Lutsharel Emiliano Geertruida (; born 18 July 2000) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for club Sunderland, on loan from club RB Leipzig, and the Netherlands national team. Mainly a right-back, he can also play as a centre-back and defensive midfielder.
Geertruida was born in Rotterdam, near Feyenoord's home ground De Kuip. He started his footballing career at Overmaas Rotterdam, before moving to Spartaan '20 at the age of seven. Two years later, Geertruida joined Sparta Rotterdam's youth academy, where he played for three years before being signed to Feyenoord's youth setup at Sportcomplex Varkenoord.
Geertruida made his professional first team debut on 25 October 2017 in the second round of the KNVB Cup against AVV Swift, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute for Jerry St. Juste.
Throughout the 2018âÂÂ19 season, Geertruida was consistently part of the first-team squad at Feyenoord but saw limited playing time, making just two substitute appearances in the Eredivisie. He made his debut in the Eredivisie on 23 December 2018, against ADO Den Haag, replacing club legend Robin van Persie in the 79th minute. On 9 August 2018, Geertruida also debuted in European competition in a UEFA Europa League qualifier that ended in a 4âÂÂ0 loss against AS TrenÃÂÃÂn.
During the 2019âÂÂ20 season, Geertruida saw more playing time, often coming on as a substitute for regular starter Rick Karsdorp. His first start in the Eredivisie took place on 26 September 2019 in a match against AZ, which ended in a 3âÂÂ0 loss for Feyenoord.
Geertruida scored his first goal in professional football on 27 September 2020 in a 4âÂÂ2 victory against ADO Den Haag. In August 2021, he extended his contract with Feyenoord until 2024. On 25 May 2022, Geertruida played in the UEFA Conference League final which ended in a 1âÂÂ0 defeat against Roma. In the 2022âÂÂ23 season, he was an integral part of the team which won the Eredivisie title.
On 30 August 2024, Geertruida transferred to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig for around â¬20 million, signing a five-year deal with the German club.
On 1 September 2025, Premier League club Sunderland announced that they had signed Geertruida on a season-long loan.
Born in the Netherlands, Geertruida is of Curaçaoan descent. He is a youth international for the Netherlands. On 21 March 2021, Geertruida was called up to the Netherlands national under-21 football team for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship to replace the ill Jurriën Timber.
He was called up to the preliminary squad for the Curaçao national team for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
On 17 March 2023, Geertruida received his first call-up to the Netherlands senior national team for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against France and Gibraltar. He made his debut one week later, being a starter in a 4âÂÂ0 away loss against France.
In June 2023, Geertruida was part of the Netherlands' squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, where he played the full match against Croatia in the semi-final and the first 45 minutes against Italy in the third place play-off.
In May 2024, it was announced that Geertruida was part of the preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024. Two weeks later, it was confirmed that he would be included in the final squad. He made his final tournament debut on 21 June 2024, coming in as a substitute in a goalless draw against France.
During his early years at Feyenoord, Geertruida was seldom seen in front of the camera due to his struggle with severe stuttering. As a result, in consultation with the club, he chose not to participate in any interviews.
Feyenoord
Individual