Wesley Sneijder

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

Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder with the Netherlands in 2014
Personal information
Full name Wesley Sneijder
Date of birth (1984-06-09) 9 June 1984
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1990–1991 DOS
1991–2002 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Ajax 126 (43)
2007–2009 Real Madrid 52 (11)
2009–2012 Inter Milan 76 (13)
2013–2017 Galatasaray 124 (35)
2017–2018 Nice 5 (0)
2018–2019 Al-Gharafa 22 (15)
Total 405 (117)
International career
2000–2001 Netherlands U17 6 (2)
2001–2002 Netherlands U19 8 (3)
2003 Netherlands U21 1 (0)
2003–2018 Netherlands 134 (31)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up2010 South Africa
2014 Brazil
UEFA European Championship
2004 Portugal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

Having previously represented various youth squads for the Netherlands, he was a regular player for the Dutch national team, making his debut in April 2003 at the age of 18, and representing his country at the 2006, 2010 (where the Netherlands were defeated 1–0 in the final) and 2014 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships. Individually, he was awarded the 2010 Bronze Boot, the 2010 Silver Ball, and included in the team of the tournament for Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, as well as named man of the match for six out of eleven games played by the Oranje at these two tournaments. With 134 caps, he is the most capped Dutch player of all time. He announced his international retirement in March 2018.

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