Antoni Milambo
Attacking Midfielder · Brentford · Netherlands
About Antoni Milambo
Antoni Milambo is the Rotterdam-born Dutch midfielder who made his Feyenoord debut at 16, the youngest in the club's history, scored twice at Benfica in the Champions League at 19, and joined Brentford for a reported £16m in July 2025. A knee injury on international duty in October 2025 then cost him his first Premier League season.
Antoni Milambo's story
Boys From Vuurplaat
Born in Rotterdam on 3 April 2005 to a father who had played international football for DR Congo, Milambo grew up in Pendrecht playing on the neighbourhood square every day with Lutsharel Geertruida and Crysencio Summerville. 'They're boys from Vuurplaat, you know. Our bond is very strong.' His older brother was seen as the bigger street talent; Antoni followed him to amateur club De Musschen, then SV Charlois, and joined Feyenoord's academy at nine.
Youngest Ever, Then The Weight Of It
He made his Feyenoord debut on 12 August 2021 in a 3-0 Conference League win over Luzern, aged 16 years and 131 days, taking Georginio Wijnaldum's record as the club's youngest player. What followed hurt his game and his behaviour; Feyenoord assigned him a mental coach, and by the autumn of 2024 he said he had become wiser for it. His first senior goal came on 21 October 2023 against Vitesse.
The Night In Lisbon
In 2024-25 he became a regular under Brian Priske: 42 games and seven goals. He opened his Champions League account at Girona on 2 October 2024, then scored two at Benfica on 23 October in a 3-1 win, UEFA's Man of the Match at 19, and later set one up against Bayern Munich. He also scored in the 4-4 Johan Cruyff Shield draw with PSV that Feyenoord won on penalties.
Brentford's £16m Bet
Brentford signed him on 3 July 2025 for a reported £16m plus £4m in add-ons, on a five-year contract with an option for a sixth, giving him the number 17 shirt. Keith Andrews liked the way he carried the ball at defenders and got past them. He started the opening-day 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest and both Carabao Cup wins over Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
The Long Road Back
On 10 October 2025, playing for the Netherlands Under-21s against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he jumped a tackle, landed and went down clutching his knee. Brentford confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament injury four days later; surgery followed and his season was over after three starts. Andrews called it 'the worst part of being a footballer'. He returned in a Brentford B fixture on 13 September 2026, then a minor knock in early October 2026 set him back again.
Did you know?
- 🏢 When he joined Feyenoord's academy the family moved to De Peperklip, the vast curving social-housing block in the Feijenoord district, a few minutes from De Kuip.
- 🇫🇷 He scored against France in the group stage of the 2022 European Under-17 Championship in Israel; the Netherlands then lost the final 2-1 to the same opponents.
- 👨👦👦 In May 2024 he and his brothers sat in the Leeds end at Wembley to watch childhood friend Crysencio Summerville in the Championship play-off final.
- 🏟️ He was 18 when he made his Champions League debut against Lazio on 7 November 2023; the following season he scored three times in the competition.
- 🧠 Lamare Bogarde of Aston Villa, who knew him at Feyenoord's Varkenoord academy, said in November 2024: 'These guys have special qualities.'
- 🏆 He went to the 2025 European Under-21 Championship with the Netherlands, who were knocked out by England in the semi-finals.
Honours
- Eredivisie: 2022-23, Feyenoord
- KNVB Cup: 2023-24, Feyenoord
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2024, Feyenoord
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