Sergiño Dest

Sergiño Gianni Dest (born November 3, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven. Born in the Netherlands, he represents the United States national team.

Dest began his professional career with Jong Ajax after featuring in the club's youth academy, later debuting with the Ajax senior team in July 2019. He won the Ajax Talent of the Year award in 2020 and was on the final shortlist of the 2020 Golden Boy. He transferred to Barcelona in October 2020 for a fee of €21 million, winning the 2020–21 Copa del Rey with the club. In 2023 he went on loan to PSV Eindhoven, winning the 2023–24 Eredivisie and moved permanently to the club in June 2024.

Born in the Netherlands, he debuted for the United States national team in September 2019 and won the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023, and 2024. He won the 2019 U.S. Young Soccer Player of the Year award.

Early life
Born in the Netherlands to a Surinamese-American father and a Dutch mother, Dest played for the youth academy of Almere City until 2012, when he moved to the Ajax youth academy. Initially a forward, he progressed through the ranks of the club until making the switch to a full-back.

Ajax
Dest debuted for Jong Ajax on October 15, 2018, in a 2–1 loss against Jong PSV. Dest impressed over the course of the 2018–19 season, making 18 appearances in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and tallying one goal and two assists. He also scored one goal and provided one assist in seven appearances in the prestigious UEFA Youth League.

On July 27, 2019, Dest made his debut for the Ajax first team in an official game when he started the 2019 Johan Cruyff Shield match against rivals PSV Eindhoven. Ajax won the match 2–0 and claimed the trophy. On August 10, 2019, Dest debuted in the Eredivisie, replacing Noussair Mazraoui in the 54th minute of Ajax's 5–0 home win against FC Emmen. He also appeared as a substitute in qualifying matches for the UEFA Champions League against PAOK and APOEL. In September, Dest was officially promoted to the Ajax first-team squad. On September 17, 2019, he made his first start in the Champions League against Lille OSC, a match which Ajax won 3–0. Dest finished his first senior season with 35 appearances in which he scored two goals—both in a KNVB Cup fixture against Telstar.

Barcelona
On October 1, 2020, Dest transferred to Barcelona for an initial €21 million fee plus a further €5 million in variables. He signed a five-year contract with the club with a buyout clause set at €400 million. Dest made his debut for Barcelona on October 4, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Jordi Alba in a 1–1 draw against Sevilla. With the appearance, Dest became the first American to appear for Barcelona in La Liga. On October 20, he became the first American to play for Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League match. Later that month, Dest set another milestone, becoming the first American to play in El Clásico; Barcelona fell to a 1–3 defeat to rivals Real Madrid but Dest's performance in the match was praised. On November 25, 2020, Dest scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 4–0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League group stage. In doing so, Dest became the first American to score a professional goal for the club. On March 21, 2021, he scored a brace in a 6–1 away win over Real Sociedad.

Loan to AC Milan
On September 1, 2022, Dest signed for Serie A club AC Milan on a one-year loan with option to buy for €20 million. Dest made his Serie A debut on September 17, in a match against Napoli. He entered the match at halftime, replacing Davide Calabria.

PSV
On August 21, 2023, Dest joined Eredivisie club PSV on a season-long loan deal. In April 2024, he suffered an ACL injury which prematurely ended his season, though he was integral to the campaign that ended up winning the 2023–24 Eredivisie. In June 2024 he moved permanently to the club on a free transfer.

International career
Dest has dual nationality making him eligible to play for either the United States or the Netherlands and ultimately chose to play for the United States' senior national team. Dest has represented the United States at youth and full international level. He played five games in total for the United States under-17 team, including four appearances at the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. He represented the United States under-20 team at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he played four matches. In total, he made 12 appearances and scored one goal for the under-20 team.

Dest made his senior debut for the United States on September 6, 2019, starting and playing 68 minutes in a 3–0 friendly loss against Mexico. Dest chose to commit his international future to the United States at the senior level on October 28, 2019.

He was included in the United States' 26-man roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During the tournament, Dest provided the assist for Christian Pulisic's winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Iran, which sent the United States into the round of 16. In the next game against the Netherlands (his birth nation), he was culpable in leaving too much space for Daley Blind to score the second Dutch goal in a 3–1 defeat for the U.S.

At the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League on November 20, 2023, against Trinidad and Tobago, Dest was sent off after receiving 2 yellow cards in 20 seconds after controversially arguing with the referee and U.S. teammates. He missed the 2024 Copa América hosted in the United States due to an ACL injury.

Style of play
Dest combines many key qualities needed in a full-back, including strong attacking prowess, solid defensive play, and being excellent in possession. He has the ability to take players on and his pace is a virtue going forward and defending.

International

 * Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dest goal.

Honors
Ajax
 * Johan Cruyff Shield: 2019

Barcelona
 * Copa del Rey: 2020–21

PSV
 * Eredivisie: 2023–24

United States U20
 * CONCACAF U-20 Championship: 2018

United States
 * CONCACAF Nations League: 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24

Individual
 * 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship Best XI
 * U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year: 2019
 * Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2020
 * IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2020