| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jeremain Lens | ||
| Date of birth | 24 November 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Winger, Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | PSV | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Spartaan | |||
| Ajax | |||
| Omniworld | |||
| AZ | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2010 | AZ | 55 | (13) |
| 2007–2008 | → NEC (loan) | 31 | (9) |
| 2010– | PSV | 49 | (14) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Netherlands U-21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2010– | Netherlands | 4 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Jeremain Lens (born 24 November 1987 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch-Surinam footballer who currently plays for PSV Eindhoven. He is a versatile offensive player, the best known for his pace and stamina, primarily being used as a winger or a striker, but he can successfully play as a second striker. In August 2010 he received the first international cap and scored a debut goal. Since then, he played 4 matches for Netherlands and scored one (the debut) goal. He is the nephew of retired footballer and current player's agent Sigi Lens.
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Lens made his debut into professional football in the 2005–06 season. He played two matches for AZ that season. Before that he played in the youth team of AZ, FC Omniworld, Ajax Amsterdam and his regional team, Spartaan. His contract in Alkmaar runs until 2013.
In June 2007, AZ reached a deal concerning a loan involving Lens. It meant that he would play the 2007–08 season for N.E.C., and that he would return to AZ the season afterwards. Lens agreed with the deal, and the player officially joined N.E.C. on loan in the summer of 2007.
After a difficult beginning with his new club N.E.C. before the winter, Lens' as well as his team's situation improved with Lens scoring eight goals in 16 matches. N.E.C. qualified for the UEFA Cup preliminaries. A long time it seemed he would relocate permanently to N.E.C., but he eventually decided to return to AZ.
In July 2008, Lens had an operation on his left foot, which meant he was out for some time. The 2008–09 season was a personal disappointment for Lens, and he didn't contribute much to AZ's championship. When coach Louis van Gaal left AZ for Bayern Munich, Lens saw a chance for himself to play more matches. He grabbed the chance under the new coach, and he played well and scored important goals for AZ.[2]
On 21 May 2010, PSV contracted Lens for 4 years. PSV-player Dirk Marcellis was also involved in this deal, as Marcellis was transferred to AZ.He was given no. 9 shirt. First year in PSV was good for the player. He was moved from striker position to flank, being more utilised on both wings or working behind strikers as a second striker. He struggled to score in first few games, but eventually got used to the new position. He reached Europa League quarter-finals with the team, scoring 3 goals in 11 matches, and reached the score of 10 Eredivisie goals in 33 games, while the Eindhoven-based team only got to 3rd place, despite being the table leaders for the most of the 2010-11 season. In the beginning of 2011-2012 season his jersey number was changed to no. 11, which was free since the departure of Nordin Amrabat to Kayserispor in January 2011.On 6 November 2011,he came in from the bench against Heracles and scored a stunning hat-trick, his first since joining PSV.
Although Lens previously played for the Dutch under-21 team, he has chosen to play for the Surinam national team, since he said he felt like he is a Surinamese. In 2009, Lens was called up for Suriname's squad by national team coach, Wensley Bundel, for the PARBO Bier Cup. His first match for Suriname was against French Guiana. The match ended in a 0–2 defeat. Suriname ultimately finished second in the tournament.
Since the tournament is not under the auspices of the FIFA, Lens is still eligible for a call up for the Netherlands.
On 3 May 2010, Lens was called up for the Dutch national team, as a part of the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[3] However, on 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player would not be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.[4] On 11 August 2010, Lens made his debut in the 1 – 1 draw with Ukraine in a friendly match and netted the only goal for his side.[5]
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 August 2010 | Donbass Arena, Donetsk | Ukraine | 0–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
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