Ajax in 2016 De Ligt joined the Ajax youth academy when he was nine years old from his
local club in
Abcoude, just outside of
Amsterdam. At first, the coaches at the youth academy thought he was too slow and out of shape, but he was given a chance to develop in the academy and went on to prove his quality.
2016–17: Jong Ajax and development He made his debut for
Jong Ajax on 8 August 2016 in an
Eerste Divisie game against
Emmen, playing the full game. During the season, De Ligt played in 17 matches for Jong Ajax. On 21 September, De Ligt made his debut for Ajax's senior team in a cup game against
Willem II. He scored from a corner after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind
Clarence Seedorf; Ajax won the game 5–0. De Ligt quickly entrenched himself in the first team after being promoted and went on to play in 11 league matches and nine in the
Europa League. On 24 May, he became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major European final when he started against
Manchester United in the
2017 UEFA Europa League Final.
2017–19: Breakthrough and captaincy After the sale of
Davinson Sánchez to
Tottenham Hotspur in August 2017, De Ligt became a first-team starter. He was named the youngest
captain of Ajax in March 2018 after injury to club captain
Joël Veltman. De Ligt appeared in 37 matches in all competitions and scored three goals. He started in all of his 31 league matches and played 90 minutes in all but one of them (he was substituted in the 33rd minute against
Vitesse due to an injury). On 17 December 2018, De Ligt won the
Golden Boy award, becoming the first defender to win the award. On 27 February 2019, he played his 100th official game for Ajax in a 0–3
Klassieker win against
Feyenoord in the
Dutch national cup, becoming the youngest Ajax player ever to reach this milestone. On 16 April 2019, De Ligt scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final against
Juventus to send Ajax on to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the
1996–97 edition of the tournament. His goal also saw him become the youngest Dutch player to score in the knockout stages since
Nordin Wooter in 1996 and the second-youngest ever defender to score after
Joël Matip.
Juventus in 2019 On 18 July 2019, De Ligt signed for
Serie A champions
Juventus on a five-year contract for a fee of €75 million, to be paid in five annual instalments, with additional costs of €10.5 million. On 3 November, he scored his first for the club in a 1–0 away win over cross-city rivals
Torino in the
Derby della Mole.
Bayern Munich On 19 July 2022, De Ligt signed for
Bundesliga champions
Bayern Munich on five-year contract for a reported initial fee of €67 million, potentially rising to €77 million in add-ons. On 8 March 2023, at the
Champions League round of 16-second leg, he made a goal-line clearance against
Paris Saint-Germain, after goalkeeper
Yann Sommer lost the ball under pressure, to keep the goalless draw and scoreline at 1–0 on aggregate. The match ended in a 2–0 victory and qualification to the quarter-final. On 8 April, he scored the only goal from in a 1–0 away win over
Freiburg, four days after a 2–1 defeat against the same opponent in the
DFB-Pokal quarter-finals. That strike was voted Bayern's goal of the month in the Bundesliga. He was also voted player of the month in both March and April. In the first half of the
2023–24 season, he sustained recurring injuries in his right knee, which led to him being surpassed by
Dayot Upamecano and
Kim Min-jae in the starting line-up under coach
Thomas Tuchel. During the latter part of the season, De Ligt forged a robust partnership with newly acquired
Eric Dier, contributing significantly to the club's advancement in the
Champions League.
Manchester United In the 2024 summer
transfer window, De Ligt attracted substantial interest from several top European clubs, particularly
Manchester United. On 9 July 2024, it was reported that De Ligt had agreed personal terms with the Manchester side and a transfer looked likely. It was reported a transfer worth an initial €45 million plus €5 million in bonuses was agreed between the two clubs. On 13 August, Manchester United confirmed the transfer, with De Ligt signing a five-year contract. On 16 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–0 win, as a substitute, against
Fulham in the league. On 14 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win against
Southampton at
St Mary's Stadium in the league. On 8 November 2025, he scored his first goal of the 2025–26 season, a 96th minute equaliser against
Tottenham Hotspur in a 2–2 draw. Later that year, he sustained a back injury which kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season. ==International career==