 appearances she scored seven times, the leading scorer of her club that season.[51][99] Houston's Kealia Watt topped the league's scorer's list with 11 goals.[100] In November 2016, she announced she had decided to retire from professional football.[101]

International career

Early years

After having represented the Netherlands in the youth teams, Melis made her debut for the senior Netherlands women's national football team on 25 April 2004, aged 17. In and against Belgium the Dutch won the UEFA Women's Euro 2005 qualifying match 3–0, with Melis scoring the 2–0 after coming on at half-time.[102][103][104][105] In the next qualification match, at home against Norway in front of 2,000 fans, she again came on as a substitute and only played three minutes.[106] In her fourth cap she was in the starting line-up, in a friendly against England.[107] The Dutch failed to qualify for Euro 2005; Denmark and Norway advanced.[108] Not until her 16th cap did she score again, in a friendly as preparation for the 2007 World Cup qualifiers.[109][110] She did not score in any of the qualifiers and the Dutch again did not qualify for a major tournament, which consequently also meant they would not participate in the 2008 Olympics.[109][111] Almost three years after her debut, in her 34th cap, she scored her third goal for her country, in a 2–0 home win over Italy.[109][112]

Qualification for the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 seemed challenging when the Dutch were drawn in the same group as reigning World Cup champions Germany. The Germans went on to win all their eight qualifier matches, leaving the Dutch to vie with the Swiss and Belgians for a spot in the play-offs.[113] Melis scored in six of the eight matches, only failing to score against the world champions.[109] In the final qualification game she scored twice in a 3–0 win over Belgium, securing the Dutch to progress to the play-offs.[114] They beat Spain 2–0 in both legs of the tie, and thus qualified to a major tournament for the first time in their history.[115][116]

At the finals, the Dutch were drawn in a group with Ukraine, Denmark, and hosts Finland. They started well, scoring two goals in the opening 10 minutes of their first match, against Ukraine. Melis, playing in the number 9 jersey, did not score, but played the whole 90 minutes.[117] The second group match, against Finland in front of a crowd of 15,000, resulted in what the Dutch press called a well-deserved 2–1 defeat, meaning elimination or progression depended on the final group game against Denmark.[118] Despite Denmark having the better of the play, goals by Smit and Melis sent the Dutch through to the quarter-finals with a 2–1 win.[119] Looking back at the end of her career she singled out this goal as the most special one of all her goals for the national team.[101] A tense quarter-final against the technically very capable French was scoreless after 90 minutes, mostly thanks to strong defending by Dutch captain Koster and French goalkeeper Céline Deville pushing aside a dangerous shot by Melis. In extra time she almost found the target with a curling drive. In the final minute Amandine Henry had the chance to put the French through but her header just went wide. A penalty shoot-out was needed to decide the winner. The first eight penalties, with Melis taking the third, were all converted. Then nerves kicked in and the next five players all failed to convert. Finally, Anouk Hoogendijk scored and put the Dutch into the semi-finals.[120][121] In the semi-finals England awaited. In another tense game the Dutch mostly defended. Melis nearly got on a long through ball but goalkeeper Rachel Brown managed to intercept. England scored first but the Dutch struck back almost immediately. Melis made room for herself on the right and played across to Marlous Pieëte who equalised. In extra time the English missed several chances before Jill Scott's shot gave England a place in the final.[122][123]

Middle years

To qualify for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Melis and her teammates had to best Norway, Macedonia, Belarus and Slovakia. Norway proved too strong, despite Melis scoring against them once. The Dutch failed to qualify and consequently missed out on the 2012 Olympics as well, since only the best performing teams at the World Cup would go to the games in London.[124][125][126] In the final qualifier game, against Belarus in August 2010, Melis scored twice, her 29th and 30th international goals, which made her the national team's all-time top goalscorer.[127] She overtook Marjoke de Bakker's goal tally of 29, scored between 1979 and 1991.[128]

Melis scored four goals in a 6–0 win over Serbia in the opening match of the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying group matches.[129] A draw and a defeat against England left the Dutch fighting for second place.[130] Eight goals in total by Melis helped her team qualify directly as best runners-up of all groups.[131] Prior to the 2013 Euros in Sweden she described the host country as her second home. The Swedish media featured her to introduce the Dutch team to the Swedish public. To the Dutch media she explained how Sweden was more advanced in terms of media coverage of women's football.[132] The draw put the Dutch in a group with reigning champions Germany, Iceland and Norway.[131] Melis played in all three group games.[133] The opening match against Germany ended in a 0–0 draw. The second game, against Norway, finished 1–0 to the Scandinavians. In the final game the Dutch failed to score again, as Iceland defeated them 1–0, thus ending the tournament for Melis and teammates.[134] Dagný Brynjarsdóttir scored Iceland's winning goal. Melis had a chance to score on the rebound when Martens hit the cross-bar but failed, as did Koster and Sherida Spitse at the end of the game.[135]

Final years
Melis, front left, with the Netherlands national team in May 2014

In their opening game of their 2015 World Cup qualification matches the Dutch beat Albania 4–0; Melis scored a hat-trick. Vivianne Miedema, aged 17, made her debut as a late substitute.[136] A loss at home against Norway made direct qualification challenging. The outlook worsened when they drew Belgium at home. But victories in all the other matches, against Portugal, Greece, Albania, and both Belgium and Norway away put them through to the play-offs. The first opponents were Scotland.[137] Martens opened the score early on and Melis converted a penalty in the 23rd minute. Little, who later would be Melis's teammate at Seattle, scored from the penalty spot as well, bringing the Scots back into the game, but no further goals were scored.[138] In the return leg Martens and Melis scored again while goalkeeper Geurts kept a clean sheet, sending the Netherlands through.[139] In the play-off final Italy awaited. The first leg ended in a 1–1 draw, the second in a 2–1 victory for the Netherlands, which meant they qualified for their first World Cup finals.[137] Melis later stated that writing history with this qualification had been one of the highlights of her career.[101]

In front of 53,000 people the Dutch started their group games at the 2015 World Cup in Canada well. They defeated New Zealand 1–0; Melis's teammate at Göteborg, Martens, scored the only goal.[140] In the next game China started defensively, and despite a few attempts by Melis, kept the Netherlands at bay before attacking in waves. Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal made necessary saves, but in injury time China scored the winning goal.[141] In the final group game hosts Canada lead 1–0 for nearly 80 minutes. A defeat would have sent the Dutch home. Melis had an opportunity to equalise late on but missed. Fortunately for the Dutch, in the dying minutes of the game Kirsten van de Ven scored the equaliser, sending them through to the round of 16.[142] The Dutch started that match against Japan well. Melis had a chance to open the score after a pass from Martens, but could not get a shot in. Japan soon scored on the other side of the pitch. A quick equaliser did not materialise as both Miedema and Martens failed to connect with a Melis pass. In the second half Japan scored on the counter, and although van de Ven scored after a mistake by Japanese goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori, the game ended 2–1 to Japan, who would later make it to the final.[143] Melis did not score at the World Cup.[109]

In March 2016, the Dutch failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. In the final game against Sweden Melis and her team came one goal short of qualification. Melis said the Dutch team were still too inconsistent. She was disappointed that the young team would miss the opportunity to gain experience from playing the world's best.[144] On 29 March 2016 Melis announced her retirement from international play in order to focus fully on her club football in the US league.[145] She had won 136 caps and scored 59 goals.[109] In November 2016 she quit professional football altogether. A few days later she performed the draw for the 2017 Euros, to be held in the Netherlands.[146] The Dutch went on to win the title without her.[147]

For nearly nine years Melis held the all-time goal scoring record, until 15 June 2019, when Miedema surpassed Melis by scoring her 60th goal in a 3–1 win over Cameroon at a group stage match at the World Cup Finals in France.[148] As of December 2020 Melis ranked second on the all-time goal scoring list for the Netherlands women's football team.[149]

Managerial career

After her playing career Melis started working for Feyenoord, initially doing social outreach for the Feyenoord Foundation and training young girls for the Feyenoord Soccer Schools.[4] She currently is manager women's football development at Feyenoord.[150] In 2013 she had expressed her wish Feyenoord had a professional team, so she could play for them.[5] In interviews throughout her playing career she stressed the importance of the national team doing well for the development of Dutch women's football in general, for "local competition, financially, sponsors, and everything". While it was unusual for her as a girl in the 1990s to play football, that no longer was true for Dutch girls towards the end of her career.[3] She said that the Dutch team's successful 2017 Euros on home soil had been pivotal for the development of the women's game in the country. She was tasked with building a girls' football academy for all age groups.[6] By 2019 Feyenoord had set up girls teams competing in the under 13, under 15, and under 17 leagues, as well as a reserve team in the newly established women's reserve league.[151][152] Melis said that her aim is to field a Feyenoord team in the Eredivisie Vrouwen.[150] In 2019, she publicly spoke of her desire to bring Miedema to Feyenoord in the not-so-near future, given Miedema has been a life-long Feyenoord fan.[153]

Style of play

Melis is known for her speed, which earned her the nickname 'The Flying Dutchman' in the US.[55] Her father was also known for his speed. His ex-teammates observed his daughter run in the same way as he did.[2] She herself focussed more on the differences, stressing she is a centre forward and he was a winger.[3] Sky Blue assistant coach Emma Hayes noted that apart from being "lightning quick", she was also "technical and with a wonderful eye for goal".[55] Dutch national team coach Arjan van der Laan said Melis was a "superfast" attacker, with excellent goal scoring skills and assists.[145] Martens, teammate at both the national team and one season at Göteborg, said Melis had a "killer instinct".[80] Of her goalscoring records Melis has said that they seemed more important to others than to her. She was more concerned with winning games and titles.[5]

Personal life

She married in 2016, prior to the start of her last season.[101] At the announcement of her retirement from professional football she said that after ten years abroad it was time to return home to be with her husband.[154] Melis is fluent in Swedish.[155]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[51][44]
Club Season League Cups Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
RVVH 2004–06 Hoofdklasse N/AN/A—N/A
Be Quick '28 2006–07 Hoofdklasse N/AN/A—N/A
LdB FC Malmö 2007 Damallsvenskan 2010N/A—2010
2008 2023N/A—2023
2009 201030—2310
2010 222532—2527
2011 211633442823
Total 10384954411693
Sky Blue FC 2011 WPS ————
Linköpings FC 2012 Damallsvenskan 211610—2216
LdB FC Malmö 2013 Damallsvenskan 211123632917
Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 2014 Damallsvenskan 211622—2318
2015 21910—229
Total 422532—4527
Seattle Reign FC 2016 NWSL 167——167
Career total 2031431510107228160

Statistics not available for amateur clubs RVVH and Be Quick '28, and for 2007–08 domestic cup games. Sky Blue FC did not play while Melis was under contract.[51]

International
Main article: List of international goals scored by Manon Melis

During her 12 year international career Melis scored 59 goals from 136 caps.[109]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[109]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands 200471
2005111
2006150
200785
200866
2009169
201088
20111210
2012104
2013115
2014144
2015134
201652
Total13659

Honours

Club

LdB FC Malmö

Individual
  • Damallsvenskan's Most Valuable Player Award: 2010[42]
  • Damallsvenskan's Forward of the Year: 2010[42]

Records

Club

National team

  • National team all-time goalscorer from 2010 to 2019: 59 goals[128]

References
  1. "Manon Melis". Eurosport. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. Dwarswaard, Daniel (4 June 2015). "Oranjevrouwen: Genen van hun vader" [National women's team: their fathers' genes]. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. "Melis leads Dutch charge for glory". FIFA. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
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