Wesley Sneijder
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| Wesley Sneijder | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wesley Sneijder | |
| Date of birth | June 9, 1984 | |
| Place of birth | Utrecht, Netherlands | |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder, Winger, | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Real Madrid | |
| Number | 23 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2002–2007 2007– |
Ajax Real Madrid |
126 (43) 30 (9) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2003– | Netherlands | 47 (11) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Wesley Sneijder (pronunciation ) (born June 9, 1984) is a Dutch footballer. He played for Ajax (2002–2007) and currently plays for Real Madrid (2007–present). He is also a regular member of the Dutch national team.
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[edit] Early life
Wesley Sneijder was born on June 9, 1984 in Utrecht into a football family: his father was a player, his older brother Jeffrey plays for Stormvogels Telstar and his younger brother Rodney plays for the youth academy of Ajax.
[edit] Career
[edit] Ajax
Although Sneijder was not born in Amsterdam, he played for the Ajax youth academy.
Sneijder made his debut for Ajax in a 2-0 win at Excelsior on December 22, 2002 when manager Ronald Koeman, troubled by an injury-filled squad called him up, advised by Danny Blind, the then-coach of the Ajax youth-squad. He rapidly established himself in the role of midfield general and occasional left winger. Despite his short height, he is strong on the ball and his passing range is enhanced by his two-footedness (ambidextrous).
[edit] Real Madrid
On August 12, 2007, Ajax agreed to sell Sneijder to Real Madrid for €27 million, according to the club's web-site, making him the second most expensive Dutch football player. He was the second of three Dutchmen to sign for Real Madrid for the 2007 season joining Royston Drenthe and later Arjen Robben. He also was given the number 23 which was worn by David Beckham for four full seasons at Real Madrid.
In his first La Liga match for Real Madrid he scored the winner in the Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid. On the second matchday, he scored two goals against Villarreal, one of them on a direct free-kick.
Sneijder capped a fine first season in Spain by hitting a stunning free kick in the last game of the season against Levante at the Bernabeu and taking his goal tally to 9 in La Liga in a season which also saw Real retain their title.
[edit] International career
Sneijder debuted with the Netherlands Under-21 side against Czech Republic on March 28, 2003. His first game with the Dutch national team was against Portugal on April 30 that same year, when he became the eighth youngest man to play for Holland in the team’s history.
Sneijder reached the Euro 2004 semifinals with the Netherlands. He began the competition warming the bench, but he soon found a spot in the starting eleven and scored two goals. He was a also a starter in the four matches the Oranje played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany before they were eliminated by Portugal.
In the build-up to Euro 2008, Sneijder scored a magnificent free kick in a friendly against Wales on May 31, making it his second strike from a direct free kick in a row. The game ended 2-0 with goals from Real Madrid pair, Arjen Robben and Sneijder.
Sneijder marked his 24th birthday in style by scoring the second goal in the 31st minute of the Euro 2008 game against Italy. Following Giovanni van Bronckhorst's goal-line clearance and subsequent run into the Italian half, Sneijder received the ball via a header from Dirk Kuyt and volleyed the ball between the post and the advancing Gianluigi Buffon. This brought the score to 2-0 after Ruud van Nistelrooy's controversial opener five minutes previous. The match finished with a 3-0 victory to the Dutch after a third goal was scored by Giovanni van Bronkhorst after another run by him following a crucial save from Edwin van der Sar. Sneijder's second goal contributed to the Netherlands first victory over Italy in thirty years and it was the biggest defeat Italy had suffered since Sweden beat them by the same margin in 1983. He scored another goal, for Holland, in the UEFA Euro 2008 group stage match against France, finalising the score with a 4-1 victory.
[edit] Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Ass | Apps | Goals | Ass | Apps | Goals | Ass | Apps | Goals | Ass | ||
| Real Madrid | 2007–08 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | 10 |
| Total | 30 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | 10 | |
| AFC Ajax | 2006-07 | 30 | 18 | - | 4 | 1 | - | 9 | 1 | - | 43 | 20 | - |
| 2005-06 | 19 | 5 | - | 3 | 2 | - | 7 | 4 | - | 29 | 11 | - | |
| 2004-05 | 30 | 7 | - | 4 | 2 | - | 7 | 0 | - | 41 | 9 | - | |
| 2003-04 | 30 | 9 | - | 1 | 0 | - | 7 | 1 | - | 38 | 10 | - | |
| 2002-03 | 17 | 4 | - | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 23 | 5 | - | |
| Total | 126 | 43 | - | 15 | 6 | - | 33 | 6 | - | 174 | 55 | - | |
| Career Total | 156 | 52 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 211 | 64 | 7 | |
[edit] Awards
- Individual awards
- 2004: Talent of the Year Ajax Amsterdam
- 2007: Player of the Year Ajax Amsterdam
- Awards at Ajax Amsterdam
- Eredivisie: 2004
- KNVB Cup: 2006, 2007
- Johan Cruijff-schaal: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Awards at Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2008
[edit] Personal life
Sneijder married Ramona Streekstra on June 18, 2005. They have one son, Jessey, born September 4, 2006.
On 8 May 2008, it was reported that Sneijder had prevented his younger brother Rodney from a summer transfer to his current club, Real Madrid. Sneijder said, "Real Madrid wanted him and Rodney was very happy about that. But when I heard, I stopped the discussions. I am not in favour of juniors increasingly going to top clubs. I've told him that he first must make a break through at Ajax."[2]
In the popular EA Sports football game FIFA 08, Sneijder is left-footed; however, in real life, he is actually both-footed.
[edit] References
- ^ Gespeelde wedstrijden. KNVB. Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
- ^ Sneijder blocked Real Madrid move for kid brother. Retrieved on 20 May, 2008.
[edit] External links
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| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Heitinga |
AFC Ajax Talent of the year 2002 |
Succeeded by Kenneth Vermeer |
Preceded by Arjen Robben |
Dutch Football Talent of the Year 2004 |
Succeeded by Salomon Kalou |
| Preceded by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar |
AFC Ajax Player of the year 2006-2007 |
Succeeded by Maarten Stekelenburg |
