Memphis Depay (born 13 February 1994), also known simply as Memphis, is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Barcelona and the Netherlands national team.
Memphis began his professional career with PSV Eindhoven, where, under the influence of manager Phillip Cocu, he became an integral part of the team, scoring 50 goals in 124 games across all competitions. During the 2014–15 season, he was the Eredivisie's top scorer with 22 goals in 30 games, and helped the team win the Eredivisie title for the first time since 2008. He also won the Dutch Footballer of the Year for his performances during the season. His performances also led him to be named the "Best Young Player" in the world in 2015 by France Football. Memphis joined English side Manchester United in June 2015 for a reported fee of £25 million. After a disappointing spell there, he joined French club Lyon in January 2017. After four seasons there, he joined Barcelona in 2021 on a free transfer.
A product of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) institution, Memphis has represented the national team at every professional level from early developmental stages under the tutelage of iconic Dutch coaches and players alike. He was part of the Netherlands under-17 team which won the 2011 European Championship. He made his senior debut in 2013 and the following year was part of their squad that came third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he made his breakthrough performances on the international stage. He also took part in UEFA Euro 2020.
Early in his career, a PSV coach noted Memphis as "very angry", and he now uses a life coach to aid his mentality. In April 2015, The Daily Telegraph described Memphis as "a fearsome striker of the ball with his right foot but is usually used as an inverted left winger who cuts onto his right foot. A pacey and tricky player, his direct running makes him a difficult opponent for defenders". However, they criticised him as "a ball-hog", pointing out his high rate of shots in comparison to a low rate of assists. Memphis is also known for his free-kick ability. During the 2014–15 season, he was statistically the best set-piece taker in the whole of Europe, as he scored 7 times in 33 attempts, the most in all European leagues and the second-best accuracy.
Former Dutch international and Dutch national team manager Ronald Koeman regards Memphis as "a great talent", but says that he must continue his personal development due to the physicality and mental strength needed in the Premier League. Former Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth defender Arjan de Zeeuw stated about Memphis, "People regard him as a little bit arrogant, a little bit cocky, but I think he is a very good player, a very promising player, a very strong, very quick player and he's got some skill."
Memphis has been compared to Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo and fellow international Arjen Robben. Thijs Slegers said about the comparisons, "Memphis is a little bit like Cristiano; they have similar qualities, although there are of course areas where Memphis is inferior. However, his determination to be the best is where I see the real similarity with Cristiano." Like Ronaldo, Depay combines technical expertise with pure physical strength.<\/P>","0C852134AA40B2DD":"1","A16D5E6475634BB1C2248B183B7E41495B218039EB2EF0A3":"1","A7F9B63E25A659E5":"Memphis Depay","2B5572269355781B0007104B7181FA88":"1994-2-13","8DC362CCE065919BCF40467C0DE6A7E8":"
CLUB<\/U><\/STRONG>
PSV<\/STRONG>
Eredivisie: 2014–15
KNVB Cup: 2011–12
Johan Cruyff Shield: 2012
Lyon<\/STRONG>
Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2019–20
INTERNATIONAL<\/U><\/STRONG>
Netherlands U17
<\/STRONG>UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2011
Netherlands<\/STRONG>
FIFA World Cup third place: 2014
INDIVIDUAL
<\/STRONG><\/U>
UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month:
<\/STRONG>April 2018
Eredivisie top scorer:
<\/STRONG>2014–15
Johan Cruyff Trophy:
<\/STRONG>2014–15
France Football Best Young Player:
<\/STRONG>2015
Ligue 1 Goal of the Year:
<\/STRONG>2016–17
UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year:<\/STRONG>
2020–21<\/P>","FA149E2002A43ED77C24C62CDFF094A5":"0","18E9F76C307DDD99":"664","C6E00DEB351621C4":"106534","09702F2B27619389F07D77F05427B135":"2023-1-20","82CBDCB828DBDF896209A361CA981BCF":"","9EBD0BFF9766B31DEF99430639A2F292":"Barcelona","0A9B0394F31973591937C38F2F471911":"Barcelona,Lyonnais,Manchester United,PSV Eindhoven,PSV Eindhoven(U19),PSV Eindhoven(U17),Jong PSV Eindhoven,Jong Sparta Rotterdam","e_index":1};