Arjan de Zeeuw
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| Arjan de Zeeuw | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adrianus de Zeeuw | |
| Date of birth | April 16, 1970 (age 36) | |
| Place of birth | Castricum, Netherlands | |
| Height | 1.90 m | |
| Nickname | Arry, Zoo | |
| Playing position | Centre Back | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Wigan Athletic | |
| Number | 6 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1994–1995 1995-1999 1999-2002 2002-2005 2005-present |
Stormvogels Telstar Barnsley Wigan Athletic Portsmouth Wigan Athletic |
0 (0) 138 (7) 126 (6) 106 (5) 46 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Adrianus "Arjan" de Zeeuw (born April 16, 1970 in Castricum, Netherlands) is a Dutch football (soccer) player. He is a centre-back, and currently plays in England for Wigan Athletic.
De Zeeuw played for Dutch club Telstar before moving to English club Barnsley in a £250,000 deal for the 1995/96 season. Despite the club being relegated de Zeeuw proved to be a consistent performer, and when his contract expired at the end of the 1998/99 season he moved to Wigan Athletic. He soon became a vital team member, proving to be highly dependable at the back.
His contract at Wigan expired in the summer of 2002, and the following season he moved on a free transfer to Portsmouth. He was an integral part of the Portsmouth squad that claimed the First Division championship.
He continued to perform to high standards as Portsmouth played well in their debut FA Premier League season, and was recognised by the fans who voted him Portsmouth Player of the Year. He was rewarded with the captaincy for the 2004/05 season following Teddy Sheringham's departure to West Ham United, and led the team to stave off relegation following the departure of manager Harry Redknapp.
In the summer of 2005, after falling out with then-Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, he returned to Wigan Athletic for the nominal fee of £90,000. de Zeeuw, who is now advanced in years for the life of a footballer, wanted the guarantee of first-team football which Perrin was unwilling to provide. The majority of Portsmouth supporters lamented this decision and loss of their former captain, who had a very consistent season with Wigan at the heart of their defense, helping them to a better-than-expected mid-table finish.
He has a degree in medical science and became a professional football player quite late in life, after he completed his degree. He is planning to go into sports medicine when his football career is over.
de Zeeuw is considered by many to be an excellent example of professionalism in the modern game. An example of this arose through his dignified refusal to retaliate after Bolton's El Hadji Diouf spat in his face during a match at the Reebok Stadium in November of 2004. His response was to score the winning goal in Portsmouth's 1-0 victory.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Teddy Sheringham |
Portsmouth F.C. captain 2004-2005 |
Succeeded by Dejan Stefanović |
| Wigan Athletic F.C. - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Filan | 2 Granqvist | 4 Jackson | 5 Hall | 6 de Zeeuw | 7 Camara | 8 Kilbane | 9 Heskey | 10 McCulloch | 11 Johansson | 12 Pollitt | 13 Kirkland | 14 Landzaat | 15 Aghahowa | 16 Valencia | 17 Boyce | 18 Scharner | 19 Taylor | 20 Folan | 21 Cywka | 22 Cotterill | 24 Skoko | 25 Unsworth | 26 Baines | 27 Hæstad | 28 Nash | 31 Montrose | 32 Owens | 36 Waterhouse | Manager: Jewell |
