Jetro Willems

Jetro Willems

July 2014
Personal information
Full nameJetro Willems
Date of birth30 March 1994
Place of birthWillemstad, Curaçao
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Playing positionLeft back
Club information
Current team
PSV
Number15
Youth career
Spartaan'20
Sparta Rotterdam
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2010–2011Sparta Rotterdam16(0)
2011–PSV107(7)
National team‡
2010–2011Netherlands U1715(0)
2011Netherlands U191(0)
2013–Netherlands U215(0)
2012–Netherlands15(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 April 2015 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19:04, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

Jetro Willems (born 30 March 1994) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a left back for Dutch Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven. He represented the Netherlands national team at Euro 2012 and therefore is the youngest player ever at a UEFA European Championship.

Club career

Sparta Rotterdam

Willems began his career on Spartaan '20, and moved to Sparta Rotterdam. In Sparta he progressed through the club's youth categories, and made his debut on 16 January 2011, in a match against Go Ahead Eagles.[2] He made 16 appearances on Dutch second division..

PSV

Willems during the Europa League game against Dynamo Moscow on 2 October 2014

On 31 August 2011, Willems joined PSV Eindhoven, on a three-year contract.[3] He received the No. 43 jersey. He made his PSV debut on 23 October, in a match against Vitesse.[4] Willems became the youngest Dutchman to play in a UEFA competition when he started against Hapoel Tel-Aviv, on 3 November.[5] In the same month, he was definitely promoted for the first team squad.[6]

In December, Willems was targeted for a move to Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson looking for 'the next Patrice Evra'.[7] On 3 April 2012, his contract was broken and extended until 2016.[8]

Willems made his first professional – and PSV – goal on 22 April 2012, against NEC Nijmegen.[9] With this goal, he became the youngest goalscorer in the 2011–12 Eredivisie. He experienced a great amount of playing time in the 2011–12 season due to the fact that Erik Pieters was injured. Although being young and quite unexperienced, he quickly showed evidence of his raw talent. Especially his technique and attacking traits impressed.

International career

Willems became UEFA European Under-17 champion with the Netherlands in 2011.[10]

Willems playing for the Netherlands at Euro 2012

While being selected for the Under-19 squad, on 7 May 2012, Willems 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. To make things more remarkable, he was still in the Oranje Euro 2012 squad, after Van Marwijk had made a first cut to 27 players on 15 May 2012.[11] Willems also made the final cut into the 23-man squad, being given the number 15 shirt.[12] He made his first unofficial appearance for the senior national team on 22 May 2012 in a friendly match against FC Bayern Munich.

On 26 May 2012, Willems made his first appearance with Netherlands, in a match against Bulgaria.[13]

At the European Championships, Willems made his first start for the Netherlands, against Denmark, becoming the fourth-youngest player to play for the Netherlands and the youngest ever player to play at the Euros, at 18 years and 71 days of age.[14] The record was previously held by Belgian Enzo Scifo, at 18 years and 115 days.[15] He featured in all the group stage games; however, the Netherlands were eliminated from the tournament after losing all three group games.[16]

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Netherlands League KNVB Cup Europe Total
2010–11Sparta RotterdamEerste Divisie1202000---1202
2011–12300000---300
2011–12PSVEredivisie20123006002912
2012–1326014014043406
2013–1428431009003843
2014–152711231080338214
Total Netherlands 10761911012707155727
Career total 10761911012707155727
Statistics accurate as of last match played on 18 April 2015.

International

Netherlands
YearAppsGoals
201280
201330
201420
Total130
Statistics accurate as of 27 November 2014.

Honours

Club

PSV Eindhoven

International

Netherlands

Individual

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/attachments/football-manager-2012-stories/278364d1349956395-darran-donald-evolution-football-manager-player-month.png
  2. ↑ Sparta Rotterdam – Go Ahead Eagles (16-01-2011); Voetbal International, 16 January 2011 (Dutch)
  3. ↑ Jeugdinternational Jetro Willems naar PSV (Youth International Jetro Willems on PSV); PSV Eindhoven, 31 August 2011 (Dutch)
  4. ↑ Vitesse – PSV (23-10-2011); Voetbal International, 23 October 2011 (Dutch)
  5. ↑ PSV fight back to progress against Hapoel Tel-Aviv; UEFA, 3 November 2011
  6. ↑ Willems definitief naar eerste selectie PSV (Willems' definitely on PSV's first team); ED, 29 November 2011 (Dutch)
  7. ↑ United turn to PSV youngster Willems as Fergie searches for the next Evra; Daily Mail, 12 December 2011
  8. ↑ Contract Jetro Willems opengebroken en verlengd (Jetro Willems' contract broken and extended); PSV Eindhoven, 3 April 2012 (Dutch)
  9. ↑ PSV – NEC (22-04-2012); Voetbal International, 22 April 2012 (Dutch)
  10. ↑ UEFA European Under-17 Championship 2011, UEFA.com, Retrieved 1. 9. 2014
  11. ↑ Oranje cut provisional squad By Berend Scholten on UEFA.com
  12. ↑ Bouma and Willems make final Dutch squad; UEFA, 26 May 2012
  13. ↑ Oranje met Van Persie én ook Huntelaar tegen Bulgarije (Oranje with Van Persie and Huntelaar against Bulgaria); Voetbal International, 26 May 2012 (Dutch)
  14. ↑ Jetro Willems sets age mark; ESPN
  15. ↑ Teenager Willems breaks Scifo's record; UEFA, 9 June 2012
  16. ↑ "Portugal 2–1 Netherlands" BBC Sport. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  17. ↑ "Resilient PSV win Maspalomas Cup". PSV.nl. 11 January 2015.

External links