Kevin Strootman
Encyclopedia
Kevin Strootman is a Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 footballer currently playing for Dutch 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....

 club PSV Eindhoven. He primarily plays as a central midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

.

Early career

Strootman began his career with VV Rijsoord and signed a youth contract for RJO Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....

 in 2007.

Sparta Rotterdam

He was promoted to the senior team in January 2008 . His first full season proved to be very successful and he caught the eye of bigger clubs in the 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....

. He started well as playmaker of the side in the 2009/2010 season but after a disastrous second half of the season Sparta was relegated. Since Strootman, along with Erik Falkenburg
Erik Falkenburg
Erik Falkenburg is a Dutch footballer, currently playing for AZ Alkmaar in the highest Dutch football league, Eredivisie....

 and Nick Viergever
Nick Viergever
Nick Viergever is a left-fooded Dutch footballer who plays as a defender for AZ. Viergever is capped several times for national Dutch youth teams....

, was regarded as one of Sparta's (and The Netherlands') big talents, signals that he would leave the club were getting stronger.
In June 2010, champions FC Twente
FC 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...

 were expected to sign him but the deal did not materialise.

FC Utrecht

In the January 2011 transfer window Strootman signed a contract for FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie.

PSV Eindhoven

On 28 June 2011, it was announced Strootman was transferred to 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....

 side PSV Eindhoven in a duo-transfer with FC Utrecht teammate Dries Mertens
Dries Mertens
Dries Mertens is a Belgian footballer currently playing for Dutch Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven.- Early career :...

 for a combined total of 13 million euros.

International career

Kevin Strootman made his international debut in the friendly against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....

 on February 9, 2011, replacing Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen
Theo Janssen is a Dutch footballer who currently plays in midfield for AFC Ajax. Before signing with Ajax he was a key player at FC Twente for three seasons and helped them win the Eredivisie and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Prior to joining Twente he was...

. The coach of the national team, 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...

, is known to be a great admirer of Strootman, stating his "vision" as one of his best assets. He scored his first international goal against Finland on September 7, 2011.

External links

  • Kevin Strootman at Voetbal International
    Voetbal International
    Voetbal International is a Dutch football magazine, which has been publishing since 1965. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running....

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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