Sean Klaiber

Sean Desmond Klaiber (born 31 July 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Danish Superliga club Brøndby. 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.

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 for a reported fee of €1.1 million, on a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club a few weeks later on 17 September in a 3–0 league win away against AGF. Klaiber scored his first goals on 26 November, contributing to a 3–3 away draw against Lyngby.

On 1 April 2024, Klaiber scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 2–1 derby victory against Copenhagen away at Parken.

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.

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

Individual
 * Superliga Team of the Month: September 2023