Kenneth Taylor (footballer, born 2002)

Kenneth Ina Dorothea Taylor (born 16 May 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Netherlands national team.

Club career

A product of Ajax's youth academy, Taylor made his Eerste Divisie debut for Jong Ajax on 15 October 2018 in a game against Jong PSV as a 70th-minute substitute for Jasper ter Heide. He became a regular for Jong Ajax over the following seasons, scoring 14 goals in 60 appearances by early 2022.

Taylor made his Eredivisie debut for AFC Ajax on 12 December 2020 in a game against PEC Zwolle as a 64th-minute substitute for Perr Schuurs. His appearances for the first team remained limited until the latter half of the 2021–22 season. In a match against Heracles Almelo on 6 February 2022, Taylor scored his first Eredivisie goal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, converting an assist from Sébastien Haller in a 3–0 victory. Following this goal, he featured more frequently, finishing the season with 19 first-team appearances and contributing to Ajax winning the Eredivisie title.

The 2022–23 season marked Taylor's breakthrough as a regular starter in the Ajax midfield. He made 44 appearances across all competitions, scoring 9 goals, including 8 in the Eredivisie. His performances earned him the Eredivisie Talent of the Month award for November 2022. At the end of the season, he was named Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award).

Taylor remained a key player during the turbulent 2023–24 season, playing under managers Maurice Steijn and John van 't Schip. He contributed 8 goals in 47 appearances, including his first goals in European competitions, scoring twice in the UEFA Europa League and once in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Under new manager Francesco Farioli, Taylor continued as a regular starter in the 2024–25 season and displayed notable goalscoring form from midfield. By late March 2025, he was Ajax's top scorer in the Eredivisie with 8 goals, and had also scored 5 goals in the UEFA Europa League campaign.

International career

Taylor represented the Netherlands at various youth levels, starting with the under-15 team in 2017. He was part of the Netherlands U17 squad that won the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Later that year, he captained the under-17 team at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil. He subsequently progressed to the Netherlands U21 team, earning 15 caps and scoring once between 2021 and 2024, and was included in the squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Romania.

On 22 September 2022, Taylor made his senior debut for the Netherlands under manager Louis van Gaal, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Poland. He was subsequently named in the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, making a brief substitute appearance in the final group stage match against the hosts on 29 November. His fourth cap came on 24 March 2023, again as a substitute, in a 4–0 defeat away to France during UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. He earned his fifth cap nearly two years later, appearing as a substitute in the UEFA Nations League Finals quarter-final second leg against Spain on 23 March 2025.