Wesley Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder with the Netherlands in 2014
Personal information
Full name Wesley Benjamin Sneijder[1][2]
Date of birth (1984-06-09) 9 June 1984 (age 40)[3]
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[4]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1990–1991 DOS
1991–2002 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Ajax 126 (43)
2007–2009 Real Madrid 52 (11)
2009–2012 Inter 76 (13)
2013–2017 Galatasaray 124 (35)
2017 Nice 5 (0)
2017–2019 Al-Gharafa 22 (15)
Total 405 (117)
International career
2000–2001 Netherlands U17 6 (2)
2001–2002 Netherlands U19 8 (3)
2003 Netherlands U21 1 (0)
2003–2018 Netherlands 134 (31)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2010 South Africa
Third place 2014 Brazil
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Portugal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Wesley Benjamin Sneijder (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɛsli ˈsnɛidər] ⓘ; born 9 June 1984)[5] is a Dutch former professional footballer. Due to his playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime.[6]

A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Sneijder started his professional career playing for Ajax, with whom he won four trophies and was awarded the Johan Cruyff Trophy in 2004. He was sold to Real Madrid for €27 million in 2007, winning La Liga in his first season with the club, and transferred to Inter Milan for €15 million in 2009. At Inter, he won Serie A, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and two Coppa Italia. In 2010, Sneijder was named UEFA midfielder of the season, and one of the three best midfielders in the world by FIFA. After being sold to Galatasaray for €7.5 million in 2013, he helped the club win the Süper Lig in his first season, following with the capture of the Turkish Super Cup, after a 1–0 win against rivals Fenerbahçe. He had brief stint with Nice and Al Gharafa before retiring in 2019.

He appeared for the Netherlands in various youth squads and for the Dutch national team, making his debut in the senior squad in April 2003 at the age of 18. He then represented his country at the FIFA World Cup in 2006; in 2010, when they reached the final; and in 2014; and at the UEFA European Football Championship in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was awarded the 2010 Bronze Boot, the 2010 Silver Ball, and was named to the team of the tournament for Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and as man of the match in six out of eleven games played by the Oranje at these two tournaments.[7] With 134 caps, he is the most capped Dutch player of all time. He announced his international retirement in March 2018.[8]

  1. ^ "Wesley Sneijder, Dutch charisma and creativity". Inter.it.
  2. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 18 de abril de 2009, en Huelva" [Minutes of the Match held on 18 April 2009, in Huelva] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  3. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Netherlands" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Wesley Sneijder" (in Italian). Inter Milan. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010.
  5. ^ "FIFA Tournaments - Players & Coaches - Wesley SNEIJDER". Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.
  6. ^ Thomas, Blake (10 January 2011). "Ranking the Top 10 Midfielders in World Football: Xavi, Iniesta, Sneijder..." Bleacher Report. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Forlan and Muller strike gold". FIFA.com. 11 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  8. ^ "Sneijder retires from international football". ESPN. 4 March 2018.