Sean Desmond Klaiber (born 31 July 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club VfL Bochum. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the Suriname national team. He formerly played for Utrecht, Dordrecht and Ajax. He is a former Dutch youth international.

Club career Utrecht

Born in Nieuwegein, Klaiber played in the academies of VVIJ, Ajax, JSV Nieuwegein and SV Geinoord before joining the FC Utrecht youth academy in 2007. On 29 October 2013, Klaiber made his first appearance for the Utrecht first team in an official match. That day, the Domstedelingen played in Werkendam against Kozakken Boys in the KNVB Cup; a match which ended in a 1–2 away win after extra time in which Klaiber made an appearance as a 116th-minute substitute for Kai Heerings. He made his debut in the Eredivisie some months later, on 23 February 2014, as a starter in a 1–0 win over FC Groningen.

During the second half of the 2014–15 season, Klaiber was loaned out to FC Dordrecht who also competed in the Eredivisie. He made 12 appearances for the side in which he scored two goals, as they suffered relegation.

In the 2016–17 season, after returning from Dordrecht, Klaiber made seven appearances for the reserves, Jong FC Utrecht. The following season, he grew out to become a regular starter for the first team. He scored his first goal for Utrecht on 20 July 2017 in a UEFA Europa League qualifier against Maltese side Valletta, which ended in a 3–1 win.

Ajax On 1 October 2020, Klaiber signed a three-year contract with Ajax, with an optional additional year. The move reunited him with his former Utrecht coach Erik ten Hag, as he was set to replace Sergiño Dest at right back, after the latter had joined FC Barcelona some days earlier.

On 18 October, he made his debut for Ajax as a substitute in the home match against sc Heerenveen. His first start for the club came on 24 October in a 13–0 win over VVV Venlo; an Eredivisie record. During the season, Klaiber was set to compete with Noussair Mazraoui for the right back position. On 27 October, Klaiber made his debut in the UEFA Champions League as a substitute during the away game against Italian club Atalanta.

Return to Utrecht On 29 August 2022, Klaiber returned to Utrecht and signed a three-year contract. He made his return debut for the Domstedelingen on 2 September, replacing Hidde ter Avest in the 63rd minute and providing an assist 14 minutes later to Anastasios Douvikas' goal, helping the team to a 4–3 away victory against Fortuna Sittard. On 20 October, he scored his first return goal for the club in a KNVB Cup win against Sportlust '46. Three days later, he also scored for Utrecht in the Eredivisie, a deflected shot from distance giving Utrecht the 3–0 lead in an eventual 3–1 victory against Sparta Rotterdam.

Brøndby On 1 September 2023, Danish Superliga club Brøndby signed Klaiber on a two-year contract, for a fee reported by B.T. to be around 8 million kr. He made his debut on 17 September in a 3–0 league win away to AGF, and scored his first goal on 26 November in a 3–3 away draw with Lyngby.

On 1 April 2024, Klaiber scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2–1 derby victory away to Copenhagen at Parken.

In March 2026, head coach Steve Cooper removed Klaiber and Benjamin Tahirović from the first-team squad, in what was reported as a response to the players' conduct. Klaiber remained out of the side for the rest of the season. In June 2026, the new head coach, Thomas Nørgaard, said that although Klaiber was training with the squad, the club intended for him to find another club; Klaiber, who had a year remaining on his contract, had by then made 78 appearances for Brøndby.

VfL Bochum On 31 August 2026, Klaiber joined 2. Bundesliga club VfL Bochum, where he was brought in to cover for injured right-back Jean Manuel Mbom.

International career Born in the Netherlands, Klaiber is of Surinamese descent. Having played for the youth teams of the Netherlands, on 13 June 2021 it was announced that Klaiber had opted to represent Suriname internationally. On 25 June he was called up to represent the team at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On 12 July 2021, Klaiber made his debut in the group stage match against Jamaica. The match ended in a 2–0 loss, in Suriname's Gold Cup debut, which saw Klaiber being cautioned in the 25th minute.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsUtrecht2013–14Eredivisie201000—302014–15Eredivisie1000——102015–16Eredivisie17020——1902016–17Eredivisie14010—401902017–18Eredivisie3611061304622018–19Eredivisie37220—404322019–20Eredivisie2445020—3142020–21Eredivisie2100——21Total1338120811101649Dordrecht (loan)2014–15Eredivisie122———122Jong Utrecht2016–17Eerste Divisie70———70Ajax2020–21Eredivisie1501060—220Utrecht2022–23Eredivisie30131—203522023–24Eredivisie20———20Total32131—20372Brøndby2023–24Danish Superliga23430——2642024–25Danish Superliga2604030—3302025–26Danish Superliga130006000190Total624709000784VfL Bochum2026–272. Bundesliga0000——00Career total2611523123113032017

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSuriname202130Total30

Honours Ajax Eredivisie: 2020–21, 2021–22 KNVB Cup: 2020–21

Individual Superliga Team of the Month: September 2023

References

External links

Netherlands profile at Ons Oranje