Ruud Vormer (born 11 May 1988) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder, most notably for Club Brugge.

Club career

Early career

As a youngster, Vormer played for two amateur clubs from his hometown of Hoorn, Hollandia and De Blookers. Although he attracted interest from other Dutch clubs, he transferred to AZ in February 2000. Vormer was promoted to the AZ first team in 2006 and made his debut for the club aged 18. However, did not consistently play and was not given a new contract by AZ, so two years later he joined Roda JC on a free transfer. At Kerkrade, he soon became an important player, making the Roda JC team of the season in 2011-12. He then joined Feyenoord on a free transfer in the summer of 2012, after rejecting a three year extension from Roda JC. However, Vormer struggled for regular gametime at the Rotterdam club, and told Feyenoord he was open to a transfer.

Club Brugge

Vormer joined Belgian side Club Brugge on 1 September 2014 on a three-year deal. Vormer was named Club Brugge's player of the season during the 2015–16 campaign, featuring in 3,547 minutes or 69.1% of the club's play, and also contributed with seven goals and added a further six assists. On 24 February 2017, Vormer scored twice in a 5–0 win over Zulte Waregem. He would go on to win the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2017. Vormer followed this up with a career best 13 league goals in the 2017–18 season, helping Club Brugge to a 15th Belgian First Division title. On 22 July 2018, Vormer signed a new contract with Club Brugge, keeping him at the club until 2022. Vormer continued being an influential member for Club Brugge, contributing to their 17th league title success during the 2020–21 season and was named the club's player of the month for March 2021. Vormer signed a one-year contract extension on 14 June 2021, keeping him at the club until 2023.

Zulte Waregem

On 3 January 2023, Vormer officially joined fellow Belgian side Zulte Waregem on a loan until the end of the season, with the deal set to become permanent once his contract with Club Brugge would expire. As Zulte Waregem relegated at the end of that season, Vormer was a free agent. Despite him having indicated upon his initial arrival that he would not stay with the club in case of relegation, Zulte Waregem was able to convince Vormer of signing a two-year deal on 30 May 2023. Despite this, Vormer announced his retirement a year later in 2024.

International career

Vormer made his debut for the Netherlands national team in a 1–1 draw with Slovakia on 31 May 2018, coming on at half-time for Donny van de Beek.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club Brugge Individual