Sepp van den Berg was born on 20 December 2001 in Zwolle, Netherlands. He came through PEC Zwolle's academy and made his Eredivisie debut as a sixteen-year-old in 2018, immediately attracting attention as a tall centre-back with senior composure. Liverpool signed him in June 2019, betting on the idea that his frame, passing and calm temperament could develop into Premier League-level defending.
At Liverpool, Van den Berg's middle career was largely shaped by loans. He played cup football for the first team but needed regular senior minutes, so he joined Preston North End in the Championship, where he showed he could handle a physically demanding league. A later loan to Schalke brought Bundesliga experience, and his 2023-24 season at Mainz 05 was especially important: he became a regular starter, fought through a difficult relegation battle and proved he could defend consistently in a top European league.
Brentford signed Van den Berg from Liverpool in August 2024. He arrived as a defender with elite-club education but a need for a stable Premier League home, and Brentford offered exactly that. He has been used across the back line, most naturally as a right-sided centre-back, adding height, recovery pace and aerial strength. In a squad that often manages injuries in defence, his durability and flexibility have made him a valuable Premier League piece.
For the Netherlands, Van den Berg has represented the country at youth levels from under-19 through under-21. A senior Oranje cap has not yet arrived, largely because the Dutch centre-back pool is unusually deep, with Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Micky van de Ven and others in the same era. His representative pathway therefore remains youth-heavy, but regular Premier League football keeps him within the wider monitoring group.
Standing around 1.92 m and right-footed, Van den Berg is a centre-back whose best qualities are aerial duels, covering ground and defending large spaces. He is not yet the finished ball-playing organiser, but he is comfortable enough in possession to fit Brentford's build-up and strong enough to defend the box. Stylistically, he resembles a younger, leaner Joel Matip: tall, mobile, occasionally progressive with the ball and most effective when asked to step out proactively.