Aniek Nouwen is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea, and the Netherlands national team.
She joined Crystal Palace on loan in January 2025 to regain match fitness after recovering from an ACL injury.
She played with SV Deurne's boys' team for 11 years before joining PSV at age 17.
She joined PSV Eindhoven at the age of 17 and quickly became a standout player in the Eredivisie, scoring 15 goals as a defender—an impressive stat for her position.
She made her debut for the Netherlands senior national team in 2019 and has since represented her country at major tournaments, including the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Before becoming a defender, Aniek actually started her football journey as a striker and even played goalkeeper in some youth tournaments just for fun.
She looked up to former Chelsea and PSV Brazilian player Alex, who also played center back and influenced her playing style.
She enjoys dancing for TikTok, even if she says she’s not very good at it—she just likes to make up dances for fun.
She has a dog named Charlie.
| Adidas |
| FA Women's Super League | 1× |
| FA Women's Cup | 1× |
| KNVB Cup | 1× |
| Year | Club | AP | GL |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2025
-
present
|
Crystal Palace | 4 | 1 |
|
2023
-
2023
|
AC Milan (loan) | 15 | 0 |
|
2021
-
|
Chelsea | 27 | 2 |
|
2016
-
2021
|
PSV Eindhoven | 111 | 19 |
| International Stats | |||
|
2019
-
present
|
Netherlands | 43 | 2 |
|
2023
-
2023
|
Netherlands U23 | 2 | 0 |
|
2018
-
2018
|
Netherlands U20 | 6 | 1 |
|
2016
-
2018
|
Netherlands U19 | 16 | 2 |
|
2014
-
2016
|
Netherlands U17 | 12 | 3 |
|
2014
-
2015
|
Netherlands U16 | 13 | 1 |
