Doekhi’s iron‑man streak ends as he prepares to leave Union Berlin

Danilho Doekhi leaves Union Berlin with an extraordinary statistic attached to his name: the Dutch centre‑back has played every single minute of the last two Bundesliga seasons. The 1998‑born defender never started on the bench, was never substituted and became a pillar of reliability first under Steffen Baumgart and then Marie‑Louise Eta.

This year he added five goals and one assist as Union finished 11th with 39 points after a turbulent campaign marked by a coaching change. Doekhi, who chose not to renew his contract expiring in just over a month, now departs on a free transfer. Born in the Netherlands with Surinamese roots, he carries the middle name Raimundo in honour of Brazilian legend Raí and is the nephew of former defender Winston Bogarde. Developed at Excelsior, Jong Ajax and Vitesse before joining Union in 2022, he is now expected to pursue a bigger challenge, with Leeds among the clubs showing interest.