Stekelenburg began his career at Ajax, playing 282 matches over nine seasons in his first spell there and winning nine honours, including two Eredivisie titles.

He re-established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper under new manager Martin Jol and subsequently had a very strong season for both Ajax and the Dutch national side.

On 3 June 2013, Roma sporting director Franco Baldini confirmed he had finalised a deal with Premier League club Fulham for the sale of Stekelenburg.

[13] With Danijel Subašić as Monaco's starting goalkeeper, Stekelenburg was preferred for cup matches, making his debut in the round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue away to Lyon on 17 December.

[18] He made his debut for the club on 30 July in the third qualifying round of the season's Europa League, a 3–0 win over Vitesse at St Mary's Stadium.

[20] On 1 July 2016, Everton, managed by compatriot Ronald Koeman, announced they had signed Stekelenburg from Fulham on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed transfer fee.

[21] He made his debut on 13 August as the Toffees began their campaign with a 1–1 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur,[22] and on 15 October, he saved penalties from Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Agüero to ensure the same result away to Manchester City.

[23] Stekelenburg limped off the field after suffering from a leg injury in the 63rd minute of the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park against Liverpool on 19 December 2016.

[24] In 2017–18, Stekelenburg struggled with groin injuries and lost his place to Jordan Pickford, but was awarded with a two-year contract extension at the end of the season.

He participated in the Group C match against Romania on 17 June—with the Netherlands already having qualified for the quarter-finals, the coach fielded a second-string side to give players like Stekelenburg an appearance.

[31] In a September 2008 friendly match against Australia, Stekelenburg was sent-off after 44 minutes of the first half for fouling Joshua Kennedy, becoming the first goalkeeper of the Dutch national side to receive a red card.

On 7 October 2016, four years after his last international appearance, Stekelenburg started in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Belarus, a 4–1 Dutch victory.

[35] On 7 March 2021, Stekelenburg was one of 31 players called up by Frank de Boer for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Turkey, Latvia, and Gibraltar.