Gregory van der Wiel
Encyclopedia
Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel (ˈgrɛgɔri vɑn dɛr ˈʋil; born 3 February 1988) is a Dutch
international footballer who plays professionally for Ajax, as a right back
.
Born in Amsterdam
to a father from Curaçao and a white Dutch mother, he is a product of the renowned Ajax youth system, who plays an attacking right back and is known for his speedy runs down the flank. In 2010, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands.
He made his debut for the Dutch national team in February 2009, and participated in the Netherlands' silver winning performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa. Dutch team-mate John Heitinga
has labeled him the spiritual successor of Michael Reiziger
for the Netherlands.
due to the player having a "mentality problem". Talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said: "When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was always well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans and brought to the club. At Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five year old outfits, and had to find our own way to the trainings. The atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development. It was a wake-up call for me."
In 2005 Ajax approached him once again and brought him back to the Academy. His second stint at the club proved to be a much more successful experience. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard
, Van der Wiel was made the captain of Jong Ajax.
, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam
. He would play three more matches that season. For the 2007–08 season he participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the battle for the Johan Cruijff-schaal
, resulting in winning his first career trophy. His real breakthrough came in the 2008–09 season season under manager Marco van Basten, where he was ever present in the team: he played 32 league matches (43 matches in all competitions).
Van der Wiel started the 2009–10 season well under new Ajax manager Martin Jol
, scoring his third league goal for Ajax on 8 August 2009. The goal came in a 4–1 victory over RKC Waalwijk
during which Ajax captain Luis Suárez
scored a hat-trick and was van der Wiel's first goal at the Amsterdam ArenA
. Van der Wiel's second league goal of the season came on 25 October 2009, in a 2–4 away victory over defending champions AZ. On 1 November 2009, van der Wiel scored in the "klassieker
" against arch-rivals Feyenoord in a 5–1 thrashing of the Rotterdam side. On 6 May 2010, Van der Wiel played in the final of the 2009-10 Dutch Cup as Ajax beat Feyenoord 4-1. At the end of the season, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year".
's Bayern Munich. However, Ajax was not able to agree to a deal. The 2010-11 season was another successful season for Van der Wiel, as he maintained his first-team position under new manager Frank de Boer
. At the end of the season, Van der Wiel had played 32 league matches (51 matches in all competitions) and won his first Eredivisie title. Ajax and Twente decided the Eredivisie title in the last league match of the season, and Van der Wiel played an instrumental role in the match with his assist on Siem de Jong
for Ajax's opening goal in the match.
. He made his senior debut for the Netherlands
on February 11, 2009, coming on as a substitute for former Ajax teammate John Heitinga
in the friendly game against Tunisia
. He made his first competitive debut on March 28, 2009, being in the starting lineup for the 3–0 2010 World Cup qualification
victory over Scotland
. He again played the whole match for the 4–0 World Cup qualification victory over Macedonia on April 1, 2009. Since them he has established himself as the first choice right-back in the Dutch squad.
and posted a picture of himself with the rapper on his Twitter
page. Several prominent figures in Dutch football criticised the player for his actions, including Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk
who stated "It's rather strange that he was able to go to a concert, given that he told me that he was not allowed to fly by the Ajax medical staff." Ajax manager Martin Jol
defended the player, stating that the incident was blown out of proportion by the media and that it should not be seen as a lack of respect on the part of the player for the Dutch national team. Van Marwijk has since forgiven Van der Wiel for the incident, stating that "he should not expect that this incident will have consequences for his place in the team".
managed by Bert van Marwijk
. The player was in the starting line-up for their first two matches in the competition, 2–0 victory over Denmark
and 1–0 victory over Japan
. He was also in the starting lineup for the match against Slovakia, the quarter final against Brazil, and the final against Spain, which the Dutch lost due to a late goal by Andres Iniesta
.
matches played by the Netherlands so far.
|2006–07||rowspan="6"|Ajax||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
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|2007–08||6||0||2||0||2||0||10||0
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|2008–09||32||2||2||0||9||0||43||2
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|2009–10
||34||6||6||0||10||0||50||6
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|2010–11
||32||1||5||0||14||0||51||1
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|2011–12
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119||10||17||0||39||1||175||11
Ajax
Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
international footballer who plays professionally for Ajax, as a right back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to a father from Curaçao and a white Dutch mother, he is a product of the renowned Ajax youth system, who plays an attacking right back and is known for his speedy runs down the flank. In 2010, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands.
He made his debut for the Dutch national team in February 2009, and participated in the Netherlands' silver winning performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa. Dutch team-mate John Heitinga
John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga is a Dutch footballer who plays as a defender for English Premier League club Everton and the Dutch national team. A product of Jong Ajax, he previously played for AFC Ajax and Atlético Madrid, before signing for Everton in 2009. Heitinga previously represented...
has labeled him the spiritual successor of Michael Reiziger
Michael Reiziger
Michael John Reiziger is a retired Dutch footballer who played mainly as a right defender.After making a name for himself at Ajax, with whom he won one Champions League, he went on to represent three teams in three different countries, namely appearing for FC Barcelona, for which he played in...
for the Netherlands.
Youth and loan to Haarlem
Van der Wiel started his playing career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam. At the age of seven, the young defender was scouted by Ajax and brought to the Ajax Academy at "De Toekomst". In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC HaarlemHFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889. The club won the Dutch national title in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912...
due to the player having a "mentality problem". Talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said: "When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was always well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans and brought to the club. At Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five year old outfits, and had to find our own way to the trainings. The atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development. It was a wake-up call for me."
In 2005 Ajax approached him once again and brought him back to the Academy. His second stint at the club proved to be a much more successful experience. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard
Donovan Slijngard
Donovan Carlos Saverio Slijngard , simply known as Donovan Slijngard, is a professional footballer who plays for Dutch Eerste Divisie club Sparta Rotterdam.-Ajax:...
, Van der Wiel was made the captain of Jong Ajax.
Breakthrough in the first team
Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against FC TwenteFC Twente
FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys...
, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
. He would play three more matches that season. For the 2007–08 season he participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in the battle for the Johan Cruijff-schaal
Johan Cruijff-schaal
The Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
, resulting in winning his first career trophy. His real breakthrough came in the 2008–09 season season under manager Marco van Basten, where he was ever present in the team: he played 32 league matches (43 matches in all competitions).
Van der Wiel started the 2009–10 season well under new Ajax manager Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
, scoring his third league goal for Ajax on 8 August 2009. The goal came in a 4–1 victory over RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk is a football club currently playing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' and was a fusion club of HEC, WVB and Hercules.-History:...
during which Ajax captain Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez (Uruguayan footballer)
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz , commonly known as Luis Suárez and nicknamed "El Pistolero" , is a Uruguayan footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team...
scored a hat-trick and was van der Wiel's first goal at the Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
. Van der Wiel's second league goal of the season came on 25 October 2009, in a 2–4 away victory over defending champions AZ. On 1 November 2009, van der Wiel scored in the "klassieker
Klassieker
De Klassieker is the main football rivalry of the Netherlands. It is between Ajax, of Amsterdam and Feyenoord, of Rotterdam and is highly contested. The record attendance was on 9 January 1966, when 65,562 watched in Rotterdam....
" against arch-rivals Feyenoord in a 5–1 thrashing of the Rotterdam side. On 6 May 2010, Van der Wiel played in the final of the 2009-10 Dutch Cup as Ajax beat Feyenoord 4-1. At the end of the season, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year".
Eredivisie success
Following the 2010 World Cup Van der Wiel was in talks to make a transfer to Louis van GaalLouis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
's Bayern Munich. However, Ajax was not able to agree to a deal. The 2010-11 season was another successful season for Van der Wiel, as he maintained his first-team position under new manager Frank de Boer
Frank de Boer
Franciscus "Frank" de Boer is a Dutch former professional footballer, and the younger twin brother of Ronald de Boer. Since 6 December 2010 he is the Manager of AFC Ajax.-Club career:...
. At the end of the season, Van der Wiel had played 32 league matches (51 matches in all competitions) and won his first Eredivisie title. Ajax and Twente decided the Eredivisie title in the last league match of the season, and Van der Wiel played an instrumental role in the match with his assist on Siem de Jong
Siem de Jong
Siem de Jong is a Dutch football midfielder who plays for Ajax.De Jong was born in Aigle, Switzerland to Dutch parents and moved back to the Netherlands at age six...
for Ajax's opening goal in the match.
International career
Van der Wiel has been capped at the under-21 level and participated at the 2007 Toulon Tournament2007 Toulon Tournament
The 2007 Toulon Tournament was the 35th edition of the Toulon Tournament, and was held from 31 May to 9 June. It was won by France, after they beat China 3-1 in the final.-Table:-Match summaries:-Table:-Match summaries:...
. He made his senior debut for the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
on February 11, 2009, coming on as a substitute for former Ajax teammate John Heitinga
John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga is a Dutch footballer who plays as a defender for English Premier League club Everton and the Dutch national team. A product of Jong Ajax, he previously played for AFC Ajax and Atlético Madrid, before signing for Everton in 2009. Heitinga previously represented...
in the friendly game against Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
. He made his first competitive debut on March 28, 2009, being in the starting lineup for the 3–0 2010 World Cup qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 9
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 9 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia. This group had one team fewer than the other eight....
victory over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. He again played the whole match for the 4–0 World Cup qualification victory over Macedonia on April 1, 2009. Since them he has established himself as the first choice right-back in the Dutch squad.
Twitter incident
In October 2009, Van der Wiel became embroiled in a controversy after he was unable to travel with the Dutch squad to Australia for a friendly game due to a concussion obtained while playing for Ajax. The player went to a Lil' Wayne concert while his Dutch teammates were in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and posted a picture of himself with the rapper on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page. Several prominent figures in Dutch football criticised the player for his actions, including Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
who stated "It's rather strange that he was able to go to a concert, given that he told me that he was not allowed to fly by the Ajax medical staff." Ajax manager Martin Jol
Martin Jol
Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder who currently manages Fulham in the Premier League. Jol played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps with the Dutch national team...
defended the player, stating that the incident was blown out of proportion by the media and that it should not be seen as a lack of respect on the part of the player for the Dutch national team. Van Marwijk has since forgiven Van der Wiel for the incident, stating that "he should not expect that this incident will have consequences for his place in the team".
2010 World Cup
Van der Wiel was actively inolved in the 2010 World Cup qualification tournament. Van der Wiel was part of the Dutch team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
managed by Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk
Bert van Marwijk OON is the coach of the Netherlands national football team. He also played for Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV, Fortuna Sittard, and other clubs, as well as for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time...
. The player was in the starting line-up for their first two matches in the competition, 2–0 victory over Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and 1–0 victory over Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
. He was also in the starting lineup for the match against Slovakia, the quarter final against Brazil, and the final against Spain, which the Dutch lost due to a late goal by Andres Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team....
.
Euro 2012
Van der Wiel has been Van Marwijk's first choice right-back for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group EUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group E
This page shows the standings and results for Group E of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.-Standings:*Note: Sweden qualified directly for the finals as the best runners-up.- Results and fixtures :...
matches played by the Netherlands so far.
Career statistics
|-|2006–07||rowspan="6"|Ajax||rowspan="6"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||4||0||0||0||0||0||4||0
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|2007–08||6||0||2||0||2||0||10||0
|-
|2008–09||32||2||2||0||9||0||43||2
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Eredivisie
-Personnel and sponsoring:-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
||34||6||6||0||10||0||50||6
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Eredivisie
-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
||32||1||5||0||14||0||51||1
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Eredivisie
The 2011–12 Eredivisie is the fifty-sixth season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began in August 2011 with the first matches of the season and will end in June with the last matches of the European competition and relegation playoffs.-Teams:...
||11||1||2||0||4||1||17||2
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119||10||17||0||39||1||175||11
Honours
Club
Ajax
- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
(1): 2010-112010–11 Eredivisie-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:... - KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
(2): 2006-07, 2009-10 - Johan Cruijff Shield (1): 2007Johan Cruijff-schaal XIIThe match for the Johan Cruijff-schaal XII was held on 11 August 2007 between Eredivisie 2006-07 champions PSV and KNVB Cup 2006-07 winners AFC Ajax. Ajax won the match 1–0.-Match details:...
National Team
NetherlandsNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
- 2010 World Cup2010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
: Runner-up
Individual
- Dutch Young Player of the Year (1): 2009-10
- AFC Ajax Talent of the Year (1): 2008-09