Vito van Crooij (born 29 January 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a winger for club NEC. He won the Eerste Divisie Young Player of the Year in 2016 for his performances for VVV-Venlo.
His brother, Delano van Crooij plays professionally as a goalkeeper.
Club career Born in Venlo, van Crooij made his debut for VVV-Venlo at the age of 18 in the KNVB Cup against Eindhoven at the start of the 2014–15 Season, however he did not score until the game against MVV in the KNVB Cup, scoring once in the 2–0 victory. His first league game in the Eerste Divisie was in the 3–0 victory against Achilles '29.Van Crooy tekent voor 2,5 jaar bij VVV - 1Limburg However, Van Crooy did not score a league goal until February, netting the winner in the 1–0 victory against Almere City.
In the 2015–16 season, van Crooij was part of the VVV-Venlo squad which finished second in the Eerste Divisie. He scored 13 goals and recorded 8 assists throughout the season playing as a left winger. He was part of the VVV-Venlo team which lost in the play off final of the Eerste Divisie. He just missed out on the Eerste Divisie Young Player of the Year AwardSparta wint bijna alle Gouden Stieren - Rijnmond for the 2015–16 season where he was nominated due to his impressive performances for VVV.
In the 2016–17 season, van Crooij started the season well, scoring the equaliser in the 2–1 victory over SC Cambuur. Since then he has scored more goals, including a penalty in the 2–1 defeat to Helmond Sport.
On 13 July 2018, he became a new PEC Zwolle player.
On 25 August 2020, he returned to VVV-Venlo.
On 25 June 2021, Van Crooij signed a three-year contract with Sparta Rotterdam. On 14 August 2022, he scored the fastest goal in Eredivisie history – after eight seconds against AZ Alkmaar.Rekordtor in den Niederlanden. In: Sport1.de, 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022 (German).
On 7 September 2023, van Crooij joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Wehda on a three-year deal.
On 30 September 2024, van Crooij signed a three-season contract with NEC. On 9 January 2026, Van Crooij returned to Sparta Rotterdam on a six-month loan.
International career Van Crooij played 6 games for the Netherlands national under-20 football team and one for the U21s.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVVV-Venlo2013–14Eerste Divisie1000—00102014–15Eerste Divisie31331—413852015–16Eerste Divisie331311—2034142016–17Eerste Divisie361420——38142017–18Eredivisie31520——335Total1323582—6114438PEC Zwolle2018–19Eredivisie30921——32102019–20Eredivisie16020—54180Total46941—545010VVV-Venlo2020–21Eredivisie31341——354Sparta Rotterdam2021–22Eredivisie33522——3572022–23Eredivisie341220—0036122023–24Eredivisie3000—0030Total701742—007419Al-Wehda2023–24Pro League23010—102502024–25Pro League1000——10Total24010—10260NEC2024–25Eredivisie25920—1128102025–26Eredivisie8120——101Total331040—113811Sparta Rotterdam (loan)2025–26Eredivisie80———80Career total328742320013635782
Honours VVV-Venlo Eerste Divisie: 2016–17,
Individual Eredivisie Team of the Month: March 2023, January 2025
References
External links
Vito van Crooij at Voetbal International Netherlands profile at Ons Oranje