Van der Gracht (30) started his football career at Reiger Boys in Heerhugowaard and has played at the highest level for AZ, Telstar, FC Twente, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Barcelona and now Inter Milan.

Van der Gracht made his debut for Oranje Leeuwenen on 8 March 2013 in a match against Switzerland. The Inter Milan man was a permanent fixture in the squad that won European champions in his home country in 2017 and took silver during the 2019 World Cup in France. In the following years, van der Gracht was also indispensable in defence. Orange. In the match against Germany earlier this month, he played his 100th international match. Van der Gracht has scored twelve times for the Orange so far.

A position at AZ, perhaps in a management role, seems perfect for van der Gracht. She is from the region and has already played in AZ and previously interned at the AZ Youth Academy. As is known, AZ will return to the Women’s Eredivisie next season and take over the license of VV Alkmaar. It was announced at the end of March that Mark de Vries, the current coach of VV Alkmaar, will coach at AZ next season.

AZ’s general manager Robert Eenhoorn has already announced that a new manager will be in place soon. The circuit already features names such as Marlene Molenaar and Claudia van den Heiligenberg, but with her retirement as an active player, van der Gracht now looks like a prime candidate.