Sandy Walsh

Sandy Henny Walsh (born 14 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Belgian Pro League club Mechelen. Born in Belgium and a former Netherlands youth international, he plays for the Indonesia national team.

Sandy Walsh
Walsh playing for Indonesia in 2023
Personal information
Full nameSandy Henny Walsh
Date of birth (1995-03-14) 14 March 1995 (age 29)
Place of birthBrussels, Belgium
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)Right-back, centre-back
Team information
Current team
Mechelen
Number5
Youth career
2001–2002Tempo Overijse
2002–2003ERC Hoeilaart
2003–2011Anderlecht
2011–2012Genk
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2012–2017Genk51(1)
2017–2020Zulte Waregem48(2)
2020–Mechelen119(8)
International career
2009–2012Netherlands U1718(1)
2012–2014Netherlands U1910(0)
2023–Indonesia13(1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner2012 Slovenia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2024

Club career

Youth

Walsh spent time in the youth sides of Tempo Overijse and ERC Hoeilaart before joining Anderlecht in 2003 where he stayed until 2011 when he joined Genk.[2]

Genk

On 2 September 2012, he made his professional debut for Genk, coming on as a substitute for the final moments of a 2–2 draw with his former side Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League.[3]

Zulte Waregem

Wals moved to Zulte Waregem in the summer of 2017, making his league debut on 5 August 2017 as a substitute in a 2–0 win over Sint-Truiden.[4]

Mechelen

In October 2020, he moved to another Belgian club Mechelen.[5] He making his league debut on 1 November 2020 as a starter in a 2–2 draw over Club Brugge. He scored the only goal in the quarter-final of the Belgian Cup in injury time against Kortijk, sending Mechelen to the semi-finals.[6]

International career

Walsh with Netherlands U17 after winning the 2012 Euro Under-17 Championship

Walsh has represented the Netherlands at youth international and won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship with the under-17 side in 2012.[7] He has represented the Netherlands at every level from under-15 to under-20.[8]

In November 2022, Walsh received a call-up from Indonesia national team coach Shin Tae-Yong for a training camp in preparation for the 2022 AFF Championship. He was however called back by his club.[9]

On 27 May 2023, Walsh received call-up to the Indonesia national team for friendly matches against Palestine and Argentina. However, Walsh unable to play in both matches, as he got a calf injury during training.[10]

On 29 August 2023, Walsh received another call-up to the national team for the friendly match against Turkmenistan.[11] He went on to make his debut against said team in a 2–0 win.

On 24 January 2024, Walsh scored his debut goal in injury-time for the national team in a 1–3 loss against Japan in the final match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage.[12][13]

Personal life

Walsh was born in Belgium to an Irish father who was born in England, and an Indonesian mother who was born in Switzerland and raised in Netherlands.[14][15] He was therefore eligible for either Belgium, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Netherlands, or Indonesia.[16]

On 17 November 2022, Walsh officially acquired Indonesian citizenship.[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2024[7]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueBelgian CupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Genk2011–12Belgian Pro League0000000000
2012–131010000020
2013–1440101[a]00060
2014–15110000000110
2015–16231500000281
2016–17120209[a]05[b]1281
Total5119010051752
Zulte Waregem2017–18Belgian Pro League181204[a]010[b]0341
2018–192112000101332
2019–2090400000130
Total4828040201803
Mechelen2020–21Belgian Pro League303100000313
2021–22333100000343
2022–23252510000303
2023–24310000000310
Total11987100001269
Career total2191123114025228314

International

As of match played 11 June 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Indonesia202340
202491
Total131
Scores and results list Indonesia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Walsh goal.
List of international goals scored by Sandy Walsh
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
124 January 2024Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Japan1–31–32023 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

Genk

Zulte Waregem

Mechelen

Netherlands U-17

See also

References