Merel van Dongen has announced the end of her career on Sunday. After the battle for the Mexican Super Cup with her club Monterrey on July 16, the 63-time international for Orange will call it quits.
The 32-year-old Van Dongen was dropped from the Orange squad for the European Championship in Switzerland last month. She was asked by national coach Andries Jonker to train with the team for a while, but the disappointed defender did not accept that invitation.
It was not the first time that Van Dongen missed out just before a final tournament. That also happened to her in 2017. Her teammates then won the European title in their own country under the leadership of Sarina Wiegman.
Van Dongen played her 63rd and last international match in December 2023 against England (3-2 loss). After that, she was regularly part of the Orange squad, but she did not play anymore.
In the run-up to the European Championship, Van Dongen already said that she only wanted to continue her career in Madrid, but that did not happen. She is married to the Spanish Romero Moreno, who was also a football player. The two also have a child together.
Van Dongen announces ‘Last Dance’
Van Dongen started her professional career in 2011 at ADO Den Haag. After a trip to the American University Alabama, she ended up at Ajax. After two years with Real Betis and three seasons with Atlético Madrid, she signed with Monterrey in Mexico.
On July 16, Van Dongen hopes for a nice farewell at Monterrey in San Antonio against Pachuca. The battle for the super cup, also known as the Campeón de Campeonas, is extra special this year. The match will be played outside of Mexico for the first time.
“When the referee blows the whistle for the last time, I will be completely at peace with it and I know that I have given one thousand percent when I take off my football shoes for the last time,” she writes on social media. “The last dance and I enjoy every step.”