Sergiño Dest

Sergiño Gianni Dest (born November 3, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for FC Barcelona and the United States national team. Born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and American father, Dest has represented the United States internationally at senior level since 2019.

Sergiño Dest
Dest with the United States U20 in 2019
Personal information
Full name Sergiño Gianni Dest[1]
Date of birth (2000-11-03) November 3, 2000[2]
Place of birth Almere, Netherlands[2]
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[2]
Position(s) Right-back
Club information
Current team
 Barcelona
Number 2
Youth career
2009–2012 Almere City
2012–2018 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Jong Ajax 18 (1)
2019–2020 Ajax 23 (0)
2020– Barcelona 15 (0)
National team‡
2016–2017 United States U17 5 (0)
2018–2019 United States U20 10 (0)
2019– United States 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 06:01, January 9, 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:22, November 16, 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Ajax

Dest played for the youth academy of Almere City until 2012, when he moved to the Ajax youth academy. Initially a forward, he progressed through the ranks of the club until making the switch to a full-back.[3] Dest made his debut for Jong Ajax on October 15, 2018 in a 2–1 loss against Jong PSV. Dest impressed over the course of the 2018–19 season, making 18 appearances in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and tallying one goal and two assists.[4] He also scored one goal and provided one assist in seven appearances in the prestigious UEFA Youth League.[4]

On July 27, 2019, Dest made his debut for the Ajax first team in an official game, when he started the 2019 Johan Cruyff Shield match, a derby against PSV Eindhoven.[4] Ajax won the match, 2–0, and in consequence, the title.[5] On August 10, 2019, Dest debuted in the Eredivisie, replacing Noussair Mazraoui in the 54th minute of the Ajax 5–0 home win against FC Emmen.[6] He also appeared as a substitute in qualifying matches for the UEFA Champions League against PAOK and APOEL. In September, Dest was officially promoted to the Ajax first-team squad. On September 17, 2019, he made his first start in the Champions League against Lille OSC; a match which Ajax won 3–0.[7] Dest finished his first senior season with 35 appearances in which he scored two goals—both in the KNVB Cup fixture against Telstar.[8][9]

Barcelona

On October 1, 2020, Dest agreed a transfer to Barcelona for an initial €21 million fee plus a further €5 million in variables. He signed a five-year contract with the club with a buyout clause set at €400 million.[3] Dest made his debut for Barcelona on October 4, coming on as a 75th minute substitute for Jordi Alba in a 1–1 draw against Sevilla.[10] With the appearance, Dest became the first American to appear for Barcelona in La Liga.[11] On October 20, he accomplished another historic milestone, becoming the first American to play for Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League match.[12] Later that month, Dest set another milestone, becoming the first American to play in El Clásico; Barcelona fell to a 1–3 defeat to rivals Real Madrid but Dest's performance in the match was praised.[13] On November 24, 2020, Dest scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 4–0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League group stage.[14] In doing so, Dest became the first American to score a professional goal for the club.[15]

International career

Dest was born in the Netherlands to a Surinamese-American father and a Dutch mother, and has represented the United States at youth and full international level. He represented the United States under-17s at the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, and the United States under-20s at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he played four matches.[16][17]

Dest made his senior debut for the United States on September 6, 2019, starting and playing 68 minutes in a 3–0 friendly loss against Mexico.[18] Dest chose to commit his international future to the United States at the senior level on October 28, 2019.[19]

Style of play

Dest combines many key qualities needed in a full back, including a strong attacking prowess, solid defensive play as well as being excellent in possession. He has the ability to take players on and his pace is a virtue going forward and defending.[3]

Career statistics
As of match played February 3, 2021[8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Jong Ajax 2018–19 Eerste Divisie 171———171
2019–20 10———10
Total 181000000181
Ajax 2019–20 Eredivisie 2004210010352
2020–21 300000—30
Total 2304210010382
Barcelona 2020–21 La Liga 150105110221
Career total 5615215120784

International
As of match played November 16, 2020[20]
United States
YearAppsGoals
201930
202020
Total50

Honors

Ajax

Individual

References
  1. "Acta del Partido celebrado el 21 de noviembre de 2020, en Madrid" [Minutes of the Match held on 21 November 2020, in Madrid] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. "Sergiño Dest". US Soccer. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  3. "Agreement with Ajax for transfer of Sergiño Dest". fcbarcelona.com. FC Barcelona. October 1, 2020. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  4. "18-Year-Old American Sergiño Dest Goes Full 90 In Ajax Senior Debut". The 18. July 28, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  5. "Ajax vs. PSV 2 - 0". Soccerway.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  6. "Ajax 5 - 0 Emmen". Soccerway.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  7. "Ajax – LOSC 2020 History". UEFA. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  8. "Sergiño Dest". Soccerway. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  9. "Watch: USMNT's Sergiño Dest Scores Two Goals for Ajax". Sports Illustrated. December 18, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  10. Marsden, Sam (October 4, 2020). "Barcelona debutant Sergino Dest happy to play on left or right for Koeman". ESPN. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  11. "Sergiño Dest Makes Debut for Barcelona as First American Player". Sports Illustrated. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  12. "Barcelona vs. Ferencvaros on CBS All Access: Live stream UEFA Champions League, how to watch on TV, info". CBSSports.com. October 20, 2020.
  13. "Sergino Dest impressive in historic El Clasico appearance". SBI Soccer. October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  14. "Dynamo Kyiv 0-4 Barcelona". BBC Sport. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  15. "Sergiño Dest Scores in Champions League for Barcelona; Konrad Makes Club Debut". Sports Illustrated. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  16. "United States U20 Scoring Squad". ESPN.
  17. "ASN: Sergino Dest, 16, Is Opening Eyes at the U-17 World Cup". americansoccernow.com.
  18. "Dest debuts against Mexico as US makes 6 changes". sports.yahoo.com.
  19. "Sergino Dest chooses United States over Netherlands | MLSsoccer.com".
  20. Sergiño Dest at National-Football-Teams.com
  21. "Sergiño Dest, Brianna Pinto and Nick Mayhugh Win 2019 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year Honors for Young Male, Young Female and Player With a Disability". USSF. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  22. "Ajax roept Ziyech uit tot Speler van het Jaar; Dest talent van het jaar". Ajaxfanatics.nl. May 15, 2020.
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