Tonny Vilhena swaps Athens for Eredivisie move with Willem II

Netherlands and Angola midfielder Tonny Vilhena has joined Willem II from Panathinaikos, completing a move back to the Eredivisie on 26 August 2026. The 31-year-old central midfielder has signed a contract with the Tilburg club until 30 June 2027.

Vilhena arrives in the Netherlands after two seasons with Panathinaikos, where he won the Greek Cup in 2024. He joined the Greek club from Espanyol in July 2023 for €3m, having spent the previous campaign on loan at Salernitana.

The midfielder began his senior career with Feyenoord, progressing through the Dutch club’s youth system before establishing himself with the first team. He won the Eredivisie title in the 2016-17 season and lifted the Dutch Cup twice, in 2015-16 and 2017-18, as well as the Dutch Super Cup in 2018 and 2019.

Vilhena left Feyenoord for Russian club Krasnodar in July 2019 in a €9m transfer. His time at Krasnodar was followed by a loan move to Espanyol in January 2022, with Espanyol later completing a permanent transfer for €2.5m that summer.

He then spent part of the 2022-23 season on loan at Salernitana before returning to Espanyol, where his performances led to the move to Panathinaikos. His career has therefore taken him across the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Italy and Greece before his latest switch to Willem II.

A left-footed midfielder standing 1.75m tall, Vilhena also has a strong record in Dutch youth football. He was part of the Feyenoord Under-17 side that won the Dutch Under-17 title in 2011 and helped the Netherlands Under-17 team win the European Under-17 Championship that year and again in 2012.

He was the leading scorer at the 2011 European Under-17 Championship with three goals, while also winning the Under-21 Eredivisie with Feyenoord in 2014. Those honours form part of a career that has included domestic trophies in both the Netherlands and Greece.

Vilhena’s arrival gives Willem II an experienced central-midfield option as the club competes in the Eredivisie and the 2026-27 campaign. He joined the Tilburg club from Panathinaikos on 26 August 2026 and is contracted until June 2027.