Luuk de Jong

Luuk de Jong

De Jong with Twente in 2010
Personal information
Full nameLuuk de Jong[1]
Date of birth27 August 1990
Place of birthAigle, Switzerland
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
PSV Eindhoven
Number9
Youth career
DZC '68
2001–2008De Graafschap
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2008–2009De Graafschap14(2)
2009–2012Twente76(39)
2012–2014Borussia Mönchengladbach36(6)
2014→ Newcastle United (loan)12(0)
2014–PSV30(19)
National team‡
2008–2009Netherlands U195(1)
2009–2013Netherlands U2118(5)
2011–Netherlands7(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:28, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

Luuk de Jong (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlyk də ˈjɔŋ], born 27 August 1990) is a Dutch footballer, who plays as a forward for PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands football team.

Early life

De Jong was born in Aigle, Switzerland, as a son of two Dutch volleyball players who played professionally in that country. The family moved to the Netherlands when de Jong was four years old, and his brother Siem six.

He started his football career in Doetinchem at the amateur club DZC '68, together with his brother. They were both then recruited by the local professional club De Graafschap. Luuk de Jong stayed with the club, but Siem was scouted and signed by Ajax.

Club career

De Graafschap

He made his Eredivisie debut in a match versus NAC Breda coming on as a substitute. After another match coming of the bench against SC Heerenveen de Jong became a starter joining newly acquired Ben Sahar. In their first match together against Willem II de Jong gave an assist to Ben Sahar giving De Graafschap a 1–0 win. He made his first Eredivisie goal in a home match against FC Twente he scored the 2–1. Moments later de Jong made a handball giving FC Twente a penalty which Blaise N'Kufo scored, the match ended in 2–2. His second goal came in a home match versus Heracles Almelo. Resit Schuurman took a free kick and Rogier Meijer headed it on. De Jong who was standing with his back to the goal then scored with a beautiful overhead kick which gave De Graafschap the 1–0 victory. In the home game versus NEC Nijmegen he injured his ankle and he was substituted in the first half. De Jong came back from injury in the play-offs for promotion/relegation. He scored the winner in the home game versus RKC Waalwijk but it wasn't enough to keep De Graafschap in the Eredivisie.

Twente

On 6 April 2009, it was confirmed that de Jong signed a contract for three years with an option for another year with FC Twente. His contract would start on 1 July 2009. He played his first minutes for FC Twente in the cup match against SC Joure where he came on as a second-half substitute replacing Dario Vujičević. He provided two assists in the 8–0 victory over SC Joure. He scored his first two goals for FC Twente in the cup match against Capelle.

Luuk de Jong (right) in a 2011 Europa League match against Rubin Kazan.

De Jong made his Europa League debut against FC Sheriff Tiraspol replacing Miroslav Stoch. He also played against Fenerbahçe S.K. when he came on as a substitute. He scored two goals in the cup match against Helmond Sport, Twente would go on and win the match 3–0. In the away game against FC Utrecht de Jong made his debut in the Eredivisie when he replaced Kenneth Perez in the 90th minute.

Because Blaise N'Kufo was injured, de Jong deserved a starting spot against Werder Bremen in the knockout stage (32 teams) of the Europa League. He scored his first goal in the Europa League for FC Twente in the away game against Werder Bremen. FC Twente were already 3–0 behind when de Jong headed the 3–1 past goalkeeper Christian Vander.

De Jong scored his first Eredivisie goal for FC Twente in the home game against NEC at 28 February 2010. FC Twente won this game with 2–1. He scored his second Eredivisie goal in the home game against SC Heerenveen at 10 April 2010 in injury time, the matched finished 2–0.

He was very important in the Johan Cruyff Schaal scoring the winning goal against Ajax in the eighth minute. He started the match because Marc Janko was injured. De Jong intercepted a pass from Maarten Stekelenburg to Gregory van der Wiel and then stayed calm and scored the winner in the match which ended 1–0.

De Jong played in the Champions League play-off game against Benfica, a 2–2 home draw on 16 August.[2] Four days later he scored his first Eredivisie goal of the campaign in a 5–1 demolition of SC Heerenveen.[3] The following week, on de Jong's 21st birthday, he found the back of the net two more times as Twente smashed VVV Venlo 4–1.[4]

De Jong scored two goals against RKC Waalwijk on 21 January 2012, one was a tap in to an open goal and the other a penalty, as Twente ran out 5–0 winners.[5] In Twente's following fixture against FC Groningen on 29 January, de Jong netted a hat-trick, each goal coming off an assist from Ola John,[6] and provided an assist for Leroy Fer as his side won 4–1 and climbed to second in the Eredivisie table.[7] On 10 February, de Jong found the back of the net two more times but Twente missed the chance to go top of the league table, as they lost 3–2 to SC Heracles.[8] De Jong's two goals meant he had scored seven times in the past three Eredivisie fixtures.

On 4 March, de Jong scored a goal in Twente's 6–2 thrashing of fellow title contenders PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion.[9] Four days later in a Europa League match against Schalke 04, de Jong was the protagonist of a controversial penalty simulation that resulted in a red card for Schalke defender Joël Matip, and a penalty kick which he himself successfully converted, to ensure the win for his side by 1–0.[10] However Twente ended up falling out of the competition, losing 4–1 in the second leg in Germany, as de Jong's fellow Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar netted a hat-trick.[11]

De Jong scored twice in two minutes on 14 April to put his side 2–1 up away to NAC Breda, but an injury-time strike from Nourdin Boukhari denied Twente the chance to close the gap on title-rivals Ajax.[12] He finished the season with 25 goals on a joint-second place, seven behind top-scorer Bas Dost. At the end of the 2011-12 season, De Jong announced he wanted to leave the club.[13] Having attracted the interest of several clubs around Europe, including Premier League side Newcastle United, de Jong accused the club's chairman [Joop Munsterman] of increasing the bid for him.[14] In response, the club's chairman and Steve McClaren expressed dismay over de Jong's comments.[15]

Borussia Mönchengladbach

On 18 July 2012, de Jong signed for Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach on a five-year deal, with a fee of €15 million (£12.6m), having revealed it was his dream to join.[16][17] Eight months later after the move, de Jong stated the Bundesliga was "a great place to develop as a player".[18]

He made his debut with Mönchengladbach in a match against Munich 1860, His team ended up winning 4–2, however, de Jong was quite anonymous during his first match, failing to score or assist any goals.[16] On 21 August, he started his first European game for Borussia Mönchengladbach and in the process scored an own goal from a free kick in a 3–1 defeat at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv during the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers.[19] His first goal for the club came in a 3–2 defeat to 1. FC Nuremberg on 15 September, converting a tap in after a cross from Patrick Herrmann.[20] However, later in the season, De Jong's first team opportunities soon faded after falling out with manager Lucien Favre and only made twenty-three appearances; scoring six times. Towards the end of the season, De Jong reiterated he was confident he could prove himself as the best striker.[21]

However, in the 2013-14 season, De Jong first team place remained limited, as his playing minutes significantly decreased and made fourteen appearance in the first half of the season.

Newcastle United (loan)

De Jong joined PSV in 2014.

On 29 January 2014, De Jong completed a loan signing with Premier League side Newcastle United until the end of the 2013-14 season.[22] He made his debut on 1 February in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland. In May 2014 it was announced that de Jong would be returning to Borussia Mönchengladbach after he failed to score in any of his twelve appearances for Newcastle.[23]

PSV Eindhoven

On 12 July 2014, De Jong signed a five-year deal with PSV Eindhoven for a fee of €5.5m.[24] Following his move to PSV, De Jong said he felt he had made a mistake by moving to Germany.[25]

De Jong made his official debut for the club, where he scored in both legs, as PSV beat St. Pölten 4-2 on aggregate in the third round of Europa League.[26][27] It took until 31 August 2014 for De Jong to score his first league goal for the club, in a 2-0 win over Vitesse.[28]

On 17 December 2014, De Jong scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 4-3 home win over Feyenoord, and his second on 13 February 2015 in a 4-2 away win over AZ Alkmaar. He also scored twice on 18 April, as the team defeated Heerenveen 4–1 for their 22nd Eredivisie title and first since 2008.[29]

International career

De Jong received his first call-up for the Netherlands senior team for the friendly against Austria on 9 February 2011 and made his debut in the same match, replacing Dirk Kuyt. He scored his first goal with the national squad on 6 September 2011 in the 2–0 win during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying game against Finland that secured Dutch qualification to the finals.[30] On 7 May 2012, he was named in the provisional list of 36 players for UEFA Euro 2012 by Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk. He was one of the 23 players chosen to represent the team in the tournament, but he did not make any appearances.

Statistics

Club statistics

As of 18 April 2015
Club Year League Cup Europe Other[31] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
De Graafschap 2008–09 14220--31193
Total 14220––31193
Twente 2009–10 122444100207
2010–11 321253114114920
2011–12 322532145505032
Total 763912929102111959
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2012–13 2361072--318
2013–14 13010----140
Total 3662072--458
Newcastle United (loan) 2013–14 12000----120
PSV Eindhoven 2014–15 291922114--4225
Career total 16766181147165223795

International goals

Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 6 September 2011 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Finland 2–0 2–0 Euro 2012 qualifier

Honours

Club

FC Twente
PSV

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 February 2014. p. 24. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ruiz rescues Twente from Benfica defeat". UEFA.com. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Heerenveen 1 - 5 Twente Enschede". ESPN FC. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "Twente Enschede 4 - 1 VVV Venlo". ESPN FC. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Twente Enschede 5 - 0 RKC Waalwijk". ESPN FC. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Twente earn convincing win over FC Groningen". FC Twente. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Twente Enschede 4 - 1 FC Groningen". ESPN FC. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Twente Enschede 2 - 3 SC Heracles". ESPN FC. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "PSV Eindhoven 2 - 6 Twente Enschede". ESPN FC. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  10. ↑ "Winning penalty kicks DIY style! Liverpool target De Jong caught in controversial dive storm". Mail Online. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Curan, Paul (15 March 2012). "Huntelaar hat-trick sends Schalke through". UEFA.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Twente Enschede 2 - 2 NAC Breda". ESPN FC. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Newcastle United target Luuk de Jong keen to leave Twente, confirms agent". Goal.com. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Newcastle United target Luuk de Jong blasts FC Twente board over his £16m price tag". Goal.com. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Newcastle target Luuk de Jong angers Twente boss and president with transfer talk". Goal.com. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "De Jong joins Monchengladbach". ESPN FC. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  17. ↑ "Newcastle target Luuk de Jong dreaming of Monchengladbach move". Goal.com. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Luuk de Jong hopes to progress in Bundesliga". Goal.com. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  19. ↑ Koylu, Enis (21 August 2012). "Champions League Play-off Results: Gladbach & Lille slip to surprise defeats". goal.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Borussia Monchengladbach 2–3 Nurnberg". ESPN FC. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Luuk de Jong vows to fight back". Goal.com. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "Luuk de Jong: Newcastle sign Netherlands striker on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  23. ↑ "Borussia Monchengladbach striker and Newcastle loan man Luuk de Jong still wants to play in Premier League". http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  24. ↑ "Kogel door de kerk: De Jong voor 5,5 miljoen euro naar PSV". Voetbalprimeur. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "De Jong: 'Ik begreep niet wat ik verkeerd deed'" (in Dutch). Voetbal International (subscription required). 20 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ploeterend PSV werkt zich pas na rust voorbij Oostenrijkers" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Weinig imponerend PSV dankt overwinning aan Depay" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "PSV blijft mede dankzij primeur De Jong schadevrij" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "PSV 4-1 sc Heerenveen". BBC Sport. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  30. ↑ Coerts, Stefan (6 September 2011). "Finland 0-2 Netherlands: Kevin Strootman shines to send Dutch into Euro 2012 finals". goal.com. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  31. ↑ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Eredivisie Playoffs and the Johan Cruijff Shield

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