Sergiño Dest

Early career

Dest played for the youth academy of Almere City until 2012, when he moved to the Ajax youth academy. Initially a forward, he progressed through the ranks of the club until making the switch to a full-back.

Ajax

Dest debuted for Jong Ajax on October 15, 2018, in a 2–1 loss against Jong PSV. Dest impressed over the course of the 2018–19 season, making 18 appearances in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and tallying one goal and two assists. He also scored one goal and provided one assist in seven appearances in the prestigious UEFA Youth League. On July 27, 2019, Dest made his debut for the Ajax first team in an official game when he started the 2019 Johan Cruyff Shield match against rivals PSV Eindhoven. Ajax won the match 2–0 and claimed the trophy. On August 10, 2019, Dest debuted in the Eredivisie, replacing Noussair Mazraoui in the 54th minute of Ajax's 5–0 home win against Emmen. He also appeared as a substitute in qualifying matches for the UEFA Champions League against PAOK and APOEL. In September, Dest was officially promoted to the Ajax first-team squad. On September 17, 2019, he made his first start in the Champions League against Lille, a match which Ajax won 3–0. Dest finished his first senior season with 35 appearances in which he scored two goals—both in a KNVB Cup fixture against Telstar. For his performances, he won the 2020 Ajax Talent of the Year award and finished 14th in the Golden Boy award voting.

Barcelona

On October 1,…

Dest has dual nationality making him eligible to play for either the United States or the Netherlands and ultimately chose to play for the United States' senior national team. Dest has represented the United States at youth and full international level. He played five games in total for the United States under-17 team, including four appearances at the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

He represented the United States under-20 team at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he played four matches. In total, he made 12 appearances and scored one goal for the under-20 team. Dest made his senior debut for the United States on September 6, 2019, starting and playing 68 minutes in a 3–0 friendly loss against Mexico. Dest chose to commit his international future to the United States at the senior level on October 28, 2019. He was included in the United States' 26-man roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During the tournament, Dest provided the assist for Christian Pulisic's winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Iran, which sent the United States into the round of 16. In the next game against the Netherlands (his birth nation), he was culpable in leaving too much space for Daley Blind to score the second Dutch goal in a 3–1 defeat for the U.S. At the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League on November 20, 2023, against Trinidad and Tobago, Dest was sent off after receiving 2 yellow cards in 20 seconds after controversially arguing with the referee and U.S. teammates. He missed the 2024…

Dest plays as a full-back, performing offensive attacking and defensive roles and maintaining possession. A natural dribbler, he uses his high pace when pushing forward against opponents and defending.

Dest was born in Almere to Surinamese-American father Kenneth Dest and a Dutch mother. Kenneth Dest was born in Suriname and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was young, settling in Brooklyn, and eventually naturalized as a U.S. citizen.