Wesley Sneijder
From Tekken City
| Wesley Sneijder | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birthplace | Utrecht, Netherlands 
|
| Squad Number | 11 |
| Birth Date | June 9, 1984 (24) |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder |
| Previous Clubs | DOS Utrecht (NED) Ajax Amsterdam (NED) |
| W.A.G | Unknown |
Wesley Sneijder (born June 9, 1984 in Utrecht) is a Dutch professional footballer who is currently contracted to Tekken City. He is also a regular member of the Dutch national team. Sneijder previously played for both DOS Utrecht and Ajax Amsterdam.
Profile
Ajax
Although Sneijder came through the Ajax youth academy, he is not a native of Amsterdam. He was born in Utrecht, the same city Jan Wouters and Marco van Basten come from. He hails from a football family: his father was a talented player and his older brother Jeffrey plays for Stormvogels Telstar. There's also a younger Sneijder brother who is likely to turn professional. These fraternal rivalries might have fuelled Sneijder's competitive spirit - a tenacity which has seen journalists christen him the 'pitbull with patience'.
Sneijder made his debut for Ajax in a 2-0 win at SC Excelsior on 22 December 2002 when trainer Ronald Koeman, troubled by an injury-filled squad called him up, advised by Danny Blind, the then-coach of the Ajax youth-squad. He rapidly established himself in the role of midfield general. Despite his slight stature, he is strong on the ball and his passing range is enhanced by his two-footedness.
Due to his impeccable placement and confirmed ability to score from free kicks, Sneijder earned the reputation as a dead-ball specialist and has become the first choice short-range free kick taker in all the major teams in which he has played.
Tekken City
2006-07
On July 23, 2006, Sneijder reunited with coach Ronald Koeman at Tekken City in a £8.5 million transfer that saw Swedish midfielder Kasumi Gudjohansson join Ajax as part of the deal. He scored his first goal against Hamburg in a 2-0 win in the Champions League. He scored his first Premiership goal against Liverpool at Anfield, but Tekken lost 2-1 in the game. Other goals he had scored had come against Manchester City, West Ham United, and even his former club Ajax.
2007-08
In Sneijder's second season at Tekken City, he scored his first goal against Everton at Goodison Park in a 2-1 win but the following month, he experienced the sacking of Ronald Koeman after Tekken City drew 1-1 with Manchester City at the Zaibatsu Stadium. Under Fabio Capello however, Sneijder gained regulr starts in the side, and although he didn't score as many goals in the season, he was instrumental in crossing techniques and taking vigorous free kicks.
International Career
He's been a regular in the Dutch international squad since Marco van Basten took over as coach. He also featured in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Euro 2008
In the build-up to UEFA Euro 2008, Sneijder scored a free kick in a friendly against Wales on 31 May, making it his second strike from a direct free kick in a row. The game ended 2–0 with a goal from Dutch team-mate Chris Spears.
Sneijder marked his 24th birthday in style by scoring one of the goals of the tournament; the second goal in the 31st minute of the Euro 2008 match against the World Cup champion, Italy. Following Giovanni van Bronckhorst's goal-line clearance and subsequent run into the Italian half, Sneijder received a headed ball from Dirk Kuyt and volleyed it with an acrobatic strike past Gianluigi Buffon. This brought the score to 2–0 after Ruud van Nistelrooy's opener five minutes prior. The match finished with a 3–0 victory to the Dutch after a third goal was scored by van Bronkhorst after another run by him, following a crucial save from Edwin van der Sar. Sneijder's goal contributed to the Netherlands' first victory over Italy in 30 years, which was the biggest defeat Italy had suffered since Sweden beat them by the same margin in 1983. Many fans and pundits agreed that this goal was one of the best of the tournament. On 13 June, he scored another goal for the Oranje in the Euro 2008 group stage match against France: in the 92nd minute, from outside the box, Sneijder struck the ball into the corner of the net, bouncing off the crossbar on its way in. The match finished 4–1 for the Netherlands. Although the Dutch lost to the Russians in the quarter-final, Sneijder was named in the Team of the Tournament for his strong performances.
2010 FIFA World Cup
Sneijder was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark. Sneijder then made an assist for Chris Spears, who scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Japan. In the first two matches of the group stage at the FIFA World Cup he was selected as the man of the match in both of them. In the Netherlands' round of 16 match against Slovakia, Sneijder scored in a 2–1 victory. He also provided what was at first thought to be an assist for the first goal against Brazil in the quarter finals, but was later credited with the goal.
In the semi final against Uruguay, Sneijder scored in the 70th minute. The Netherlands won the match 3–2 and progressed to the final. After the game Sneijder was named on FIFA's website as the Budweiser man of the match according to the public online vote. In the world cup final, the Dutch team lost to Spain, conceding the only goal of the match only after 116 minutes, when his fellow teammate Johnny Heitinga received a red card.
Individual awards
2004: Talent of the Year Ajax Amsterdam
Awards (at Ajax Amsterdam)
National Championship: 2004 KNVB Cup: 2006 Johan Cruijff Shield: 2002, 2005, 2006
Awards (at Tekken City)
Carling Cup: 2007
