Sven Braken

Sven Braken
Braken in 2023
Personal information
Full name Sven André Marie Braken[1]
Date of birth (1993-06-12) 12 June 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Maastricht, Netherlands
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 MVV
Number 9
Youth career
SC Jekerdal
0000–2004 RKSV Leonidas-Wolder
2004–2011 MVV
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2015 MVV 95 (17)
2015–2017 Almere City 16 (11)
2017–2019 NEC 52 (21)
2019 → Emmen (loan) 12 (2)
2019–2021 Livorno 49 (7)
2021–2023 VVV-Venlo 59 (24)
2023–2024 Deinze 21 (2)
2024– MVV 13 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:47, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Sven André Marie Braken (born 12 June 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eerste Divisie club MVV.[2] He most notably played for MVV, NEC, Livorno and VVV-Venlo.

Career

MVV

Braken was born in Maastricht, and made his professional debut for hometown club MVV on 22 April 2011 in a 2–1 home win over Telstar in the Eerste Divisie, replacing the injured Lance Voorjans in the 40th minute.[3]

He scored his first goal for the club on 23 November 2012, delivering the equalizer on his first touch in the 73rd minute of a league game against Go Ahead Eagles – one minute after coming on as a substitute for Bryan Smeets, as the game ended in a 3–3 draw.[4]

Braken played five seasons for MVV, in which he made 95 appearances and scored 17 goals.[2]

Almere City

On 16 June 2015, Braken joined Almere City after failing to reach an agreement over a contract extension with MVV.[5] He made his debut for the club, also making his first start, on 7 August in a 3–3 home draw against VVV-Venlo in the Eerste Divisie.[6] On 21 September, his second game for City, he scored his first goals for the club, a brace in a 2–2 away draw against Telstar.[7] Braken sustained a knee injury in a league game against Go Ahead Eagles on 23 October, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2015–16 season.[8]

Braken's time with Almere City was marked by injuries,[9] and he only made sixteen appearances during his two years with the club. He proved himself productive in limited time on the pitch, scoring eleven goals.[2]

NEC

On 16 August 2017, Braken signed a four-year contract with NEC, who had recently been relegated from the Eredivisie.[10] There, he was seen as a replacement for outgoing strikers Taiwo Awoniyi, Kévin Mayi and Jay-Roy Grot.[11] He made his debut for the club on 25 August, immediately scoring his first goal in the 11th minute of play in a 1–1 away draw against Go Ahead Eagles. In the following match he scored a brace, bringing his tally to three goals in two appearances.[12]

Loan to Emmen

Braken joined Eredivisie club Emmen on a six-month loan deal on 23 January 2019.[13][14] Emmen were struggling in the bottom half of the league table and needed a goalscorer, which they found in Braken who was season top goalscorer for NEC with nine goals in 19 appearances.[14] He made his debut for the club on 26 January, replacing Jafar Arias in the 81st minute of a 3–2 away victory against VVV-Venlo.[15] He made his first start for the club on 10 February, also scoring his first goal for Emmen in a 3–2 home win over ADO Den Haag.[16]

Return to NEC

After managing survival in the Eredivisie with Emmen, Braken returned to NEC for the 2019–20 season.[17] He made three more appearances for the club, scoring once, amidst rumours of a transfer to Querétaro,[17] which eventually fell through in July 2019.[18]

Livorno

On 2 September 2019, Braken signed with Italian Serie B club Livorno.[19] He made his debut for the club, starting in a 2–0 away loss to Ascoli in Serie B on 14 September.[20] On 18 January 2020, Braken scored his first goal for Livorno in a 4–4 home draw against Virtus Entella after an assist by Murilo.[21] Livorno would finish bottom of Serie B, which meant relegation to Serie C.[22]

Braken continued playing for the club in its season in Serie C, contributing with 24 appearances in which he scored six goals.[2] Despite his efforts, Livorno suffered its second successive relegation amid financial irregularities.[23] He made a total of 50 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals, as his contract with the club expired after the 2020–21 season.[2]

VVV-Venlo

On 26 June 2021, Braken returned to the Netherlands where signed a two-year contract with recently relegated Eerste Divisie club VVV-Venlo.[24] He scored his first career hat-trick on 15 April 2022, helping his side to a 3–2 league win over Telstar.[25] With eleven goals in 27 appearances, Braken finished his first season with VVV as club top goalscorer, his most notable a bicycle kick against former club MVV on 4 February 2022.[26] His goal was later awarded Goal of the Season by the Eerste Divisie.[27]

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Braken was appointed team captain of VVV by new head coach Rick Kruys.[28]

Deinze

On 29 April 2023, it was announced that Braken had signed a two-year contract with Belgian second division club Deinze, effective as of June 2023.[29] The deal included an option to extend by a further year.[30]

Return to MVV

On 25 July 2024, Braken returned to MVV and signed a two-year contract.[31] He made his return debut for De Sterrendragers on 9 August, starting in a 1–0 home loss to Cambuur on the opening matchday.[32]

Career statistics

As of match played 8 November 2024[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
MVV 2010–11 Eerste Divisie 3 0 0 0 — 3 0
2011–12 Eerste Divisie 5 0 1 0 2[b] 0 8 0
2012–13 Eerste Divisie 21 3 1 0 2[b] 0 24 3
2013–14 Eerste Divisie 32 7 2 1 — 34 8
2014–15 Eerste Divisie 34 7 2 0 — 36 7
Total 95 17 6 1 4 0 105 18
Almere City 2015–16 Eerste Divisie 10 5 1 1 — 11 6
2016–17 Eerste Divisie 6 6 1 0 1[b] 0 8 6
Total 16 11 2 1 1 0 19 12
NEC 2017–18 Eerste Divisie 30 11 1 2 2[b] 0 33 13
2018–19 Eerste Divisie 19 9 2 2 — 21 11
2019–20 Eerste Divisie 3 1 0 0 — 3 1
Total 52 21 3 4 2 0 57 25
Emmen (loan) 2018–19 Eredivisie 12 2 0 0 — 12 2
Livorno 2019–20 Serie B 25 1 0 0 — 25 1
2020–21 Serie C 24 6 1 0 — 25 6
Total 49 7 1 0 — 50 7
VVV-Venlo 2021–22 Eerste Divisie 27 11 1 0 — 28 11
2022–23 Eerste Divisie 32 13 1 1 4[b] 2 37 16
Total 59 24 2 1 4 2 65 27
Deinze 2023–24 Challenger Pro League 21 2 1 0 — 22 2
MVV 2024–25 Eerste Divisie 13 3 1 0 — 14 3
Career total 317 87 16 7 11 2 344 96
  1. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, Coppa Italia
  2. ^ a b c d e Appearances in Eerste Divisie playoffs

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "S. Braken – Profiel". Voetbal International. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Sven Braken at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ "MVV Maastricht – Telstar (22-04-2011)". Voetbal International. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Braken geniet van belangrijk doelpunt". L1 (in Dutch). 23 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  5. ^ Frissen, Roel (15 June 2015). "MVV-spits Sven Braken verkast naar Almere City". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ^ "City FC speelt gelijk tegen VVV Venlo: 3-3". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  7. ^ "Telstar geeft winst tegen Almere City in slotminuut uit handen". NH Nieuws (in Dutch). 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  8. ^ "City FC-spits Braken 'kapot' van zware blessure". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  9. ^ "City is Sven Braken opnieuw maanden kwijt". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  10. ^ "N.E.C. versterkt zich met Sven Braken". N.E.C. (in Dutch). 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. ^ Borgman, Gerard (15 August 2017). "NEC neemt spits Braken over van Almere City". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Matchwinner Braken op schot bij nieuwe werkgever NEC". De Limburger (in Flemish). 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Welkom, Sven Braken!". FC Emmen (in Dutch). 23 January 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Sven Braken op huurbasis naar FC Emmen". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). 23 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  15. ^ "VVV-Venlo vs. FC Emmen – 26 januari 2019". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  16. ^ Dijkhuizen, Niels (11 February 2019). "Basisdebutant Sven Braken: 4-0 bij rust was niet raar geweest". RTV Drenthe (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Exotische transfer lonkt voor NEC-spits Braken: 'Ik wil er niets over zeggen'". Voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). 13 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  18. ^ Broek, Danny van den (18 July 2019). "Braken zet streep door Mexicaans avontuur en blijft bij NEC". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  19. ^ "SVEN BRAKEN NUOVO ACQUISTO DEL LIVORNO" (Press release) (in Italian). Livorno. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  20. ^ Perticari, Daniele (14 September 2019). "Ascoli Livorno 2-0. Gerbo e Ninkovic in gol, Lanni stratosferico". il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  21. ^ Muffato, Lorenzo (18 January 2020). "Livorno-Entella 4-4: un pari che ha dell'incredibile. Amaranto beffati". Il Telegrafo (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  22. ^ Lanzillo, Davide (10 July 2020). "Livorno retrocesso in Serie C: il film e gli errori di una stagione da incubo". LivornoToday (in Italian). Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  23. ^ Campopiano, Riccardo (3 May 2021). "Livorno retrocesso in serie D, l'epilogo scontato di una stagione fallimentare". LivornoToday (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Sven Braken nieuwe spits VVV-Venlo". VVV-Venlo (in Dutch). 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021.
  25. ^ Puts, Wim (15 April 2022). "Hattrick Sven Braken bezorgt VVV-Venlo zege op Telstar". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  26. ^ "71' – Doelpunt Sven Braken. MVV Maastricht – VVV-Venlo 0-5". ESPN (in Dutch). 4 February 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  27. ^ a b VVV-Venlo [@VVVVenlo] (1 July 2022). "𝗗𝗼𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗲𝗻" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Braken nieuwe aanvoerder van VVV-Venlo". VVV-Venlo (in Dutch). 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  29. ^ Langeslag, Kim (29 April 2023). "Braken verruilt VVV-Venlo na dit seizoen voor KMSK Deinze". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  30. ^ "KMSK Deinze verwelkomt Sven Braken". KMSK Deinze (Press release) (in Flemish). 29 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  31. ^ "He's back!!" (in Dutch). MVV Maastricht. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  32. ^ "MVV vs. Cambuur 0–1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.