Royston Ricky Drenthe (born 8 April 1987) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid. Mainly a midfielder, he can also operate as a defender, always on the left side of the pitch.

Club career

Early career

At Feyenoord, Drenthe came into the D2 team. He played mainly as a left winger during his junior years. As a C player he was invited to join the B squad on a trip to Switzerland. Drenthe misbehaved during the trip and the trainer, Marcel Bout, wanted him to leave the club as a result. Due to technical director Rob Baan, Drenthe was able to stay and he was only temporarily suspended by the club. After his suspension he continued to play in the C-team before moving to the B-team, where he again had Bout as his coach.

Bout hardly used Drenthe in his line-up. Later, at the end of the season he was named as one of eleven players whose future at the club was questionable. Drenthe then decided to switch teams and moved to Feyenoord's feeder club Excelsior.

Excelsior

Drenthe improved during the two years he played at Excelsior. Coach Marco van Lochem wanted to try him as a left back, which turned out to be a success. Drenthe seemed to be a talent at this position and became a team regular. He impressed the Feyenoord coaches and was asked to join them again.

Feyenoord

Drenthe playing for Feyenoord

In the 2005–06 season, Drenthe reached the A1 team of Feyenoord, managed by his former C-youth coach Henk Fräser. Fräser told him he had to fight for his position with his team mate Mohammed Hammouti. Since the Otten Cup, a youth tournament at PSV Eindhoven where he scored three goals against Ajax as a left winger, he became a first-team player and even became captain of the team. In the meantime, he also became a team regular in Feyenoord's second team.

Drenthe was offered a professional contract soon after. That same week he helped to win an away match versus Ajax's second team 5-1 and was asked to train with Feyenoord's first team. He continued to play for Feyenoord's youth and second team before manager Erwin Koeman brought him in to his regular squad. He made his debut in the match against Vitesse in the Gelredome and finished the season with three matches played.

In the 2006-07 season, Feyenoord signed Belgian international player Philippe Léonard at Drenthe's position, the left back spot, while Pascal Bosschaart was also still part of the squad. Due to the injury of Léonard and the switch of Bosschaart to play for ADO Den Haag, Drenthe was awarded a chance, which he grabbed immediately. In a short time, Drenthe became a fans' favourite player, being one of the few positive highlights in again a disappointing season for the club.

After impressing at the 2007 European Under-21 Championship by winning it and awarded player of the tournament, he picked up attention from a number of clubs, including Chelsea and Barcelona.[1]

Feyenoord did not want to sell as Drenthe extended his running contract until 2011 in April 2007, but they eventually agreed to a €14 million bid by Real Madrid, after Drenthe decided to take his club to court if they did not want to let him go.[2][3][4]

Real Madrid

Drenthe was presented as a Real Madrid player on 13 August 2007 along with fellow Dutchman Wesley Sneijder in a double player presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu. Drenthe made his official Real Madrid debut starting as a central midfielder in the second leg of the Supercopa de España against Sevilla. Drenthe scored the equalizer, similar to a Seedorf long range strike, which was struck from 30-40 yards out, hit the crossbar and the ball crossed the line. However, Real Madrid eventually lost the match 5-3 as Sevilla clinched the cup.

Drenthe played fairly regularly for Real Madrid as left-back or left midfielder at the beginning of the season, but due to the sudden development of Brazilian left-back Marcelo, Drenthe's playing time has become limited. In the Dutch media, there were several reports of clashes between Drenthe and Real coach Bernd Schuster, after the German decided to keep Drenthe out of the squad for several matches, meaning that Drenthe had to sit in the stands instead of the bench. After being left out of the game against Valencia, Drenthe stormed angrily out of the training ground of Real. But after making several appearances since, he was ready to serve his best for Real Madrid. During a match against Real Valladolid, he performed really well by providing an assist to Guti's goal and scoring his first league goal. He has been linked with a move to AS Roma, and to Quique Flores' Benfica, on loan.[5]

Despite rumours of Drenthe leaving the club on loan, he has featured in 15 of Real Madrid first 18 games of the 2008/2009 season, starting the last three games and giving creditable performances despite the clubs inconsistent form and major injury problems. Although recently the Dutch ace has been suffering from anxiety since he was booed by his own supporters during Real's 1-0 win at home to Deportivo La Coruna and has not featured since, although manager Juande Ramos gave Drenthe his support and insisted he would help the young winger[6]

The Real Madrid coach has since revealed that Drenthe asked not to be picked for the three games after the Deportivo fixture.[7]

International career

After the 2006-07 season, Drenthe was called up by Dutch under-21 coach, Foppe de Haan, to be part of his squad for the 2007 European Under-21 Championship, which was held in the Netherlands. Drenthe was one of the most important players in the second consecutive title of the competition for the Jong Oranje, being chosen by UEFA as player of the tournament.[citation needed]

Music career

Drenthe has recorded a rap song with his friend, Liverpool winger Ryan Babel. Their song is called "Tak Takie

Mark Peter Gertuda Andreas van Bommel (born 22 April 1977 in Maasbracht) is a Dutch footballer who plays for and captains Bayern Munich in the German first division. He is also the son-in-law of the coach of the Dutch national team, Bert van Marwijk. He is a famously combative central midfielder who can also operate as enforcer or playmaker. He is also known for his extremely powerful shot, his seemingly boundless energy, tackling ability, and range of passing. Van Bommel is known to have a short and bad temper that has often landed him in trouble with officials and opposing players. Career Mark van Bommel started his amateur career at local club RKVV Maasbracht before earning a professional contract with Fortuna Sittard in 1992. His other colleagues at Fortuna at that time who would later join PSV alongside him were Wilfred Bouma and Kevin Hofland. PSV Van Bommel was signed by PSV in 1999 where he formed a midfield partnership with Swiss international Johann Vogel. He won three Eredivisie titles and two Johan Cruyff Shields with the club. He was also named Dutch Player of the Year in 2001 and 2005. In his final season with PSV, having assisted the team to the Dutch league title and a Champions League semi-final place, he was expected to join his father-in-law Bert van Marwijk who at the time managed the Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, but van Bommel opted to stay at PSV until the end of the 2004–05 season. After the Champions League semi-final loss to AC Milan and with the Eredivisie title in PSV's hands at the end of April, he confirmed he would join FC Barcelona in May 2005 after the club won their own domestic league. Barcelona With Frank Rijkaard as his new coach at Barcelona, van Bommel played 24 matches, scoring twice in his first season and winning La Liga and the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League. Bayern Munich On 26 August 2006, Bayern Munich team manager Uli Hoeneß announced van Bommel would be joining the Bavarian side. Media reports speculated that the move was influenced by the ongoing Owen Hargreaves transfer saga, but Hoeneß insisted the club intended to go forward with both players.[1] Bayern Munich paid 6 million euro to Barcelona in the deal. Since joining the German side, van Bommel has proved to be a key player for them, scoring six goals in 30 appearances, providing strength in the middle of the pitch. Due to his terrific performances during his first season at Bayern, he was voted the Bayern Player of the Year for the 2006–07 season, beating out long time fan-favorites Roy Makaay and Mehmet Scholl. After Oliver Kahn retired in 2008, van Bommel was selected as captain. He is the second non-German captain of Bayern Munich after Søren Lerby of Denmark. International career His debut for the Dutch national team was on 7 October 2000 against Cyprus, which was won 4–0. However, for the Oranje, he did not make an appearance in a major tournament until 2006, with the Dutch national team failing to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and injury preventing him from playing during UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. Dutch national team manager Marco van Basten was dissatisfied with van Bommel's defensive performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Romania and he was subsequently not selected for the rest of the qualification series. With many Dutch football observers believing van Bommel's international career to be over, he was selected back into the Dutch side for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2006 World Cup, van Bommel played in all the games for his country except the match against Argentina as both teams had already sealed their passage to the knockout stage of the tournament. His position in the team was as right-half. His duties were mainly to play the anchor role in the Dutch three-man midfield in their usual 4-3-3 formation. He was the first of many players booked in the second-round match Dutch team defeat against Portugal, dubbed "The Battle of Nuremberg" by the press. After the World Cup, van Bommel was not called up for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Belarus. In September 2006, after his move to Bayern, he was added to van Basten's squad to face Bulgaria; however, van Bommel stated (alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy) to no longer intend to play for Oranje as long as van Basten is in charge.[2] After van Basten left to manage AFC Ajax, new Netherlands head coach and father-in-law Bert van Marwijk called up van Bommel again, which led to his return in the Dutch national team. Van Bommel has won 50 caps and has scored nine goals for the Dutch national team.

Arjen Robben, (born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger. He is also a part of the Netherlands national team and has appeared at Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. Robben first came to prominence with Groningen, for whom he was player of the year for the 2000-01 Eredivisie season. Two years later he signed for PSV, where he became the Netherlands' Young Player of the Year and won an Eredivisie medal.[2] The following season Robben's signature was pursued by leading English clubs, and after protracted transfer negotiations he joined Chelsea in the 2004 close season. Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed through injury, but upon returning to fitness he helped Chelsea to consecutive Premier League titles, and was the FA Premier League Player of the Month in November 2005.[3][4] After a third season in England which was punctuated by injury, Robben moved to Spanish club Real Madrid for €35 million. In his first season in Madrid, Real won the league title, Robben's fourth league title in six years. In August 2009, Robben transferred to Bayern Munich for a fee of around €25 million,[5] scoring two goals on his debut. Early football life Born in the town of Bedum in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands, Robben took to football from an early age. He began playing with the local club VV Bedum. Robben became an adherent of the Coerver Method, created and popularised by Dutch football coach Wiel Coerver.[6] Robben's skill in ball control and technical footwork made him a valuable player, and he was quickly signed by local club Groningen.[7] Club career Groningen Groningen placed Robben in their first team for the 1999–2000 season. He scored 50 goals in their competitions. Manager Jan van Dijk added the winger to the first team before Groningen's November 2000 away game against Twente, but he did not play until 3 December 2000 against Waalwijk, as a substitute for the injured Leonardo dos Santos in the 79th minute. Over the winter, Robben managed to play himself into the starting lineup. In 18 starts for Groningen over the 2000–01 season, he scored two goals.[8] Robben was named player of the year for his first season with the club, and with teammate Jordi Hoogstrate, he demonstrated the strength of the Groningen youth academy. Robben stayed with Groningen and improved steadily during the 2001–02 season, playing in 28 matches and scoring six goals.[8] Robben transferred to PSV for €3.9 million before the 2002–03 season.[2] PSV During his first season for PSV, the 2002–03 season, Robben played 33 matches and scored 12 goals.[8] He was named "PSV co-player of the year" along with striker Mateja Kežman, with whom he formed an attacking partnership still fondly referred to by PSV fans as "Batman and Robben". He helped lead PSV to their 17th Dutch title, and won the Talented Player of the Year award.[9] After this good start, PSV could not keep up with rival Ajax and were forced into a fight for second place in the Eredivisie. Robben travelled to London and met with Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson's offer came in much too low for PSV's and Robben's liking; PSV chairman Harry van Raaij told Manchester United the most that their €7 million offer would buy them was a shirt with Robben's autograph. Almost immediately, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich offered € 18 million (£ 12.1 million), and PSV accepted.[10] The rest of his season with PSV was disappointing. He injured his hamstring twice and missed several games.[11][12] By the end of the season, Robben scored five times in 23 Eredivisie matches.[8] Chelsea Robben celebrates winning the 2004–05 Premiership Robben did not make his competitive debut for Chelsea until November 2004, as he was injured in a pre-season friendly match against Roma, breaking a metatarsal bone in his right foot in a challenge from Olivier Dacourt.[3] Robben proved to be a crucial player for the 2004–05 season; in November 2004, he was awarded the "Player of the Month" award for the English Premier League.[3][4] Robben ended the 2004–05 season with seven goals, his second highest professional total. He was shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year, but was beaten by Wayne Rooney of Manchester United.[13][14] Robben was badly injured in a league game away to Blackburn Rovers and forced to sit out Chelsea's title run-in and progress to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.[15] Back to fitness for 2005–06, Robben was an integral part of the Chelsea left wing. In 28 matches, Robben contributed six goals as Chelsea won a second consecutive Premier League championship, the first back-to-back titles for the west London club.[8] The 2005–06 season saw Robben involved in an unsporting incident with Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Towards the end of a league game between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 2–0, Reina shoved his hand in Robben's face after some provocative words from Robben. Robben fell theatrically to the turf, and Reina received a red card for "violent behaviour", as raising your hands to an opponent is illegal. As a result of the incident Reina commented that Robben "did well enough to win an Oscar" for his theatrics. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez later joked in a post-match interview that he "would soon be going to hospital to check on Robben's condition". Reina's red card was not rescinded.[16] He was named man of the Match on 23 December 2006 against Wigan, a match where he got two assists and the winning goal in.[17] Robben with Chelsea Robben was inflicted with yet another injury in a match against Liverpool on 20 January 2007.[18] Robben made his return in a 3–0 victory against Middlesbrough in February driving in a shot that took a deflection past Mark Schwarzer for an own goal by Abel Xavier.[19] Robben scored a goal in the second leg of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League against Porto, which led to Chelsea winning the tie 3–2 on aggregate. At the end of March 2007, Robben underwent a knee operation after sustaining a knee injury upon returning from international duty that was expected to rule him out for at least four weeks.[20] Spanish club Real Madrid were interested in two of Chelsea's players. Then manager Bernd Schuster is said to have demanded Michael Ballack, while Madrid's former president, Ramón Calderón, was known to favor Robben.[21] Robben said to reporters of Spanish newspaper AS: "I do not know when a deal will be reached. I would like to send a message to the Madrid fans, but I can't until my future is sorted."[22][23] Real Madrid eventually secured Robben's services after splashing out a huge transfer fee. He told Chelsea's official club website: "It was difficult to leave because I had a great time in my three years at Chelsea and I made a lot of friends. There was no time to say goodbye because the deal was closed on the Wednesday at 10 o'clock in the evening and the following morning I had to fly. If I have one day off I would want to come back and say goodbye because to the fans I owe a big thank you because they were always good to me. In my three years I won all the prizes there are to win in England."[24] Real Madrid Robben completed his move to Real Madrid on a five-year deal on 22 August 2007,[25] with the transfer fee reported as £24 million[26][27] (€35 million). He made his debut on 18 September, during a Champions League match against Werder Bremen. Robben proved crucial for many Real Madrid matches, making his famous runs down the left wing, and quickly became a first choice for the left midfield position. Although the Dutchman was one of the Spanish side's most important players in the pre-season games of the 2009–10 season, he was among the players whose place in the first team became threatened with the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká. Real Madrid accepted a bid of around €25 million for Robben from Bayern Munich.[28][29] Robben claimed he was "forced" to leave Real Madrid, saying that he "did not want to go, but the club wanted to sell me".[30] Bayern Munich On 28 August 2009, Robben moved to Bayern Munich for around €25 million. He was given the number 10 shirt, last worn by his fellow Dutchman, Roy Makaay.[31][32] His debut came the day after. He came on as a half-time substitute against Wolfsburg and scoring two goals to help his team into beating last season's champions in his team's first win of the season.[33][34] International career Robben (left) with Wesley Sneijder training for the Netherlands. Robben has played in 42 games for the Netherlands, scoring 11 goals. The first international experience of Robben's career came in Euro 2004 when coach Dick Advocaat called up younger players such as Wesley Sneijder and John Heitinga. During Euro 2004 Advocaat substituted Robben in the 66th minute to defend a 2–1 lead over the Czech Republic. However, the Czech team then scored two goals and won 3–2, which led to criticism about Advocaat's decision.[35] In the same tournament, it was Robben who scored the deciding penalty in the shootout between the Netherlands and Sweden, which ensured that at the fifth attempt, the Dutch finally won a penalty shootout.[36] Robben played in his first World Cup Qualifiers in 2006. In six games for the Netherlands, Robben scored two goals.[37] The Netherlands qualified for the World Cup in 2006 and in the Netherlands opening match against Serbia and Montenegro, Robben scored the winning goal in the 18th minute, and was named the Man of the match. In the match against Côte d'Ivoire, Robben received this award the second time, thus becoming one of the eight players in the tournament to have won the Man of the Match Award more than once.[38] Robben (left) with Robin van Persie. During the Euro 2008, coach Marco van Basten changed the formation to 4-2-3-1, preferring the midfield trio of Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt. Robben was left to battle it out with Robin van Persie for place in the wing. In the group match against France, which the Netherlands won 4–1, Robben was brought on at half-time. He dragged the ball out of reach of a defender near the half-way line and paced his way ahead of three defenders, then crossed straight to van Persie who powered a shot into the goal past Grégory Coupet, who did well enough to get a hand onto it. At 2–0, Thierry Henry scored a goal, making it 2–1, and almost directly after the restart, Robben was played through by Sneijder and he ran at the France goal and was forced into an acute angle, but despite the angle, he shot the ball into the net past Coupet. Personal life Robben married his girlfriend Bernadien Eillert on 9 June 2007 in Groningen.[39] The two met while at high school in the city, at the Kamerlingh Onnes,[40] and have one son, Luka.[41] Robben's father, Hans, acts as his agent.[42] Honours

Klaas Jan Huntelaar (born 12 August 1983), nicknamed The Hunter,[2] is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a striker for Serie A club A.C. Milan and the Dutch national team. Huntelaar is a prolific striker[3] with technique and athleticism[4] and has been compared in style to players such as Marco van Basten[5] and Ruud van Nistelrooy.[6] Former Netherlands and FC Barcelona, and current FC Bayern manager Louis van Gaal has been quoted saying about the player "in the penalty area, he is the best player in the world, bar none."[2] Named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and Ajax "Player of the Year" in 2006, Huntelaar was a part of the Dutch side that won the 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship where he became the tournament's leading goalscorer. He was also named as one of two strikers in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. He is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-21 national team with 18 goals in 22 appearances.[2] In domestic competition he finished top scorer in the Eredivisie 2005–06 and 2007–08 seasons. Huntelaar played previously for PSV, De Graafschap, AGOVV Apeldoorn, SC Heerenveen, AFC Ajax and Real Madrid,[7] before joining AC Milan in August 2009. Early career Huntelaar was born in Drempt, a village in the Achterhoek region of Netherlands, but moved to Hummelo when he was six weeks old.[8] He lived with parents Dirk-Jan and Maud Huntelaar, and his two brothers Niek and Jelle.[8] At the age of five, Huntelaar, along with his two brothers, joined the local football team VV H. en K. where he played for the next six years.[8] He was scouted as a youth talent during this period by Go Ahead Eagles but the distance required to travel to the team's base in Deventer prevented him from joining the club.[8] Soon after, he was scouted by De Graafschap and on 6 April 1994 he signed his first youth contract, aged 11.[8] During his first two years with De Graafschap, Huntelaar played in various positions including left wing, attacking midfield, left back, and even goalkeeper; only in his third year was he deployed as a striker.[8] In the 1997–98 season, the 14-year-old Huntelaar was the main striker for the C-team at De Graafschap and scored 33 goals in 20 matches.[8] The following season saw him promoted to the B1 team, and in the 1999–2000 season he became top scorer of the B1 league with 31 goals.[8] His goalscoring abilities drew the attention of PSV, who subsequently signed him in June 2000.[8] Club career PSV In his first season at PSV, Huntelaar quickly established himself as a prolific goalscorer for their A1 youth teams under coach Willy van der Kuijlen, scoring 26 goals in 23 games to become top scorer in the youth league.[8] In his second season at PSV, Huntelaar was added to the senior squad under coach Guus Hiddink. He made his first team debut on 23 November 2002 in a 0-3 away win over RBC Roosendaal, coming on as a second half substitute for Mateja Kežman in the 76th minute.[9] However, this turned out to be his only appearance for PSV. De Graafschap By the start of 2003, it was clear that Huntelaar’s path into the first team was blocked,[10][11] therefore he was sent out on loan to his previous club De Graafschap where his uncle was financial director.[12] He made his senior debut for De Graafschap on 8 February 2003, coming on as a substitute for Hans van de Haar against Roosendaal.[13] He made his only appearance in the starting lineup on 16 February 2003 as De Graafschap were beaten 1–5 by his future employers SC Heerenveen.[14] He then made his final appearance in the team on 29 May 2003 as De Graafschap lost 2–1 to FC Zwolle, confirming their demotion from the Eredivisie.[15] In total Huntelaar made nine Eredivisie appearances for the Super Farmers, one as a starter and 8 as a substitute, but was unable to score and De Graafschap decided not to extend his loan.[16] AGOVV At the start of the 2003–04 season, Huntelaar was again sent out on loan, this time to newly-promoted Eerste Divisie side AGOVV Apeldoorn under coach Jurrie Koolhof.[17] He made a good start, scoring on his debut for AGOVV against TOP Oss,[18] and then scoring a hat-trick in his second league game against Heracles Almelo.[19] Huntelaar scored 26 goals in 35 league appearances and finished the season as the division's top goalscorer as well as being named the Eerste Divisie's Player of the Season.[20] AGOVV later went on to name one of the stands at their Sportpark Berg & Bos stadium the "Klaas-Jan Huntelaar stand" in tribute to his impact at the club.[21][22] Heerenveen At the end of his loan at AGOVV, Huntelaar turned down the opportunity to sign a new contract with PSV,[23] and Frisian club SC Heerenveen moved in to sign him. Huntelaar started the 2004–05 season by scoring on his Eredivisie debut with Heerenveen against AZ[24] and took his scoring tally to 10 goals in 17 games at the winter break. At the end of the season Huntelaar had scored a total of 17 goals in 31 matches, helping Heerenveen qualify for the UEFA Cup. In the 2005–06 season, Huntelaar continued where he had left off in his first season at Heerenveen, and by the winter, he had scored 17 goals in 15 matches at which point the top Dutch clubs began vying for his signature.[25][26] Ajax Klaas-Jan Huntelaar with Ajax. In January 2006 Huntelaar signed for AFC Ajax, the club he had supported as a child. Heerenveen received €9 million plus future incentives for the player, with 15% (€1.35 million) of the fee going to PSV.[27] Huntelaar made his Ajax debut after the winter break and scored his first goal for the team on 5 February 2006, against his former club SC Heerenveen in a KNVB Cup tie.[28] During February, Huntelaar scored nine goals in seven matches for Ajax, including against Serie A club Inter Milan on his UEFA Champions League debut.[29] Huntelaar ended the season as top scorer for Ajax with 16 league goals in 16 appearances despite only joining in January, and also finished up as the Eredivise's top scorer with 33 league goals.[30] He scored a total of 44 goals in 47 appearances in all club competitions. Ajax finished second in the Eredivisie and Huntelaar featured in the Eredivisie Playoffs for Champions League qualification, scoring in consecutive matches against Feyenoord[31][32] as well as playing in the victory over FC Groningen to secure Ajax's place in the following season's Champions League.[33] In the KNVB Cup semi-final, Huntelaar scored a bicycle kick equalizer in injury-time against Roda JC, taking the game to extra-time. Ajax went on to win 4–1 with Huntelaar scoring another goal in the 109th minute.[34] In the final, against his former club PSV, Huntelaar scored two goals to help Ajax win the KNVB Cup 2–1.[35] Huntelaar was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and Ajax Player of the Year for 2005–06.[36] Huntelaar celebrating Ajax's victory in the Dutch Cup. In July 2006 Huntelaar became the first player to score at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium in a testimonial match for Dennis Bergkamp.[37] He was named vice-captain of Ajax for 2006–07 in his first full season at the club.[38] Huntelaar scored two goals for Ajax in a Champions League qualifying match against FC Copenhagen to secure a 2–1 away win in the first leg, but a 2–0 home defeat in the second leg saw them knocked out of the Champions League on aggregate. Ajax went on to play in the UEFA Cup where Huntelaar scored seven goals in seven matches, including against Werder Bremen who would eliminate them in the third round. In the Eredivisie, Huntelaar scored 21 goals as Ajax again finished second, once more having to play in the Eredivisie Playoffs to claim a place in the Champions League. Huntelaar scored two goals in the second leg of the Playoffs semi-final against Heerenveen in a 4–1 aggregate win.[39] Ajax then beat AZ 4–2 on aggregate for a place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.[40] In the KNVB Cup, Huntelaar scored four goals in six matches, including an equalizer in the final against AZ which ended in a 1–1 draw after extra-time. Huntelaar scored in the penalty shoot-out decider to help Ajax retain the KNVB Cup, winning 8–7 on penalties.[41] Huntelaar scored 36 goals in 51 games in all competitions for Ajax in 2006–07. In 2007–08 Ajax were again knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage, with Huntelaar missing a penalty in the first leg against Slavia Prague.[42] Ajax were also eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Dinamo Zagreb on away goals, with Huntelaar's two goals not enough to secure Ajax's place in the competition.[43] In the first Eredivisie match of the season, Huntelaar scored four goals in an 8–1 away victory over newly promoted De Graafschap.[44] Following the retirement of Jaap Stam in October 2007, Huntelaar was made temporary captain, pending the return of experienced midfielder Edgar Davids from injury.[45] On 6 April 2008, Huntelaar scored his 100th goal in the Eredivise with a hat-trick in Ajax's 4–1 win against De Graafschap. In the previous 25 years, only Dennis Bergkamp and Dirk Kuyt had managed that feat before their 25th birthday.[46] Huntelaar finished the season with 33 goals in 34 appearances, becoming top scorer in the Eredivisie[47] and the first Ajax player to score 30 league goals in a season for 21 years, since Marco van Basten in 1986–87.[48][49] At the start of the 2008–09, Marco van Basten was appointed as Ajax coach and named Huntelaar as permanent first team captain.[50] Huntelaar scored nine goals in 15 appearances in all competitions before suffering torn ankle ligaments on 9 November 2008 in a league match against Sparta Rotterdam.[51] He would not play again for fully eight weeks later and it turned out to be his last game for Ajax.[52] Real Madrid At the start of December 2008, Real Madrid C.F. reached an agreement with Ajax to sign Huntelaar in the mid-season transfer window in January. Huntelaar joined Real Madrid in January 2009 for an initial fee thought to be worth €20 million,[53][54] potentially rising to €27 million. He made his debut on 4 January 2009 on his return from injury in a La Liga home match against Villarreal. He played for 56 minutes and made four further appearances as a substitute,[55] before scoring his first goal for the team on 15 February 2009 in a 0–4 away win at Sporting Gijón.[56] Real Madrid had planned to add both Huntelaar and fellow new signing Lassana Diarra to their 2008-09 Champions League squad, but both players had already featured in the same season's UEFA Cup for previous clubs Ajax and Portsmouth respectively. UEFA rules would allow only one of the pair to be registered[57][58] by 1 February 2009 and defensive midfielder Diarra was selected to play in the competition.[59] Huntelaar went on to score eight goals in 20 appearances (13 starts and 7 sub appearances) in just half a season at Real Madrid.[60][61] Milan In August 2009, he transferred to Serie A club A.C. Milan for €15 million, signing a four-year contract.[62][63][64] On 14 August 2009 Huntelaar made his debut for Milan during the TIM Trophy friendly tournament. Huntelaar was unable to play any part in Milan's opening league game of the season due to a suspension he had incurred whilst playing for Real Madrid. On 29 August, Huntelaar made his competitive league debut for Milan coming on as a sub in the 0–4 loss to cross-city rivals Internazionale. On 29 November, he scored his first and second goal for Milan in injury time in a 2–0 win against Catania after coming on in the 84th minute.[65] International career Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in training with the Netherlands. Youth squads Huntelaar played in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship for the Netherlands under coach Louis van Gaal. He scored two goals in the tournament before the Dutch were eliminated in the quarter finals by Egypt.[8] After scoring 44 goals in 47 appearances for Heerenveen and Ajax in all competitions during 2005–06, Huntelaar was named in the preliminary Netherlands squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but was not selected for the final squad and instead sent to play in the UEFA Under-21 Championship held in Portugal. Huntelaar became top scorer in the tournament with four goals[66] including two in the final on 4 June 2006 to help the Netherlands beat Ukraine 3–0[67] and claim their first ever title at under-21 level. Huntelaar was named as one of two strikers in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.[68] In the aftermath, Huntelaar was promoted from the under-21 squad where he remains the Netherlands all-time top goalscorer with 18 goals in 22 matches.[2] Senior squad Following his achievements with the under-21 squad, Huntelaar was selected by senior team coach Marco van Basten for the Dutch national team's next friendly match, away against the Republic of Ireland on 16 August 2006. Huntelaar scored two goals and provided two assists on his senior debut in the Netherlands 4–0 win,[69] and thus became the first Dutch player to score on his full international debut for 28 years since Dick Nanninga in 1978.[70] Huntelaar (right) with Marco van Basten. After being left out for a number of games, he was recalled to the squad in October 2007 for the UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying games against Romania and Slovenia.[71] Due to the suspension of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar was in the starting line-up against Slovenia and went on to score his first competitive international goal in the Netherlands 2–0 victory.[72] Huntelaar was included in the Netherlands Euro 2008 squad, and scored in his only appearance in the tournament with the opening goal of their final Group C match against Romania in a 2–0 victory.[73] With the retirement of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar became new Dutch national team coach Bert van Marwijk's first choice striker for the FIFA World Cup 2010 qualification match against Iceland in October 2008, and scored in a 2–0 victory.[74] Huntelaar has since taken his goalscoring record at international level to 14 goals in 25 appearances for the Dutch senior team.

Clarence Clyde Seedorf (born 1 April 1976 in Paramaribo) is a Dutch footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan . He is the only player to win the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs - (Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan twice). He is the older brother of Chedric Seedorf.[1] As of 18 June 2009, Clarence Seedorf and former team mate Giuseppe Bergomi are co-owners of Lega Pro Prima Divisione, formally Serie C, side AC Monza Brianza 1912 Club career Early career Seedorf started his career as a right midfielder for AFC Ajax during the early 1990s. He made his professional debut on 29 November 1992 against FC Groningen at the age of 16 years and 242 days, making him the youngest debutant for Ajax ever.[2] In his early career, he played a role in Ajax's Eredivisie winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 UEFA Champions League winning campaign. His performances during the season saw him move to U.C. Sampdoria in a €5 million transfer in the summer of 1995, although he only spent one season there, scoring three goals. Real Madrid Seedorf moved to Real Madrid for €8 million in 1996[3], helping that team regain the La Liga title in his first season. In his second season, 1997-1998, he played a major role in the team's Champions League success as Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Juventus in the final, in his second Champions League title of his career. While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable goal against Atlético Madrid, a shot from around 45 meters away. Seedorf's spell at Real Madrid ended when he was transferred back to Italy during the 1999-2000 season - this time to Internazionale for €24.5 million.[4] Internazionale Despite helping the team to the Coppa Italia final in 2000, a game that was eventually lost, Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club. However, he will be remembered by many Inter fans for his two goals against Juventus in a 2-2 draw on the 9 March 2002, both of which were superb long-range efforts. Milan Seedorf with Milan. After two years with Internazionale, Seedorf moved to city rivals A.C. Milan in 2002. He won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, which was the first time they had won the competition in twenty-six years. In the same season, Seedorf gained his third Champions League medal with a third different team, after an all Italian final in which Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0-0 draw, despite Seedorf failing to convert his own penalty. As a result, Seedorf became the only player to have won Champions' League trophies for three different clubs. The following season, 2003–2004, Seedorf played a role in the Milan side that won Serie A. It was also Seedorf's fourth national league title win of his career, after his two Dutch title wins with Ajax and his one Spanish win with Real Madrid. Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005. He started the Istanbul tie against Liverpool in which Milan contrived to lose a 3-0 lead, eventually losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Seedorf did not take any of those spot-kicks. Milan also finished runners-up in the Scudetto to Juventus in 2005. A match-fixing scandal tarnished Serie A and Milan were weakened by the scandal but were allowed to continue in Europe the following season, which led to their best players staying at the club. Seedorf's role as foil to Kaká became increasingly impressive as the pair combined in style to score and supply the goals which drove Milan past Bayern Munich and Manchester United to another Champions League final, again against Liverpool, beating them 2-1 in Athens, with Seedorf collecting his fourth UEFA Champions League medal. In that same year, Seedorf was a part of a Milan squad which won the FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first European player to win the trophy with two different clubs (Real Madrid in 1998). He ended up winning the Silver Ball for the competition. At the end of the 2006-07 season, Seedorf was voted best midfielder of the Champions League. He played his 100th game in the Champions League on 4 December against Celtic. In Milan, Seedorf has formed a formidable midfield partnership with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, which began since the 2002-03 season. This midfield trio is still used until now in the starting line-up, although their form has declined over the last two years. Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti, their role was to support an attacking midfielder, whether it be Rivaldo, Manuel Rui Costa, Kaká, or Ronaldinho. International career Seedorf has played in Euro 96, (where his penalty miss proved decisive in the quarter final shootout defeat to France), the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. However, many have suggested that his national career could have been even more impressive if he had not let an argumentative and rebellious streak get the better of him on several occasions. In addition, he has a long history of underperforming during critical moments while playing for the national team. This was one of the reasons why former national team coach Marco van Basten decided to ignore Seedorf when he was appointed coach after Euro 2004. Thus, Seedorf did not play in the World Cup 2006 qualifying series, as well as missing out on the FIFA World Cup itself. On 12 November 2006, Seedorf was recalled for the first time since June 2004 as a replacement for the injured Wesley Sneijder. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 friendly draw against England. In Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0-0 at home) and Slovenia (1-0 away win), Seedorf played 4 and 6 minutes. There were doubts on his position within the national team, as Marco van Basten favoured players such as Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie. On 13 May 2008, Seedorf announced that he would not take part in Euro 2008, due to his ongoing conflict with van Basten.[5] Personal life Seedorf is from a football family. His brothers Chedric, Rhamlee and Jurgen, his cousin Stefano and his nephew Regilio are all professional football players. His father, Johan, is a player agent.[6] Seedorf is married to Luviana, a Brazilian. He has four children and lives in Milan. In an interview with Nick Webster on Fox Soccer Channel's Center Circle program, Seedorf mentioned studying for the UEFA coaching designation. Although he is in his thirties, there have been no reports of imminent retirement and coaching. According to Italian tabloids, Seedorf has been seen dating Elisabetta Canalis, the girlfriend of George Clooney. However, most non-Italian press think that the charges are not very credible.

Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Netherlands national team. His preferred position is central midfield as playmaker but is capable of operating on both sides of the midfield. Van der Vaart began his career at Ajax's famous youth academy and worked his way into the first team debuting as a 17-year-old. He switched to Bundesliga side Hamburg before moving on to La Liga giants Real Madrid. Biography Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Spanish mother of Romani heritage[2] named Lolita (from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz) and a Dutch father named Ramon he is married to Sylvia van Der Vaart former peist of Holland. Before joining AFC Ajax, he played for a local club called De Kennemers based in Beverwijk.[3] He grew up on a caravan park living a "gypsy life" and often imagined he was Romário while playing football with his father. It was there that he learned how to play football and, at the age of 10, he joined the AFC Ajax academy.[4] Career Ajax Van der Vaart came through the ranks at Ajax with national teammates John Heitinga and Wesley Sneijder. Initially he was gift and signed for Ajax on a trial basis as a ten-year-old but was eventually enrolled permanently after impressing the coaches. At the age of 17, van der Vaart made his debut for the Ajax senior side in a 1–1 draw with FC Den Bosch in the 1999–2000 season. Rafael van der Vaart with Ajax. In the 2000–01 season, Ajax coach Co Adriaanse increased van der Vaart's playing time by moving him to the attacking midfielder position. He was voted as European Talent of the Year by Italian football website CalcioManager.[5] The next season, van der Vaart suffered a serious knee injury and was out for several months. Shortly after returning to action, he re-injured the same knee on 2 April 2002, requiring an operation that involved the removal of his entire meniscus. He missed the rest of the season and finished with fourteen goals one goal less than fellow dutch international Reggie Harrison. In 2002–03, Ajax won the Amsterdam Tournament, though injury limited van der Vaart to 21 league appearances, in which he scored 18 goals. Van der Vaart was named team captain by coach Ronald Koeman for the 2004–05 season. During an international match against Sweden on 18 August 2004, he was injured by then Ajax teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović which led to the sale of Ibrahimović to Juventus two weeks later following controversial accusations that he had intentionally tried to hurt van der Vaart. As a result, van der Vaart took Ibrahimović's spot as a striker.[6] His on-pitch performance suffered due to being played out of position and he was stripped of the team captaincy by Koeman as a result, while the media criticized him for being overweight and spending too much time in the Dutch nightlife with his then-fiancée, The Music Factory VJ Sylvie Meis.[7] In September, a league match against ADO Den Haag was temporarily halted by the officials due to incessant anti-Semitic chants by opposing fans directed at Meis.[8] The incident, coupled with his ongoing injury problems that resulted in an average of only 23 league appearances in five seasons with Ajax, led him to announce that he was leaving the club at the end of the year. Hamburg Van der Vaart's €5.5 million transfer to Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, on 1 June 2005[9], raised many eyebrows. Many other top-flight clubs had shown interest in the midfielder but he chose Hamburg. The Ajax legend Johan Cruyff himself commented in his De Telegraaf column, "I don't know what to say about it or what Rafael van der Vaart is doing in Hamburg."[8] Van der Vaart finished his first season as the team's top scorer as Hamburg finished third in the league and won the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He assumed the team captaincy for the 2006–07 season. In the 2007–08 season, van der Vaart scored 12 league goals as Hamburg finished fourth in the league, while reaching the round of sixteen in the UEFA Cup. During the UEFA Cup away win at FC Zürich, he tore ankle ligaments and was out of action for several weeks. Despite interest from clubs such as Chelsea[10] and Valencia CF,[11] he stated that he would stay at Hamburg until the end of the season, but opted out of signing a contract extension.[12][13] Real Madrid van der Vaart in action for Real Madrid. Towards the end of the 2007–08 season, van der Vaart was linked to a move to several clubs including Atlético Madrid and Juventus. Atlético made a €15 million bid for the Dutchman[14], which Hamburg rejected, and in the end it was their cross-town rivals who got van der Vaart's signature instead. On 4 August 2008, Real Madrid and Hamburg reached a €13 million agreement for van der Vaart's transfer, Real Madrid's only summer signing.[15] He signed a five-year contract for an undisclosed amount.[16] Van der Vaart debuted in a 2–1 preseason win four days later in a pre-season friendly against Independiente Santa Fé, where he scored the tying goal and provided an assist.[17] He changed his squad number from 19 to his favored number 23 after teammate Wesley Sneijder took number 10 following Robinho's 31 August departure to Manchester City[18], He marked his league debut for Real Madrid with a strike against CD Numancia in a 4–3 victory.[19] On 24 September, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 7–1 thrashing of Sporting Gijón.[20] In October 2008, van der Vaart was one of the many La Liga players to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or but the award ultimately went to former Manchester United player and current teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.[21] For the latter part of the 08-09 season, van der Vaart was mostly used as an impact substitute by coach Juande Ramos which led to speculations of a fall-out between coach and player. Despite transfer rumors linking him with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool; he denied having any links with the English clubs.[22] It was suggested that van der Vaart would leave the club in the summer of 2009 after Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said he would not be part of his plans. In pre-season, Esteban Granero was given van der Vaart's number 23 jersey, leaving him without a squad number. Granero now wears number 24. Towards the end of the summer 2009 Transfer window, he eventually came to an agreement with Real Madrid to stay with the club after the squad size had already made it down to 25 players when Dutch compatriots Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben left the club. After a long wait of 4 games, van der Vaart has finally been included in Pellegrini's squad list to face Villarreal CF [1] on the 23rd of September. Van der Vaart scored his first and second goal of the 2009-2010 campaign against Real Zaragoza. International career Rafael van der Vaart playing for the Dutch national team Rafael van der Vaart gained the notice of the youth team coaches and was called up for the youth squads. He played in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with present senior teammates Maarten Stekelenburg and John Heitinga and former Real Madrid teammates Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben. The 18-year-old van der Vaart then made his senior international debut against Andorra on 6 October 2001.[23] He was a member of the squads that participated in UEFA Euro 2004, UEFA Euro 2008, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Despite figuring prominently in a number of qualifying stage matches, van der Vaart has had a lack of luck when it came to the final tournament. A sub-par performance by the Dutch during their opening game of Euro 2004 persuaded former manager Dick Advocaat to change the side's formation into one which he felt the talented van der Vaart did not fit in to. With Advocaat's new system seemingly working, van der Vaart would be reduced to play a bit-part role at Euro 2004, as the Oranje reached the semifinals. Despite that setback, van der Vaart produced some superlative performances in the Bundesliga the following season, and it seemed that van der Vaart's turn to shine on the big stage was to finally come — at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, niggling injury problems resurfaced, and van der Vaart was not risked by Dutch coach Marco van Basten for the opening World Cup encounter against Serbia and Montenegro. With victory in that opening game, the national team coach would once again decide to continue fielding a van der Vaart-less lineup. And once again, Rafael van der Vaart was reduced to a bit-part role in the squad although since then he has become a more regular fixture in the starting XI. Rafael van der Vaart playing for the Dutch national team Van der Vaart was called up for UEFA Euro 2008 despite missing several qualification matches due to an ankle injury. As coach Marco van Basten had decided to change their formation to 4–2–3–1, van der Vaart was deployed in the midfield along with Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt or Robin van Persie, behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to great effect. In the opening game of the competition, the Dutch team won 3–0 against the world champions Italy with van der Vaart playing a role in the build-ups. Van Basten decided to field him again in the starting line-up in the next match against France; the Oranje later went on to win 4–1. Despite enduring a torrid time at club level, van der Vaart remained a first-choice player for van Basten's successor Bert van Marwijk in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. On 10 September 2008, he ended a 10-month goal drought with a vital strike against Macedonia in a 2–1 win.[24] He ended the campaign with 2 goals and several important assists. On 12 August 2009, van der Vaart captained the Dutch in the absence of Giovanni van Bronckhorst in a friendly against England. He scored the second goal to put the Netherlands two goals up in the first half but Jermain Defoe netted a brace to seal a 2-2 draw.[25]

Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooij (commonly spelled as van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. He is currently the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. Club career Early career Born in Oss, North Brabant, Van Nistelrooy started his professional career in 1993 with Dutch second division side Den Bosch, where he was converted from a central defender to centre forward after playing part-time for Nooit Gedacht and Magriet. After netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, he transferred for €360,000 to Heerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club. He was then signed by PSV Eindhoven the next season for €6.3 million, a then-record transfer sum between two Dutch teams. He scored 31 goals in 34 matches, the highest season total in the Eredivisie and second-highest in Europe overall, in addition to scoring all three of PSV's goals in a Champions League match against HJK Helsinki on 25 November 1998. Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning the Dutch Player of the Year award. The next season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals. According to a 2001 interview with The Telegraph, Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson said that his son Darren, who was at tryouts for Eredivisie rival Heerenveen at the time, begged his father, "You've got to sign Van Nistelrooy right away, he's fantastic. We've been watching him."[2] Ferguson sent team representatives to PSV's next league game and signed Van Nistelrooy the next day.[2] Van Nistelrooy looked set to complete an £18.5 million transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2000. A press conference had been called to confirm Van Nistelrooy's arrival, but instead this was used to announce that the transfer had been delayed over concerns about his fitness. Days later, he suffered ruptured cruciate knee ligaments during a training session and the deal was axed.[3] When the transaction was completed in April 2001, United were forced to pay PSV an additional £500,000 for the player's services. Manchester United Van Nistelrooy playing for Manchester United against Chelsea. Van Nistelrooy signed a five-year contract after passing his medical.[4] He downplayed United's £19 million investment to reporters, saying "The price is not heavy for me - it lifts me up because it means United have big confidence in me."[2] During his first season, Van Nistelrooy scored 23 goals in 32 league games, ending the year on a league record eight-game consecutive scoring streak. The following season, he broke the record of the previous mark of seven he shared with Mark Stein, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry. He also scored 10 Champions League goals, and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year. Champions League goals in 10 games. He finished as the top Premier League scorer with 25 in 34 games, including three hat-tricks, and he ended the season on another eight-game scoring streak.[5] He started the 2003–04 season by scoring twice in his first two league matches, which boosted his consecutive games record to 10. He scored his 100th goal for the club in a 4–3 victory over Everton on 7 February 2004. He scored two goals, one a penalty, in United's victory over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final. Van Nistelrooy missed most of the 2004–05 season due to injury, but nonetheless scored a Champions League-best eight goals. One of them was his thirtieth career European goal, which he scored in a 2–2 Champions League group stage draw with Lyon on 16 September 2004, overtaking Denis Law's previous club record of 28 goals. Law later said to reporters, "I'm delighted for Ruud. It could not happen to a nicer guy."[6] Manchester United were eliminated by eventual finalists Milan in the knockout stage after going scoreless in both legs. At the start of the 2005–06 season, Van Nistelrooy scored in United's first four Premier League games. He finished as the second-highest league scorer with 21 goals, behind Arsenal's Thierry Henry. By the end of his fifth season with United, Van Nistelrooy had amassed 150 goals in fewer than 200 starts. Van Nistelrooy shields the ball during a match against Tottenham Hotspur. Van Nistelrooy was benched for the League Cup final against Wigan Athletic, fuelling speculation of a rift between him and coach Alex Ferguson, which Van Nistelrooy denied. He was nonetheless left on the bench for six consecutive league matches, and though he then returned to the starting line-up and scored match-winners against West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers, fresh doubt spread over Van Nistelrooy's future when he was benched for United's season finale win over Charlton Athletic. Ferguson claimed that Van Nistelrooy was angry at the decision and left the stadium three hours before kick-off. On 9 May 2006, Setanta Sports reported that Van Nistelrooy's exclusion from the squad was due to a training session fight between him and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to his team-mates, which sparked the fight, after which Van Nistelrooy remarked, "Go crying to your daddy." The article claimed that this was not a reference to Ronaldo's father (who had died earlier in the season), but to United's Portuguese assistant coach, Carlos Queiroz.[7] Van Nistelrooy signed with Spanish side Real Madrid on 28 July 2006, departing Manchester United after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 220 appearances, as well as the club's all-time European scoring record with 38 goals. Real Madrid Van Nistelrooy in action for Real Madrid. On 15 July 2006, Ferguson confirmed that Van Nistelrooy wanted to leave Manchester United, and Real Madrid announced two weeks later that he had signed a three-year contract after being purchased for €24 million.[8] Van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick in his second league match against Levante and, on 12 November 2006, he scored all four of Real Madrid's goals in a 4–1 victory over Osasuna. He won the league's Pichichi award with 25 goals as Real Madrid took home the 2006–07 title, and he also equalled the longest consecutive scoring streak in La Liga history with seven straight matches, tying a league record shared by Hugo Sánchez.[9] In January 2008, Van Nistelrooy signed a contract extension keeping him with Madrid until 2010, with the expiration date one day shy of his 34th birthday.[10] He underwent ankle surgery in March,[11] and returned for the El Clásico derby against Barcelona on 7 May, in which he netted a penalty two minutes after coming on as a substitute.[12] He finished the season with 20 goals in 32 appearances. In November 2008, Real Madrid announced that Van Nistelrooy would miss the remainder of the 2008–09 season after exploratory arthroscopic surgery revealed a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, with an expected recovery time of six to nine months following a second operation to repair the damage.[13] Van Nistelrooy travelled to the United States to see specialist Richard Steadman, who had previously operated on the same knee back in 2000. At the time of his injury, he had 10 goals in 12 club appearances for the season.[14] Following the injury, he was de-registered by Real Madrid for the rest of the 2008–09 season, and his shirt number was given to Dani Parejo. In the last preseason game before the start of La Liga, Van Nistelrooy stepped on the pitch for the first time since his injury and played the last fifteen minutes of the game against Rosenborg, substituting Kaka.[when?] Van Nistelrooy came on for Cristiano Ronaldo in the 80th minute against Xerez in his first La Liga match since recovering from his injury. In the 81st minute, he provided the assist for a Benzema goal, following it with his own 88th minute goal. However, during his strike, he picked up a thigh injury. It was revealed by Real Madrid that he would be out from first team action for up to 6 weeks.[15] On October 27 Van Nistelrooy made his second comeback of the season coming on as a substitute for Raul in the 71st minute against Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey International career Van Nistelrooy has 64 caps and 33 goals for the Netherlands. His first tournament was Euro 2004, where he and the Czech Republic's Milan Baroš were the only players to score in all three group stage matches. Van Nistelrooy (front) with Robin van Persie. As the Dutch failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Van Nistelrooy had to wait four years to play in his first and last World Cup. During a 2006 World Cup qualifying match, he scored in the Dutch's 4-0 hammering of bottom-placed Andorra and was yellow-carded for going to Andorra player Antoni Lima and celebrating in front of him, following an incident six minutes before when Nistelrooy missed a penalty and Lima laughed at him[16] He was a part of coach Marco van Basten's squad for the 2006 World Cup finals, for which he served as the official FIFA/SOS ambassador.[17] He started, and was substituted, in all of the Netherlands' group stage matches, and scored his lone goal against the Côte d'Ivoire. Van Nistelrooy was benched for the Netherlands' final match, which saw them eliminated in the knockout stage by Portugal. Van Basten left the striker off the squad for a friendly against the Republic of Ireland on 16 August 2006.[18] Dirk Kuyt replaced Van Nistelrooy in their next match against Portugal in September.[19] After Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was unavailable for UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Belarus due to injury, Van Nistelrooy refused Van Basten's request to take his place on the roster. On 23 January 2007, Van Nistelrooy announced his retirement from international football following some disputes with coach Marco van Basten.[20] However, after several phone conversations and at the persuasion of veteran Edwin van der Sar, both player and coach put aside their differences. Van Basten announced four months later that Van Nistelrooy was returning to the Oranje.[21][22] On 8 September, Van Nistelrooy filled Huntelaar's spot, as previously requested, for the qualifier against Bulgaria, scoring in a 2–0 victory,[23] and scored the winning goal four days later in injury time of the Netherlands' win over Albania. At Euro 2008, Van Nistelrooy scored for the Netherlands in their decisive 3–0 victory over Italy in the group stage, and scored the equaliser in their eventual 3–1 loss to Russia in the quarter-finals. On 4 August, he again announced his retirement from international competition.[24][25] Personal life Family Van Nistelrooy married his girlfriend, Leontien Slaats, in July 2004. The couple had their first child, a girl named Moa Annette, in September 2006, and a son named Liam in March 2008.[26][27][28] Charity work Van Nistelrooy and his wife are both heavily involved with the charity organization SOS Children's Villages. The organisation has been around since 1949 and is an international development charity which serves to protect the interests and rights of children. Van Nistelrooy was officially appointed "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" Ambassador in the Netherlands on 1 September 2001.[29] On 17 November 2009, Van Nistelrooy and his wife hosted SOS at Real Madrid City. The purpose of the event was to help create a calendar which would be sold to benefit the organization.[30]

Edwin van der Sar (born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Manchester United. Van der Sar started his senior career with Ajax and remained there for nine years before moving to Italian club Juventus and then to England, first to Fulham and then to Manchester United. He is one of the few footballers to have won the UEFA Champions League with two different teams, having won it with Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008, the latter where he was named UEFA Man of the match; he also won the UEFA Cup with Ajax in 1992. Van der Sar was named Best European Goalkeeper in 1995 and 2009, spanning the fourteen-year period between his first and second Champions league victories. He is the Netherlands national football team's most capped player of all time. Club career Ajax Born in Voorhout, Van der Sar began his career at his hometown club, Foreholte, and then vv Noordwijk. At a relatively late age, he was brought to the attention of Louis van Gaal, and subsequently signed for Ajax. He enjoyed a long and successful stint in their senior side, winning the 1991–92 UEFA Cup and the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League, as well as the 1995 Best European Goalkeeper award. He kept goal for Ajax in the 1996 UEFA Champions League Final, but had to make do with a runner-up medal as they lost the penalty shootout against Juventus. He made a total of 226 appearances for Ajax and scored a penalty for Ajax to complete a 8–1 victory over De Graafschap in the 1997–98 season. Juventus In 1999, Van der Sar moved to Italian giants Juventus, where he made 66 Serie A appearances before eventually losing the number 1 spot to Gianluigi Buffon. He became the first non-Italian to keep goal for the Turin club.[2] Fulham Van der Sar at Fulham, with Steed Malbranque Not content to stay on the substitutes' bench at Juventus, Van der Sar moved to Premier League club Fulham in 2001, reportedly for around £7.1 million.[3] Initially signing a four-year contract, he notched up 127 league appearances. Manchester United Van der Sar moved to Manchester United on 10 June 2005[4] for a reported fee of £2 million, although the exact transfer fee was undisclosed.[5] Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson considered him the best goalkeeper to play for the club since Peter Schmeichel.[6] Van der Sar playing for Manchester United. On 5 May 2007, his penalty save helped assure a 1–0 triumph over Manchester City in the Manchester derby. The following day, Chelsea's failure to beat Arsenal at the Emirates ensured Manchester United's ninth Premier League trophy and Van der Sar's first. He was also named to the 2006–07 PFA Team of the Year.[7] Three months later, he was a catalyst in Manchester United's 16th FA Community Shield victory, as he saved three consecutive penalties in a shootout after Manchester United and Chelsea played to a 1–1 draw at the end of regular time.[8] The 2007–08 season was Van der Sar's best season since his arrival; he had several great performances despite a niggling groin injury. He would help United secure their second successive Premier League title on the final day and win the Champions League by saving the final penalty of the shoot-out from Nicolas Anelka.[9] Van der Sar signed a one-year extension to his current contract with Manchester United on 12 December 2008, keeping him at the club until at least the end of the 2009–10 season.[10] Van der Sar signing an autograph after the match against Barcelona 1–0 April 2008. On 27 January 2009, Van der Sar helped Manchester United set a new club and Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets – the club's 5–0 win over West Bromwich Albion meant that they had gone 11 games and 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal, beating the previous record of 10 matches and 1,025 minutes set by Petr Čech in the 2004–05 season. He then broke the overall English league record in the club's following game four days later, beating the previous record of 1,103 minutes, set by Steve Death of Reading in 1979.[11] Another clean sheet, against West Ham on 8 February 2009, extended the record to 1,212 minutes, beating the British top-flight record of 1,155 minutes previously set by Aberdeen's Bobby Clark in 1971.[12] Finally, on 18 February 2009, Van der Sar further extended the record to 1,302 minutes, and in doing so, he broke José María Buljubasich's single-season world record of 1,289 minutes, set in the Chilean Clausura in 2005.[13][14] His clean sheet record ended on 4 March, when he made an error allowing Peter Løvenkrands of Newcastle United to score after 9 minutes.[15] In total, Van der Sar had gone 1,311 minutes without conceding in the league.[16] These clean sheets were a major factor in United clinching their 11th Premiership title as United won a lot of games 1–0 to clinch the title ahead of Liverpool. With a total of 21 clean sheets he also won the Barclays Golden Glove for 2008–09. However, he missed out on winning his third Champions League winners medal as United succumbed to a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona on 27 May 2009. Nevertheless, he won Best European Goalkeeper award from UEFA for the second time, 14 years after he first won it at Ajax. He was one of the five United players shortlisted for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award but it went to United teammate Ryan Giggs instead. Van der Sar sustained a finger injury during the Audi Cup pre-season tournament, forcing him to miss the first 12 matches of Manchester United's 2009–10 season.[17] He returned to action in October 2009, playing in United's 2–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers on 17 October 2009.[18] International career Van der Sar was included in the Netherlands's 1994 World Cup squad but did not play. He had to wait until 7 June 1995 for his international debut, against Belarus. He was in goal for three successive eliminations from major competitions by penalties: Euro 96, France 98 and Euro 2000. Following the Dutch team's failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Van der Sar would have to wait four years for his next international tournament. Euro 2004 During the penalty shootout at the Euro 2004 quarter-final against Sweden, Van der Sar saved a penalty from Olof Mellberg, as the Netherlands won the shootout 5–4 and advanced to the semifinals,[19] where they lost to Portugal.[20] 2006 World Cup Van der Sar at the 2006 World Cup. Prior to the 2006 World Cup group match against Ivory Coast, Van der Sar had not conceded a goal in nine consecutive competitive matches.[21] As captain of the Netherlands, he broke Frank de Boer's record in the 2006 World Cup second round match against Portugal.[22] Euro 2008 Edwin van der Sar in training with the Netherlands prior to Euro 2008. On his 37th birthday, Van der Sar was interviewed by Radio 538 and stated that he intended to retire from international football after Euro 2008.[23] Prior to the tournament, he was instrumental in bringing an end to a long-time dispute between veteran striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and manager Marco van Basten.[24] He was the captain in their impressive 3–0 victory over Italy on 9 June 2008, and also on 13 June for the 4–1 victory over France. On 21 June, he played in the 3–1 quarter-final loss against Russia, which was believed to be his final international.[25] This was his 16th appearance on a European Championship finals match, with which he equalled the record set by Lilian Thuram a few days earlier. Following Euro 2008, Van der Sar has the distinction of playing more minutes at the European Football Championship than any other player.[26] 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification On 3 October 2008, at the urging of new coach Bert van Marwijk, Van der Sar agreed to come out of international retirement for the Netherlands' 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Iceland and Norway after injuries to Maarten Stekelenburg and Henk Timmer made both unavailable for the two games.[27] Van der Sar kept a clean sheet in both matches, which were won by the Dutch 2–0 and 1–0 respectively. In Oslo, the Dutch defeated Norway 1–0 courtesy of a Mark van Bommel goal, thus ensuring a fitting send-off for Van der Sar who earned his record 130th cap during that match.[28] Van der Sar has represented the Dutch national team 130 times, which makes him the country's most capped player. This puts him in the top thirty most capped players of all time. Personal life Van der Sar is married to Annemarie van Kesteren. The couple's wedding ceremony took place at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, on 20 May 2006.[29] The couple have two children: a son, Joe, and a daughter, Lynn. Joe was on the pitch celebrating when his father saved a penalty in the Netherlands' 5–4 shoot-out victory over Sweden in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals. In December 2009 tragedy struck the family of Edwin van der Sar when Annemarie van Kesteren was admited to hospital two days before Christmas.[30] Reports said van der Sar's wife had suffered a stroke and was in a "very poor" condition. She has since made a full recovery.[31]