Gregory van der Wiel


Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel is a Dutch footballer who plays as a right-back.
Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system. In 2010, he was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands. He has also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Fenerbahçe, Cagliari and Toronto FC.
Van der Wiel made his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2009 and participated in the Netherlands' runners-up performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Dutch teammate John Heitinga has labeled him the spiritual successor of Michael Reiziger for the Netherlands.

Club career

Ajax

Van der Wiel started his playing career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam. At age seven, the young defender was scouted by AFC Ajax and brought to the Ajax Academy at "De Toekomst". In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC Haarlem 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, resulting in him signing his first professional contract, effectively starting from July 2006. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard, Van der Wiel was made captain of Jong Ajax.
Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against Twente, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam. He would play three more matches that season. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Van der Wiel signed a four–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2011.
For the 2007–08 season, Van der Wiel switched shirt number from 35 to 25 for the new season. He then participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV in the battle for the Johan Cruyff Shield, resulting in winning his first career trophy. In a 1–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the first round of the UEFA Cup on 20 September 2007, his performance was praised by manager Henk ten Cate. However, Ajax lost in the second leg after losing 3–2 through away goal on 4 October 2007. Van der Wiel then received a handful of first team appearances until he suffered a knee injury during a 2–2 draw klassieker against arch-rivals Feyenoord on 11 November 2007. His knee injury kept him out for the most of the 2007–08 season. At the end of the 2007–08 season, van Der Wiel went on to make a total of 11 appearances for the side.
during his second period at Ajax, with Thomas Vermaelen and Gregory van der Wiel behind.
In the 2008–09 season, Van der Wiel managed to recovered from a knee injury ahead of the new season and hope to succeed John Heitinga, who departed for La Liga side Atlético Madrid over the summer. He made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 loss against Willem II in the opening match of the season. Van der Wiel then set up two goals for Luis Suárez and Jan Vertonghen, who later scored again, in a 3–0 win over Vitesse on 28 September 2008. In a follow–up match against Heerenveen on 5 October 2008, Van der Wiel was sent-off for a second bookable offence in a 5–2 loss. Since returning from injury, he regained his first place at the club, playing in the right-back position. At one point, he played in the midfield position due to midfielder crisis. His performance resulted in him signing a contract extension with the club on 28 January 2009, lasting until 2013. He then scored his first goal for the club on 1 March 2009 in a 2–0 win over Utrecht. However, he was sent-off in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup in a 2–1 loss against Marseille. After serving a two-match suspension, Van der Wiel scored on his return in a 3–0 win over NAC Breda on 22 March 2009. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Van der Wiel went on to make a total of 43 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions. For his performance in the 2008–09 season, he was awarded AFC Ajax's Talent of the Year.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Van der Wiel switched shirt number from 15 to 2. After an injury scare in which he managed to recover from, Van der Wiel started the 2009–10 season well under new Ajax manager Martin Jol, scoring his third league goal on 8 August 2009. The goal came in a 4–1 victory over RKC Waalwijk and was Van der Wiel's first goal at the Amsterdam Arena. Since then, he continued to remain in the first team, playing as a right-back under Jol. After another injury scare, Van der Wiel's second league goal of the season came on 25 October 2009 in a 4–2 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. His performance attracted interests from Premier League side Manchester City. On 24 January 2010, he scored his fourth goal of the season in a 1–0 win over AZ. He scored two goals in two matches between 28 February and 7 March against Utrecht and Sparta Rotterdam respectively. On 6 May, he played in the final of the 2009–10 Dutch Cup as Ajax again defeated Feyenoord, 4–1. At the end of the season, Van der Wiel was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year." Van der Wiel started and played all the league matches, making 50 appearances and scoring 6 goals across all competitions.
Following the 2010 World Cup, Van der Wiel was in talks to make a transfer to Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich. However, Ajax was not able to agree to a deal. Amid to the transfer speculation, Van der Wiel made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season in a 1–1 home draw against PAOK in a UEFA Champions League qualifier, where he set-up a Luis Suárez goal. The club was eventually through in the second leg after drawing PAOK 3–3, going through on the away goals rule on 4 August 2010. Van der Wiel started the 2010–11 season well when he scored in a 4–2 win over Vitesse on 14 August. He then made his UEFA Champions League debut on 15 September 2010, starting the whole match in a 2–1 loss against Real Madrid. 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. Despite some setbacks, Van der Wiel continued to regain his first team place at right-back. After being linked with a move to Manchester City and Barcelona in the January transfer window, Van der Wiel ended the transfer speculation by declaring his intention to stay at the club. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Van der Wiel had played 32 league matches 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.
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Van der Wiel scored Ajax's fifth goal�—during injury time—in a 5–1 win over Heerenveen on 14 August 2011. He continued to feature in the starting lineup as right-back, despite competition from Ricardo van Rhijn. This lasted until he was sent-off for handball in the second half of a 1–0 loss against Groningen on 1 October 2011. After returning to the first team from suspension, his return against arch-rivals Feyenoord on 23 October 2011 was overshadowed by his own supporters booing him when he was substituted following goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer's sending-off. On 2 November 2011, in a UEFA Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb, Van der Wiel won over the club's supporters when he scored and set up another in a 4–0 win, earning himself a Man of the Match award. However, Van der Wiel soon suffered a groin injury on two occasions, which affected his season. He returned to training after two months sidelined. Van der Wiel made his first appearance in four months, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–0 win over Heerenveen on 11 April 2012. He then played a vital role on 29 April 2012 in Ajax's 2–1 win against Twente in which he scored and won a penalty, the latter successfully converted Theo Janssen. The win secured Ajax's second-straight Eredivisie title. Despite some injury scares, Van der Wiel finished the 2011–12 season with 28 appearances and 3 goals across all competitions.
Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Van der Wiel continued to be linked a move away from Ajax, and he made it clear he was not keen on signing a new contract with Ajax in January 2012. After missing the Johan Cruyff Shield, Van der Wiel scored in the opening match of the Eredivisie season, a 2–2 draw with AZ. After a 5–0 win over NAC Breda on 25 August 2012, in what was his last appearance for Ajax, Van der Wiel hinted at his departure from the club. His departure became imminent after Ajax agreed to sell Van der Wiel to French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

Paris Saint-Germain

Van der Wiel moved to Paris Saint-Germain on 1 September 2012 for a reported €6 million transfer fee. The move was confirmed two days later, when he was issued the number 23 shirt and signed a four-year contract lasting until 2016.
Van der Wiel made his PSG debut on 22 September 2012 in an away match against Bastia, a 0–4 victory; Van der Wiel played the full 90 minutes at right-back. For the most part of his debut season in France, Van der Wiel would come off the substitutes' bench for PSG captain Christophe Jallet, the team's first-choice right-back. Van der Wiel made his European debut for Paris in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League match against Porto, a 1–0 away loss, with Van der Wiel being substituted off for Jallet in the 66th minute. Van der Wiel scored his first PSG goal in the 0–4 away win against Toulouse, the final goal of the match. In his first season with PSG, Van der Wiel helped his team reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by Barcelona. In the 88th minute of the away leg at Camp Nou, Van der Wiel was substituted on with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. He did not appear in the first leg of the series and altogether made five appearances for PSG in the 2012–13 Champions League campaign. On 12 May 2013, PSG became champions of France, winning the 2013–14 Ligue 1 title in a 1–0 victory against Lyon at home, marking the club's third ever national championship. Van der Wiel remained on the substitutes' bench for the duration of the title-winning fixture.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Van der Wiel was linked a move away from the club, as Italian Serie A club Internazionale was interested in signing him. Although a transfer never materialized, he remained at the club and found himself in competition with Christophe Jallet at right-back. As a result, Van der Wiel and Jallet often rotated in the position. Van der Wiel set-up one of two Zlatan Ibrahimović goals in a 3–0 win over Benfica in a UEFA Champions League group match. Four days later, on 6 October against rivals Marseille, Van der Wiel set-up a headed goal for Maxwell in a 2–1 win. From December 2014 until March 2015, Van der Wiel featured in every match at right-back. However, towards the end of the season, he suffered two injuries on two occasions. Despite his absence, PSG went on to win Ligue 1 for the second time in a row, as well as the Coupe de la Ligue. By the end of the 2013–14 season, Van der Wiel made 35 appearances in all competitions. His second season at the club was redeeming for him, as he earned first-team status at PSG and saw him included in the L'Equipe Team of the Year for 2013.
The 2014–15 season began well for Van der Wiel, as he started and played the entire match in the Trophée des Champions, a 2–0 PSG win over Guingamp. After Christophe Jallet's transfer to Lyon, Van der Wiel continued to feature at right-back, although he faced a new competition from new signings Serge Aurier and Jordan Ikoko, which often forced him to the substitutes' bench. For the first time in two years, he started the whole match in a 1–1 draw against Ajax in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, as well as in a 3–1 win on 25 November 2014. He was then sent-off in the first half of a 3–0 win over Bordeaux on 25 October 2014. After serving a one-match suspension, he continued to regain his first-team place. He appeared in all PSG's Champions League matches until their elimination by Barcelona in the quarter-finals. Van der Wiel then scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over Metz on 28 April 2015. By season's end, Van der Wiel helped PSG win the domestic treble: Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. Despite suffering from injuries during the 2014–15 season, Van der Wiel finished the season with 41 appearances and 1 goal across all competitions.
In the 2015–16 season, Van der Wiel regularly found himself on the substitutes' bench, behind Serge Aurier and Marquinhos at right-back. He also faced with his own injury concerns in the first half of the season. It was not until on 19 September 2015 when he made his first appearance of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Stade de Reims. Despite this, Van der Wiel received a handful of first-team appearances following Aurier's absence. After returning from the injury, Van der Wiel scored his first goal of the season and set up another in a 5–1 win over Angers on 23 January 2016. After suffering another injury, he scored again the following month, in a 4–1 win over Reims. Despite suffering several more injuries later in the season, he regained his first-team place following a suspension to Aurier. For the third time, he helped the club win the domestic Treble: Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue. By the end of the season, Van der Wiel made 27 appearances and scored 2 goals across all competitions.
On 15 May 2016, it was officially announced Van der Wiel would be leaving PSG at the end season after his contract expired. This was announced after he acknowledged it would be difficult to stay at the club.
On 4 July 2016, Van der Wiel signed a four-year contract with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe.

Fenerbahçe

After leaving Paris Saint-Germain, Van der Wiel signed for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, signing a three-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year. Upon joining the club, he was joined up by compatriot Robin van Persie.
Van der Wiel made his official debut for Fenerbahçe on 27 July 2016 in the third qualifying round of UEFA Champions League, where he set up a goal for Emmanuel Emenike in a 2–1 home win over Monaco. However, in the second-leg, the club was eliminated from the competition following a 3–1 away defeat. He then made his Fenerbahçe debut on 21 August 2016 in the opening match of the 2016–17 Süper Lig season, where he started the entire match in a 1–0 loss to İstanbul Başakşehir. His lack of first-team opportunities at the club led manager Dick Advocaat to be keen on selling him in January, although a transfer was never agreed and he remained at the club until the end of the season. For Fenerbahçe, he made 12 league appearances and 17 across all competitions. This was due to injuries and suspension throughout the 2016–17 season.

Cagliari

After only one season with Fenerbahçe, on 25 August 2017, Van der Wiel joined Italian club Cagliari. In so doing, he became the first Dutchman to ever sign for the club. He was issued the number 2 shirt by the Sardinian side. He made his debut in a 3–2 home loss to Genoa on 15 October, having missed the first six matches of the season through injury. However, after returning from injury, he still struggled to earn playing time during the first half of the season, making only six appearances across all competitions.

Toronto FC

On 1 February 2018, van der Wiel signed with Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Upon joining the club, he was issued the number 9 shirt during an introductory press conference.
He made his club debut on 3 March in the opening match of the MLS season, a 2–0 home defeat to Columbus Crew. Despite suffering from setbacks that saw him on the sidelined, van der Wiel established himself in the starting eleven for the side. He then played in both legs of 2018 CONCACAF Champions League Final against Chivas Guadalajara, as Toronto eventually lost the final 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out after the series was tied 3–3 on aggregate. On 16 September 2018, van der Wiel played a key role in Toronto's 5–3 win over against LA Galaxy, when he set up two of his side's goals. Despite being sidelined on three occasions later in the season, he went on to make thirty-four appearances in all competitions for the side. During the season, van der Wiel played in several different positions for the side, such as centre-back, left-back, and right-midfield. But most of the season, he played in the right-back position.
During a preseason training session in Los Angeles on 23 January 2019, van der Wiel was dismissed after an altercation with coach Greg Vanney. On 22 March 2019, he was released by the club by mutual consent.

International career

Youth career

After previously representing the Netherlands under-19 national team, Van der Wiel has been capped at the under-21 level and participated at the 2007 Toulon Tournament.
Although he recovered from the knee injury, Van der Wiel did not make the final Dutch squad for the Olympic Games in Beijing, following which he was disappointed and critical of manager Foppe de Haan's decision. Later in 2008, Van der Wiel featured two more times for the under-21 side.
In November 2008, Van der Wiel was initially included in the Netherlands' B-team squad for their match against the Sweden national under-21 team. However, he was replaced by Rens van Eijden due to a groin injury sustained during training.

Senior career

On 6 February 2009, Van der Wiel was called up by the senior Dutch team for the first time. He then made his senior debut on 11 February as a substitute for former Ajax teammate John Heitinga in the friendly match against Tunisia. He made his first competitive debut on 28 March 2009 as a starter in a 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Scotland. He again played the entire match for the 4–0 World Cup qualification victory over Macedonia on 1 April 2009.
, Demy de Zeeuw and Giovanni van Bronckhorst

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 match due to a concussion sustained while playing for Ajax. However, Van der Wiel later attended a Lil Wayne concert 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 said, "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, saying 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, saying, "e should not expect that this incident will have consequences for his place in the team."

2010 World Cup

Van der Wiel was actively involved in the Netherlands' 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, having competed with John Heitinga for the starting right-back position. After the Netherlands secured qualification to the tournament proper, Van der Wiel was named to the 23-man squad by manager Bert van Marwijk. He previously aimed for his goal to make a selection for the World Cup squad prior to that.
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. After missing two matches, Van der Wiel returned to the starting lineup for the match against Slovakia in the round of 16 on 28 June 2010. After the match, Van der Wiel said that although he was concerned of receiving a second yellow card, he was unhappy with his performance, describing it as his "least match so far".
Van der Wiel also started in the quarter-final against Brazil, which saw the Dutch win 2–1 to send them through to the semi-final for the first time since the 1998 World Cup. However, he was once again suspended for the semi-final after he was booked for the second time in the tournament. After the match, he acknowledged his fault in receiving the yellow card.
Van der Wiel returned to the squad for the final against Spain, where he started and played all 120 minutes of the match as the Dutch lost due to a late goal by Andrés Iniesta in extra time. In total, Van der Wiel made four appearances during the World Cup campaign. At the end of 2010, Van der Wiel said about the World Cup: "The final was so beautiful, the stadium was very big and you only saw flashes of the cameras in the audience." I feel honored to have played the final. As a young boy, it is of course beautiful. Previously, it was a dream, now I have experienced it myself."

Euro 2012

Van der Wiel was Bert van Marwijk's first-choice right-back for the Netherlands' UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group E matches. He started the Oranje's qualifying campaign well when he set up a Ruud van Nistelrooy goal against San Marino, the Netherlands' fifth goal in a 5–0 win on matchday 1. Van der Wiel also set-up two goals for Robin van Persie and Ibrahim Afellay to help the Netherlands defeat Hungary on 25 March 2011. He then made his 25th international appearance on 2 September 2011 in an 11–0 win over San Marino.
In late May 2012, Van der Wiel was named to Van Marjiwk's 23-man squad for the final tournament, held in Poland and Ukraine. However, at Euro 2012, Van der Wiel was widely criticized for his performances, notably a back-pass against Portugal in the first-half which presented Hélder Postiga with a clear sight of goal, though Postiga missed the opportunity.

Later Netherlands career

Following the arrival of new Dutch team manager Louis van Gaal after Euro 2012, Van der Wiel was rarely featured for the remainder of 2012, despite his determination to fight for his place in the squad. One year later, in November 2013, he was recalled for the first time and played his first match since Euro 2012, starting and playing the entire match at right-back in a 0–0 draw against Colombia on 19 November 2013. However, due to an injury sustained at Paris Saint-Germain towards the end of the 2013–14 season, Van der Wiel was omitted from the 23-man Dutch squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In response from the World Cup, Van Der Wiel said it didn't worked out, due to his ongoing injuries.
Five months after being omitted from the squad, Van der Wiel played his first match on 4 September 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 loss against Italy. Van der Wiel regained his place in the national team since October 2014. However, his performances came under criticism once again, as Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016.

Playing style

A versatile defender, Van der Wiel usually plays as an attacking right-back or wing-back and is known for his speedy runs down the flank, as well as his defensive skills, ability on the ball and distribution. He is also capable of playing as a wide midfielder on either flank, or even as a centre-back.

Personal life

Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel has a Dutch-Antillean father from Curaçao and a Dutch mother. He has three younger sisters: Layla, Ambar and Hind. When asked about his religion, he said, "I believe in God, but do not believe in faith. I keep my superstition for myself." Van der Wiel is friends with Hurşut Meriç, having grown up together in Amsterdam, and Jan-Arie van der Heijden, having known each other at their early careers at Ajax.
Van der Wiel has numerous tattoos of which he said, " have two quotes, my mother's name, my father's initials, the first letters of the names of my sisters, some decorations and my own name, that was my first tattoo. My parents found a good age for eighteen years. But they would rather not have it. Nowadays you see children taking a tattoo younger and younger. I think eighteen are a good age myself." He has also said hip hop is his culture.
In November 2009, Van der Wiel donated money to help Dutch club HFC Haarlem in its financial difficulties. However, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful as the club declared bankruptcy on 25 January 2010. Later in 2010, the Johan Cruyff Foundation dedicated a "Cruyff Court" in Van der Wiel's name. Van der Wiel had the court built in the Sapaté district in Curaçao—where his family is from—which was officially opened on 15 June 2011.
In August 2015, Van der Wiel was a victim of the robbery after thieves broke into his apartment and stole his luxury watches. In May 2017, he also revealed he was a victim of a scam by businessman Ümit Akbulut after Van der Wiel gave him $4.5 million. Upon joining Toronto FC, Van der Wiel reflected on the incident: "I met somebody there, influential, and I wanted to invest some money, like I'm still doing to this day. I like to do things on the side of football to be smart about my money, but it was not a smart move. I trusted somebody and in the end, I never saw my money back."
Van der Wiel lives with his girlfriend, Belgian model Rose Bertram in Los Angeles. Their daughter, Naleya Rose, was born on 24 February 2018 in Toronto.

Career statistics

Club

International

National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands200980
Netherlands2010120
Netherlands201190
Netherlands201260
Netherlands201310
Netherlands201450
Netherlands201550
NetherlandsTotal460

Honours

Club

Ajax
Paris Saint-Germain
Toronto FC
Netherlands