He graduated from two universities, his wealthy family did not want him to play football - Wout Weghorst, who played for the Netherlands national team and scored 2 goals against Argentina, has one of the most extraordinary life stories in football history.
The parents of Wout, who is the son of a family that owns 130 gas stations in the Netherlands, wanted their children to get a university education and work in their company. In the meantime, some of the coaches of the teams he played in his infrastructure were telling him that he would not be able to get to good places in football. But Wout did not give up. He continued his career in the lower leagues until the age of 20. The opportunity he had been waiting for in 2016 came from AZ, and from then on, his career skyrocketed.
The family business AVIA, founded by Wout Weghorst's grandfather, is a fuel and gas retailer in the Netherlands. The company has around 130 gas stations in the Netherlands alone in 2021. One of the four sons of his family, Wout decided to become a football player despite the opposition of his parents Astrid Weghorst and Frans Weghorst. Despite his parents' suggestions that he should take part in the family business or do a more prestigious job, Wout did not step back and continued to play football.
“Many well-meaning people urged me to quit. Some coaches said that I was not good at football”, Wout Weghorst said. He received not one, but two diplomas. He first completed the business education his family wanted him to study to learn the oil and gas trade. He then received a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.
Wout Weghorst, who started football with local team NEO, was initially cited as one of the team's worst players. After playing for a few more clubs, with the help of his family, Willem II found a place for himself in Tilburg. Luckily, Weghorst's mother, Astrid, was friends with the wife of Jan van Esch, who was then the director of Willem II. Impressed by his wife's speeches and the passion of the actor, Jan van Esch sent a scout to follow him.
The scout's report watching Weghorst was not bad, so he was selected for the team. AZ Alkmaar was the first club that gave the Dutch football player, who played in the lower tiers of Emmen and Heracles until the age of 20, the chance to play at the top level. Transferred to AZ for 1.5 million Euros in 2016, Weghorst became the star of the team by improving his scoring skills with his hard work. Weghorst, who went to Wolfsburg for 10.5 million Euros in 2018 with his performance in AZ, was sold to Burnley in January 2021 for 17.5 million Euros.
Twan, the eldest of the Weghorst family's four boys, chose to become a pilot, while Ralf works as an architect. Niek, the youngest, is the only sibling who obeys his parents and works at the family business AVIA. Wout, on the other hand, achieved the dream of becoming a football player, which he set his mind to as a child, and managed to rise to the Netherlands National Team.
National team career
Weghorst played his first and only match with the Netherlands U-21 team against the Portugal U-21 team on 14 October 2014 and managed to score 1 goal.
He made his debut for the Netherlands national football team against England on 23 March 2018. He scored his first international goal in a special match against Georgia on 6 June 2021. He scored a goal against Ukraine in the postponed European Championship 2020.
Wout Weghorst marked the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Argentina. Wout Weghorst, who scored two goals against the favorite team of the Cup, was loaned to Beşiktaş, one of Turkey's famous football teams, for one season.
10 December 2022
Wout Weghorst's free kick trick! The World Cup made history…
Wout Weghorst from Beşiktaş became the man of the night in the Netherlands, who lost to Argentina as a result of penalties in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and returned home.
While the match continued with Argentina's 2-0 superiority, Weghorst, who entered the game and carried the game into overtime with two goals, became the first Dutch player to score two goals in a match in the history of major tournaments (World Cup & European Championship).
One of the historical moments of the World Cup is 90+11. It happened with the organization of free kicks made in minutes. In the free kick won in a critical minute, the ball was used as a pass on the penalty spot instead of a shot to the goal, and striker Weghorst sneakily took the ball in front of him and sent it to the nets.
That organization and goal that shocked Argentina became one of the most talked about events of the 2022 World Cup. Although Weghorst's goal could not prevent elimination on penalties, it kept the hopes of the Netherlands alive until the last moment. After the match, it was revealed that Weghorst had scored such a goal in a similar free-kick organization before.