Joshua Zirkzee is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the Netherlands national team. Born Joshua Orobosa Zirkzee on 22 May 2001 in Schiedam, he is a 6-foot-4 target man who likes to drop, link and finish rather than live only on the last line.
His path is unusual even by modern academy standards: Dutch youth clubs, Bayern Munich’s first team as a teenager, loans at Parma and Anderlecht, a breakout at Bologna under Thiago Motta, then a £36.5 million move to Old Trafford in July 2024. Two seasons later he is still a United player, still in the Netherlands squad, and still waiting for the Premier League version of the Bologna year that made him expensive.
This guide covers the verified record — clubs, numbers, family background, international career and the questions fans search — with links to primary pages.
Who Is Joshua Zirkzee?
Zirkzee is a right-footed centre-forward / second striker, shirt number 11 at Manchester United. Contract runs to 30 June 2029. He can play as a lone nine or as a creator who lays the ball off and arrives late.
Headline stops on the CV:
- Bayern Munich graduate and first-team squad player
- 16 league goals on loan at Anderlecht
- 11 Serie A goals in 2023–24 as Bologna reached the Champions League
- Serie A Team of the Year and Best Under-23 player that season
- Manchester United since July 2024
- Netherlands senior debut at UEFA Euro 2024
Official reference: Wikipedia and Man Utd player profile.
Joshua Zirkzee Age and Birthday
He was born on 22 May 2001. As of September 2026 he is 25. Star sign: Taurus.
Joshua Zirkzee Height and Build
Zirkzee is 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) and around 83–84 kg. That frame is why scouts sold him as a modern nine: tall enough to occupy centre-backs, technical enough to play with his back to goal and slip a teammate in.
Early Life, Parents and Youth Career
He was born in Schiedam to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother. The family later lived in Spijkenisse. He started at VV Hekelingen as a small child, then Spartaan ’20, ADO Den Haag and a year at Feyenoord before Bayern Munich signed him from Feyenoord’s academy in 2017.
Some profiles name his father Remco and his mother Doris, and mention a brother, Jordan, who also played. Those family names circulate widely but are not in the Wikipedia lead, so treat them as commonly reported rather than formally documented.
Nigeria tracked him as a dual-national option. He chose the Netherlands at every youth level and then at senior level.
Club Career
Bayern Munich, Parma and Anderlecht
Zirkzee broke into Bayern’s first team as a teenager and made 17 senior appearances, scoring four league goals. Game time was scarce behind Robert Lewandowski’s line. Bayern sent him on loan to Parma (four Serie A games, no goals) then to Anderlecht, where he exploded: 16 league goals and a creative return that convinced Bologna to buy him permanently in August 2022 for about €8–11 million reported at the time (later listed around €27.5 million on some transfer databases, depending how add-ons are counted).
Bayern kept a sell-on clause. That mattered when United came calling.
Bologna: the season that changed the price
Under Thiago Motta in 2023–24 he played as a lone striker in a side that qualified for the Champions League. Returns: 11 Serie A goals and several assists in 34 league games, 12 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions. He made the Serie A Team of the Year and won Best Under-23.
That was the tape United bought: hold-up play, combination play, a striker who could occupy two centre-backs without becoming a statue.
Manchester United (2024–present)
United announced the deal on 14 July 2024: five years, option of a sixth, fee widely reported as £36.5 million / €42.5 million. He scored on debut as a substitute in the 1–0 win over Fulham on 16 August 2024.
The rest of the United chapter has been stop-start.
- 2024–25 Premier League: 32 appearances, 3 goals
- A brace in a 4–0 win over Everton in December 2024
- Booed off after a 33rd-minute substitution in a 2–0 home defeat to Newcastle later that month
- Hamstring injury in April 2025; unexpected return for the Europa League final
- 2025–26 Premier League: 24 appearances, 2 goals
- Early 2026–27: mostly off the bench in league, cup and Champions League minutes
Wikipedia’s running United tally through the start of 2026–27 sits at 58 league games, 5 league goals, and 9 goals in 79 appearances in all competitions. Those numbers are why January and summer windows keep attaching his name to exit talk. United were linked with a sale in 2026 (Juventus, Napoli, Aston Villa, Everton interest) and were reported as wanting around £40 million. He stayed. Michael Carrick, after taking charge, publicly welcomed him back into training.
The honest read: the Bologna version has not arrived week-to-week in England. The talent — first touch, link play, size — is still visible in patches.
Netherlands Career
Zirkzee played more than 40 youth internationals from Under-15 to Under-21. Ronald Koeman gave him a senior debut at Euro 2024 (substitute minutes, including the semi-final against England). He has 6 senior caps and 1 goal, the goal coming in a 5–2 win over Bosnia in September 2024. After a long gap he was recalled in September 2026 when Brian Brobbey withdrew injured.
Playing Style
Scouting notes and WhoScored-style profiles repeat the same picture: likes short passes and layoffs, threat at indirect set pieces, not a high-volume tackler, finishing still listed as a weakness at Premier League intensity. He is more “connector nine” than “box predator.” That is why Motta’s Bologna fit him and why United’s changing systems have not.
Joshua Zirkzee Girlfriend, Family and Personal Life
He keeps relationships private. Older reports linked him to Dutch model and influencer Celina Jada Kerr from his Bayern youth years. As of 2025–26 most profiles list him as single or unconfirmed. There are no widely verified reports of marriage or children.
Instagram: @zirkzee.
Joshua Zirkzee Net Worth and Salary
Media estimates put his net worth in a wide band — roughly $5 million to $9 million — which is typical guesswork for a mid-table Premier League earner still early in a big contract. Reported United wages at signing were around £105,000 a week. Market value has cooled from the 2024 peak and sits nearer €19–24 million on public tracking sites in autumn 2026. Treat salary and net-worth figures as estimates, not filings.
FAQs
Who is Joshua Zirkzee?
A Dutch forward for Manchester United and the Netherlands, formerly of Bayern Munich, Anderlecht and Bologna.
How old is Joshua Zirkzee?
25. Born 22 May 2001.
How tall is he?
1.93 m, or 6 ft 4 in.
When did he join Manchester United?
14 July 2024, from Bologna, for about £36.5 million on a deal to 2029.
Did he score on his United debut?
Yes — the only goal in a 1–0 win against Fulham on 16 August 2024.
Does he play for Nigeria?
No. He was eligible through his mother and chose the Netherlands.
Is Joshua Zirkzee married?
No public record of a marriage. Personal life is kept quiet.
Where can I read the full statistical record?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Zirkzee and Transfermarkt / club sites.
The Short Version of the Story
Zirkzee is the tall Dutch number nine who looked like a Champions League striker in Emilia-Romagna and has spent two years trying to become one in Manchester. The debut goal, the Everton brace and the international cap are real. So is the drop in minutes, the Old Trafford impatience and the transfer noise.
At 25 the career is not finished. It is unfinished — which, for a player United still value in the tens of millions, is the whole plot.
