Ola John
 John with Twente in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ola John | ||
| Date of birth | 19 May 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Zwedru, Liberia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Hamburger SV (on loan from Benfica) | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2002 | DES Nijverdal | ||
| 2002–2010 | Twente | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010–2012 | Twente | 46 | (9) |
| 2012– | Benfica | 27 | (0) |
| 2014– | → Hamburger SV (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009 | Netherlands U-17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Netherlands U-19 | 9 | (3) |
| 2011– | Netherlands U-21 | 8 | (1) |
| 2013– | Netherlands | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 January 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Ola John (born 19 May 1992) is a Liberian-born Dutch footballer who currently plays as a winger for Hamburg, on loan from Benfica.
Personal life
As a two-year-old, John fled with his mother and brothers from Liberia to the Netherlands. His father was killed during the bloody First Liberian Civil War. He did not return to the African continent until the Youth World Championship in Nigeria in 2009. As a child, he played at the amateur club "VV DES" in Nijverdal. Like his brothers Collins and Paddy, Ola joined the youth academy of FC Twente.[1]
Club career
Twente
The 2011–12 season was the big breakthrough for John at FC Twente, as he got a starting place from Co Adriaanse at the start of the season, and did not lose that even with competition for the left forward position, as Nacer Chadli returned from injury. He also topped the UEFA Europa League group stage assist rankings with six assists.[2][3] In Twente's home match in the Europa League against Odense BK on 3 November, John provided all three assists in a 3–2 win.[4] John was influential in the Eredivisie campaign as well, netting two goals in a 6–2 victory over FC Utrecht on 4 December 2011.[5]
Benfica
On 24 May 2012, John signed for Portuguese giants Benfica for an initial €9 million – eventually rising to €12 million due to clauses – on a five-year deal that includes a €45 million release clause.[6][7] After struggling to find his space in the first team during his initial months in Lisbon, John became a regular starter or used substitute in the second half of Benfica's 2012/13 campaign, which included presences in UEFA Europa League and Portuguese Cup finals.
He was loaned to Hamburg for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season on 17 January 2014.[8] .
International career
In February 2012, Ola John was called up for the first time by Bert van Marwijk to represent the senior Netherlands football team for the game against England at Wembley.[9] On 7 May 2012, he was named in the provisional list of 36 players for the Euro 2012 tournament, one of nine uncapped players to be chosen by Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk as part of the preliminary squad.[10]
Honours
Twente
- KNVB Cup
- Winner (1): 2011
- Johan Cruijff Shield
- Winner (1): 2011
Career statistics
- Statistics accurate as of match played 26 May 2013.[11]
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup[12] | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | |||
| Twente | Eredivisie | 2010–11 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | 33 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | 14 | 1 | 6 | 50 | 9 | 22 | ||||
| Netherlands Total | 46 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | 17 | 1 | 6 | 69 | 10 | 23 | ||||
| Benfica | Primeira Liga | 2012–13 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 4 | 8 |
| 2013–14 | 5 | 0 | ? | 1 | 1 | ? | 1 | 0 | ? | 2 | 0 | ? | 9 | 1 | ? | ||
| Portugal Total | 27 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 51 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 73 | 9 | 21 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 120 | 15 | 31 | ||
References
- ↑ Interview Ola John, website Ons Oranje.nl (8 oktober 2009)
- ↑ "Ola John Bio, Stats, News – Football / Soccer – - ESPNFC". Soccernet.espn.go.com. 19 May 1992. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ John coming on strong at Twente By Berend Scholten, uefa.com (28 November 2011)
- ↑ "UEFA Europa League 2011/12 – History – Twente-OB –". Uefa.com. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ Eredivisie8:30 EST, 4 December, 2011Nieuw Galgewaard (4 December 2011). "Report: FC Utrecht v Twente Enschede – Dutch Eredivisie – ESPNFC". Soccernet.espn.go.com. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Official: Benfica sign Ola John from Twente". Goal.com. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ Tijd. "'Benfica heeft FC Twente-talent John beet' | VoetbalPrimeur" (in (Dutch)). Voetbalprimeur.nl. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Official: Hamburgo confirma chegada de Ola John por empréstimo". dn.pt. 17 January 2014. Unknown parameter
|http://www.dn.pt/desporto/benfica/interior.aspx?content_id=ignored (help); - ↑ Jamie Jackson. "Holland rediscover their old sparkle after that bitter taste of orange | Football". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Euro 2012: Emanuelson misses out | Live football and soccer news". ESPNFC.com. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Transfermarkt Performance Data".
- ↑ Includes Johan Cruijff-schaal XVI.
External links
- (Dutch) Voetbal International
- (Dutch) Holland stats at OnsOranje
- Transfermarkt profile
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