Ajax Stekelenburg began his career at Zandvoort '75 before joining VV Schoten, which he left for
Ajax when he was 15 years old. He made his official debut for Ajax on 24 February 2002, in a match against
NAC Breda. At the start of the 2002–03 season, he won his first silverware when Ajax won the
Johan Cruyff Shield. In 2004, he and Ajax won the
Eredivisie, having played ten matches that season. Stekelenburg became the first choice goalkeeper at Ajax in the 2005–06 season and won his first
KNVB Cup. At the start of the 2006–07 season, he won his second Johan Cruyff Shield, which he helped his team defend the next season, and later on in 2006–07, he won his second KNVB Cup. Stekelenburg was named Ajax "Player of the Year" for the
2007–08 season, succeeding
Wesley Sneijder. During the
2008–09 season, he lost his place in the goal to
Kenneth Vermeer due to injuries. He re-established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper under new manager
Martin Jol and subsequently had a very strong season for both Ajax and the Dutch national side. During the 2009–10 season, Stekelenburg went on to have a consistent season, playing in all of Ajax's Eredivisie and Europa League matches, the latter after they were eliminated from the
UEFA Champions League in the group stage. However, Stekelenburg sustained a finger injury which kept him out for the remainder of the season. He made a total of 51 appearances in the 2010–11 season in all competitions. After winning the
2010–11 Eredivisie on 15 May 2011, Stekelenburg dropped the trophy while standing on top of the Ajax team coach with
Jan Vertonghen. He won Ajax Player of the Year for the second time.
Roma On 1 August 2011, it was announced Stekelenburg had officially transferred to
Roma for a €6.325 million transfer fee plus bonuses, making him the first Dutch footballer to ever play for the Italian club. He picked the number 24 shirt, which is the day his son was born. He made his debut on 11 September 2011, against
Cagliari.
Fulham On 3 June 2013, Roma
sporting director Franco Baldini confirmed he had finalised a deal with
Premier League club
Fulham for the sale of Stekelenburg. Two days later, on 5 June, Fulham announced Stekelenburg had signed on a four-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee; Roma later disclosed the fee was €5.6 million. He made his debut on 17 August in a 1–0 win away to
Sunderland; however, he came off injured in the second half and was replaced by
David Stockdale. He returned on 21 October at a win against Crystal Palace, but went on to lose the next four starts in a row. Following the sacking of
René Meulensteen as Fulham manager, Stekelenburg was dropped to the bench in favour of Stockdale by
Felix Magath, and following Fulham's relegation and Stockdale's departure, lost his place in the squad altogether, as Magath favoured
Jesse Joronen and
Marcus Bettinelli. On 9 August 2014, Stekelenburg joined French club
Monaco on a season-long loan. With
Danijel Subašić as Monaco's starting goalkeeper, Stekelenburg was preferred for cup matches, making his debut in the round of 16 of the
Coupe de la Ligue away to
Lyon on 17 December. After a 1–1 draw at the
Stade de Gerland, he helped Monaco win 5–4 in a
penalty shootout by saving from
Jordan Ferri. In the semi-finals on 4 February 2015 against
Bastia at the
Stade Louis II, it again went to penalties after a goalless draw. He saved from
Guillaume Gillet and
Giovanni Sio, but Monaco were eliminated nonetheless. His sole
Ligue 1 appearance came on 22 March away to
Reims, a 3–1 victory. On 1 June, the club announced Stekelenburg would return to Fulham after his season-long loan expired. On 22 June 2015,
Southampton signed Stekelenburg on a season-long loan from Fulham. He made his debut for the club on 30 July in the
third qualifying round of
the season's Europa League, a 3–0 win over
Vitesse at
St Mary's Stadium. He made his Premier League debut for the Saints in a 2–2 draw away to
Newcastle United on the opening day of the
2015–16 Premier League season.
Everton On 1 July 2016,
Everton, managed by compatriot
Ronald Koeman, announced they had signed Stekelenburg from Fulham on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed transfer fee. He made his debut on 13 August as the Toffees began their campaign with a 1–1 home draw against
Tottenham Hotspur, and on 15 October, he saved penalties from
Kevin De Bruyne and
Sergio Agüero to ensure the same result away to
Manchester City. Stekelenburg limped off the field after suffering from a leg injury in the 63rd minute of the
Merseyside derby at Goodison Park against
Liverpool on 19 December 2016. He returned to action in April 2017, when Ronald Koeman dropped
Joel Robles after 17-straight starts by the Spanish goalkeeper. In 2017–18, Stekelenburg struggled with groin injuries and lost his place to
Jordan Pickford, but was awarded with a two-year contract extension at the end of the season. In June 2020, with his deal set to expire, he extended it until the end of the season, which had been postponed by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Return to Ajax On 22 June 2020, it was announced that Stekelenburg would rejoin
Ajax following the
2019–20 Premier League season. From February 2021, he gained a starting place due to
André Onana's 12-month ban for doping, and in May he signed a contract extension until 2022. On 18 May 2023, Stekelenburg announced that he would retire at the end of season. ==International career==