# Joël van den Berg
**Joël van den Berg** (born 2007) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder. He came through the youth academies of SV Houten, Ajax, Vitesse, and [PSV Eindhoven](https://www.edgepedia.org/psv-eindhoven), made six official appearances for PSV's first team, won the [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) with PSV in 2026, and transferred to Celtic FC in September 2026.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) • [2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/joel-van-den-berg/151907)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2007; sources differ on the birthplace, giving Eindhoven[3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/joel-van-den-berg/151907) or Houten[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) |
| Position | Central midfielder (number 8), also listed for attacking midfield; right-footed, 1.87 m tall[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) • [4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision) |
| Youth career | SV Houten (to 2017), Ajax (2017–2020), Vitesse (2020–2023), PSV (from summer 2023)[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) • [2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) |
| PSV first team | Six official appearances: five in the [2025–26 Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/2025-26-eredivisie) (138 minutes) and one in the KNVB Beker; member of the 2026 Eredivisie-winning squad[2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) • [5](https://theanalyst.com/players/8161/joel-van-den-berg/career) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/joel-van-den-berg/151907) |
| PSV II record | 37 Eerste Divisie appearances, 11 goals, 3 assists between 2023–24 and 2026–27, including 26 appearances and 7 goals in 2025–26[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/8161/joel-van-den-berg/career) |
| International | Netherlands youth international at O19 level, 11 caps and 1 goal[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) |
| Move to Celtic | Agreed transfer to Celtic FC announced 2 September 2026, on a four-season contract plus an option year; reported fee around four million euros[2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) • [6](https://www.psvvandaag.nl/nieuws/jong-psv-talent-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-indruk-als-box-to-box-middenvelder) |
## Youth career
Van den Berg played his early youth football at SV Houten before joining Ajax's academy in 2017 and Vitesse's in 2020.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376) In the summer of 2023 he moved from Vitesse's youth academy to PSV's, and over the following years he became a mainstay of Jong PSV, the club's reserve team in the [Eerste Divisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eerste-divisie), the Dutch second division.[2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc)
He won the Otten Innovation Cup twice with PSV youth teams and became champion with the O19 side.[4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision) With Vitesse's O16 team he had earlier won a cup and a national title in 2023, alongside Jim Koller, who later made his own debut for PSV.[4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision)
## PSV first team
Van den Berg's first senior minutes came on 23 August, when he came on as a substitute against [FC Groningen](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-groningen); he described the call-up as unexpected, having warmed up and returned to the dugout before the fitness coach told him he would go on.[4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision) He later made further appearances as a substitute against [Sparta Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/sparta-rotterdam), Go Ahead Eagles, and Ajax, and made his first start against [PEC Zwolle](https://www.edgepedia.org/pec-zwolle) in a 6–1 win.[4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision)
Across the 2025–26 season he made five Eredivisie appearances totaling 138 minutes, all as a substitute, plus one appearance in the KNVB Beker, and was part of the PSV squad that won the 2026 Dutch championship.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/8161/joel-van-den-berg/career) • [3](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/joel-van-den-berg/151907) His development-team output was stronger: in the [2025–26 Eerste Divisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/2025-26-eerste-divisie) he played 26 matches, 2,128 minutes, scoring 7 goals with 3 assists for PSV II, a mid-table side fielding an average age of around 19.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/8161/joel-van-den-berg/career) • [7](https://www.huddlebreakdown.com/p/joel-van-den-berg-benchmarking)
## Playing style
PSV's own profile describes him as a creative midfielder with vision, listing his qualities as physicality, defending, game sense, and passing; he calls himself a box-to-box midfielder who supports play offensively and defensively, is strong in duels, and looks to contribute goals and assists.[4](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision) Dutch coverage of his Jong PSV performances has compared his style to that of former PSV captain [Marco van Ginkel](https://www.edgepedia.org/marco-van-ginkel), noting his running capacity and tendency to arrive in the opponent's penalty area.[6](https://www.psvvandaag.nl/nieuws/jong-psv-talent-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-indruk-als-box-to-box-middenvelder) A scouting analysis notes that he is right-footed but appears close to two-footed, and that he played across several positions for PSV II, most often central midfield.[7](https://www.huddlebreakdown.com/p/joel-van-den-berg-benchmarking)
## Transfer to Celtic
On 2 September 2026, PSV announced an agreement with Celtic FC for the transfer of the 19-year-old midfielder, who signed a contract for four seasons plus an option year with the Scottish league leader.[2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) Celtic's announcement described the deal as four years with the option of a further year, subject to international clearance.[8](https://www.soccernews.nl/speler/joel-van-den-berg/) PSV-focused reporting put the fee at around four million euros.[6](https://www.psvvandaag.nl/nieuws/jong-psv-talent-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-indruk-als-box-to-box-middenvelder) In his farewell message, Van den Berg thanked the club and spoke of his pride in his time in [Eindhoven](https://www.edgepedia.org/eindhoven).[2](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc) At the time of the move, Transfermarkt listed his market value at €1.5 million, recorded on 21 May 2026.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376)
## References
1. [Joël van den Berg – Spelersprofiel 26/27, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.nl/joel-van-den-berg/profil/spieler/987376)
2. [Transfer | Joël van den Berg maakt overstap naar Celtic FC, PSV](https://www.psv.nl/media/artikel/transfer-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-overstap-naar-celtic-fc)
3. [Joel van den Berg – joueur de football, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/fiche/joel-van-den-berg/151907)
4. [Player profile | Joël van den Berg: creative midfielder with overview, PSV](https://www.psv.nl/en/media/article/player-profile-joel-van-den-berg-creative-midfielder-with-vision)
5. [Joël van den Berg Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/8161/joel-van-den-berg/career)
6. [Jong PSV-talent Joël van den Berg maakt indruk als box-to-box middenvelder, PSV Vandaag](https://www.psvvandaag.nl/nieuws/jong-psv-talent-joel-van-den-berg-maakt-indruk-als-box-to-box-middenvelder)
7. [Joel van den Berg Benchmarking, The Huddle Breakdown](https://www.huddlebreakdown.com/p/joel-van-den-berg-benchmarking)
8. [Joël van den Berg – Soccernews.nl](https://www.soccernews.nl/speler/joel-van-den-berg/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Dutch footballers › Dutch footballers born since 1985*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license