Nigel de Jong

Early and personal life

De Jong was born in Amsterdam. He is of Surinamese-Dutch descent; Surinamese parentage from his father, while Dutch and Indonesian from his mother. His father is former Dutch international Jerry de Jong.

De Jong is married to Winonah, a model and fashion designer, with whom he has two children. He owns a specialist car dealership (Continental Cars) operating in Europe (Hamburg) and the Middle East.

De Jong is a Milan fan since childhood.

Club career

Ajax

On 19 October 2002, De Jong made his debut for the Ajax first team. He scored his first goal of his senior career on 18 February 2003 in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League. He became a first team regular the following season, in which Ajax won the Eredivisie title. In 2004–05, his last full season in Amsterdam, De Jong was named Ajax Player of the Season. After a period when he appeared regularly in midfield, he found himself sitting on the bench more often than being in the starting line-up. On 7 December 2005, it was announced that De Jong did not wish to extend his contract with Ajax, which was due to end in July 2006.

Hamburg

On 26 January 2006, De Jong signed a four-and-a-half-year contract at Bundesliga club Hamburg, the transfer fee approximately €1 million. At Hamburg he joined two other Dutchmen: Rafael van der Vaart and Khalid Boulahrouz. He made his Hamburg debut two days later in a 2–1 defeat at Nürnberg. In March 2006, De Jong scored the winning goal in Bayern Munich's first ever defeat at the Allianz Arena. The following week he received the first red card of his career for a second booking in a UEFA Cup match against Rapid București. His season was cut short in April, when he required surgery on a knee problem. The injury also kept him out of the Dutch squad for the 2006 World Cup, though he was later put on standby after regaining fitness.

Manchester City

On 21 January 2009, De Jong was signed to Manchester City for an estimated fee of £18 million by manager Mark Hughes who deployed him in the role of midfield enforcer in a team whose defence badly needed reinforcement. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. and was assigned the number 34 shirt. He made his debut for the club against Newcastle United on 28 January 2009. He made sixteen appearances in the Premier League over the second half of the season.

De Jong was given a start against Arsenal on 12 September 2009. He was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports in a 2–1 win over Chelsea on 5 December 2009. By the end of the season he had become a firm fans' favourite as well as being one of new manager Roberto Mancini's first picks as defensive midfielder as the team narrowly missed out on a Champions League berth. De Jong scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 2–1 victory against West Ham United on 1 May 2011.

De Jong was a member of the City side which won the 2010–11 FA Cup and the 2011–12 Premier League, making 137 appearances and scoring twice before being sold to A.C. Milan in August 2012.

AC Milan

On 31 August 2012, De Jong joined Italian club AC Milan for £3.5 million rising to £5 million depending on appearances, signing a three-year deal. On 1 September, De Jong made his debut against Bologna. De Jong scored his first goal for Milan in a 3–2 loss against Lazio on 20 October.

On 4 May 2014, De Jong scored his second goal for Milan, the winning goal against Inter Milan in the Derby della Madonnina at the San Siro.

On 26 June 2015, Milan announced De Jong had signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2018.

LA Galaxy

On 31 January 2016, it was reported that De Jong had negotiated to terminate his contract with Milan and joined LA Galaxy on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal. He was involved in a controversial incident in a game against the Portland Timbers on 10 April when his strong tackle left Darlington Nagbe injured and in need of treatment. De Jong was only shown a yellow card by referee Allen Chapman, but was later suspended for three games. He received a red-card after a bad tackle on Blas Perez on 5 July; although a man down, the Galaxy were still able to hold on for the win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

On 29 August 2016, the Galaxy announced that they and the Dutch midfielder mutually agreed to terminate de Jong's contract, freeing the 31-year-old to sign with Turkey's Galatasaray. De Jong reportedly would have been tagged as a Designated Player for the upcoming 2017 season. He appeared in 18 regular season contests for Los Angeles, failing to record a goal or an assist in regular season play but establishing himself as a starting presence as a defensive midfielder.

Later career

On 31 August 2016, De Jong signed for Turkish outfit Galatasaray on a two-year deal.

On 5 January 2018, De Jong's contract was terminated by Galatasaray. On the same day, he agreed a free transfer to Bundesliga side Mainz 05. In July 2018, De Jong moved to Qatari club Al Ahli. A year later, he moved to Al-Shahania in the same league.

International career

On 31 March 2004, De Jong made his debut with the Netherlands in a friendly game against France. He was overlooked for the squad that went to play in UEFA Euro 2004, and missed the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a knee injury. He was selected by Marco van Basten to play for the Oranje at UEFA Euro 2008. During the tournament, he was played as a "screening midfielder", partnering with Orlando Engelaar in central midfield. This resulted in De Jong playing three out of the four games that saw the Netherlands reach the quarter-final stage, where they lost to Russia. De Jong scored his first international goal against Iceland on 6 June 2009 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, which sealed the Netherlands' passage to the 2010 World Cup.

De Jong was part of the Dutch team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup managed by Bert van Marwijk. The player was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark. He was suspended in the semi-final against Uruguay after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the Netherlands' quarter-final win over Brazil. He played in the Final of the competition, which the Netherlands lost 1–0 to Spain after extra time. In the early stages of the match, De Jong made a chest high challenge on Xabi Alonso, with his studs making contact with the Spaniard's ribs. Referee Howard Webb later stated that he would have sent off De Jong if he'd had a better view of the incident.

De Jong was part of the Netherlands UEFA Euro 2012 squad. The Dutch were eliminated in the first round after losing all three matches.

He was also selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he was in the starting line-up for all three group matches. However, a groin injury led to his substitution in the 9th minute of the Round of 16 match win over Mexico and it was later confirmed the De Jong would be unable to take any further part in the tournament. Despite this, he later recovered to play 62 minutes of the semi-final against Argentina, which the Netherlands lost 4–2 on a penalty shoot-out, following a 0–0 draw after extra-time.

Technical director of Dutch national football association

On 4 January 2023, he was appointed as technical director of the KNVB. The job involves overseeing the country’s national teams and De Jong will also be responsible for developing and implementing football-technical policy at clubs across the country.

Style of play

De Jong began his career as an offensive-minded creative midfielder or forward. At Ajax he played a number of positions, including central midfield and right wing. De Jong credits his conversion to a defensive-minded player to Huub Stevens, under whom he played at Hamburg. Described as a "tireless grafter" by The Telegraph, his work-rate and tenacity, combined with his new approach to midfield play, earned him the nicknames "der Rasenmäher" ("the Lawnmower"), "The Terrier," and "The Destroyer." De Jong is typically the most defensively oriented midfielder in his team. When his team's defenders are in possession of the ball, De Jong will often drop back towards them to receive it. Sometimes De Jong is the sole holding midfielder, but often he plays alongside another defensive player, such as Gareth Barry at Manchester City or Mark van Bommel for the Dutch national team. In addition to his defensive capabilities and ability to cover ground, De Jong was also a competent passer; he had the highest passing completion percentage in the Premier League in the 2010–11 season out of the top 50 players (90%).

Despite his ability, and reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at his peak, De Jong has also drawn criticism over his feisty, physical, and combative playing style, including from his former Dutch national team manager Van Marwijk. During an international friendly on 3 March 2010, De Jong fractured the leg of Bolton Wanderers' American international Stuart Holden as the result of a late challenge. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final he kicked Spanish player Xabi Alonso in the chest, a challenge for which De Jong admitted he was lucky not to have received a red card. On 3 October 2010, in a Premier League match against Newcastle United, a tackle by De Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa resulted in the latter being carried off the pitch with a double fracture of his left tibia and fibula. De Jong was later dropped from the Dutch national team by his coach Van Marwijk for an unspecified period of time, but was later reprieved. During his time at Manchester City, however, De Jong was never shown a red card. Indeed, despite his reputation as an aggressive and hard-tackling player, De Jong's first official direct card of his career came with Milan, in a 1–1 away draw against Verona in Serie A on 13 December 2015; previously, he had only been sent off once in an official game, namely for two bookable offences in a match for Hamburg against Rapid Bucharest in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup, while his only direct red card had come against Werder Bremen, in the semi-finals of the 2006 DFL-Ligapokal. In April 2016 while playing for the LA Galaxy De Jong was involved in another controversial incident when a strong takedown led to Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe being removed from the field with an injury. The tackle led to a 3-game suspension for De Jong after the disciplinary committee determined the action to have been, "a clear and unequivocal red card."

In December 2013, Spanish football website El Gol Digital ranked De Jong tenth in its list of the world's dirtiest footballers. This style of play earned him a title as the most violent footballer in the world, according to French newspaper L'Équipe.

Sponsorship

In January 2012, De Jong signed a four-year deal with football boot brand Puma.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores list Netherlands' tally first.

Honours

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 2003–04
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2005

Manchester City

• Premier League: 2011–12
• FA Cup: 2010–11
• FA Community Shield: 2012

Netherlands

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2010; third place: 2014

Individual

• Ajax Player of the Year (Rinus Michels Award): 2004–05

References

References

1. (14 July 2014). "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Netherlands". FIFA.
2. "Nigel de Jong: Overview". ESPN.
3. (13 January 2018). "Nigel de Jong: Profile". HEIM:SPIEL.
4. (2009-01-19). "Manchester City agree fee for Hamburg's Nigel de Jong".
5. (2009-01-25). "Nigel De Jong: I Am A Training Animal - Goal.com". Goal.com.
6. Wilson, Paul. (2011-01-22). "Bolton's Stuart Holden: 'I got the x-ray results and thought: not again'". The Guardian.
7. "Nigel de Jong". AFS Enterprises.
8. (1 April 2017). "7 European footballers of Southeast Asian origins".
9. Taylor, Daniel. (2009-05-08). "De Jong admits that City need to find a winning mentality". The Guardian.
10. (12 May 2015). "A Peek into the Life of Fashionista Winonah De Jong". Heed.
11. (28 April 2022). "De Jong relives 'fanboy' moment of derby winner and gives thoughts on 'tenacious' Tonali".
12. "8 Nigel de Jong". FIFA.com.
13. (18 February 2003). "Ajax frustrates Arsenal at Highbury; Valencia wins". Sports Illustrated.com.
14. "Nigel de Jong - Mainz Midfielder".
15. (7 December 2005). "Departure Nigel de Jong sad for Ajax". Ajax.
16. (26 January 2006). "Nigel de Jong joins Hamburger SV". Ajax.
17. (26 January 2006). "Hamburg swoop for Ajax ace De Jong". CNN.
18. "CNN.com - Nuremberg jolt Hamburg's title bid - Jan 28, 2006".
19. (4 March 2006). "Hamburg get double over Bayern". Irish Examiner.
20. Hamilton}}{{dead link, Fiona. (10 March 2006). "Germans continue to lose ground in Europe". The Times.
21. (24 April 2006). "Dutch squad trio face injury race". CNN.
22. (6 June 2006). "De Jong darf mit, Team Ghana nichts sagen". Der Spiegel.
23. (21 January 2009). "City complete De Jong deal". FIFA.com.
24. Soneji, Pranav. (28 January 2009). "Man City 2–1 Newcastle".
25. "City v Arsenal – News – Manchester City FC". Mcfc.co.uk.
26. (6 December 2009). "City do United a favour". Sky Sports.
27. "34 Nigel De Jong". Mcfc.co.uk.
28. Magowan, Alistair. (1 May 2011). "Man City 2–1 West Ham".
29. (31 August 2012). "De Jong: A.C. Milan official communication". Associazione Calcio Milan.
30. Clayton, David. (31 August 2012). "De Jong joins AC Milan". Manchester City Football Club.
31. (1 September 2012). "Giampaolo Pazzini powers AC Milan past Bologna: Serie A". CBC.
32. (20 October 2012). "Lazio 3-2 Milan". Football Italia.
33. (23 October 2012). "Allegri: "L'esonero? Non ci penso Ma Berlusconi non mi chiama più"". La Gazzetta dello Sport.
34. (4 May 2014). "AC Milan 1-0 Inter: De Jong Delivers In Dismal Derby". Forza Italian Football.
35. "De Jong: AC Milan Comunicato ufficiale.".
36. Baxter, Kevin. (30 January 2016). "Galaxy adds strong Nigel De Jong".
37. (2016-04-15). "Nigel de Jong suspended three games for tackle on Darlington Nagbe".
38. (5 July 2016). "MLS Review: De Jong red overshadows Galaxy win".
39. (29 August 2016). "LA Galaxy and Nigel de Jong agree to mutually terminate the midfielder's contract".
40. (31 August 2016). "LA Galaxy, Nigel de Jong mutually end deal as Dutch mid moves to Turkey".
41. Baxter, Kevin. (2016-08-31). "Galaxy's Nigel de Jong completes transfer to Turkey's Galatasaray".
42. (5 January 2018). "Nigel de Jong'un sözleşmesi feshedildi".
43. (5 January 2018). "Perfekt: Mainz verpflichtet Nigel de Jong".
44. (9 July 2018). "Nigel de Jong: Ex-Netherlands & Man City midfielder joins Qatar's Al Ahli".
45. (30 July 2019). "Nigel de Jong: Ex-Netherlands & Man City midfielder joins Qatar's Al Shahania". rayasports.
46. "Nigel de Jong".
47. Berisha, Etrit. (2024-03-06). "vinbet".
48. "Netherlands Fixtures and Results – European Championship Football". ESPN Soccernet.
49. (n.d.). "Nigel De Jong World Cup 2010 Player Profile".
50. Association, Press. (2010-05-27). "Holland coach Bert van Marwijk finalises World Cup squad". The Guardian.
51. (14 June 2010). "Netherlands-Denmark". FIFA.
52. (5 July 2010). "De Jong rues semi-final absence". FIFA.com.
53. Wilson, Paul. (2010-08-25). "I should have shown Nigel de Jong a red card, says Howard Webb". The Guardian.
54. Steinberg, Jacob. (2012-06-17). "Euro 2012: Portugal v Holland - as it happened". The Guardian.
55. Association, Press. (2014-07-01). "World Cup 2014: Holland’s Nigel de Jong out of rest of the tournament". The Guardian.
56. Murray, Scott. (2014-07-09). "Holland v Argentina: World Cup 2014 semi-final – as it happened!". The Guardian.
57. "De Jong named Dutch football association technical director".
58. "Top 10 most expensive January signings in England – where are they now?". The Telegraph.
59. (24 December 2010). "Comment: Manchester City Need Nigel De Jong More Than Any Other Player To Reinforce Their Title Ambitions". Goal.com.
60. (30 July 2017). "D.C. United in serious talks with Dutch enforcer Nigel de Jong". The Washington Post.
61. (2 June 2010). "Holland consider playing the fab four together". Zonal Marking.
62. (9 January 2012). "6 points on Manchester City 2–3 Manchester Utd". Zonal Marking.
63. "Nigel de Jong". MLS Soccer.
64. (30 March 2009). "Premier League statistics". The Daily Telegraph.
65. (20 October 2016). "Nigel De Jong- Dutch international defensive midfielder". Fox Sports.
66. Taylor, Daniel. (2010-10-13). "Nigel de Jong ponders quitting Holland after Bert van Marwijk comments". The Guardian.
67. (6 April 2010). "Stuart Holden eyes Bolton return after fractured leg".
68. (13 July 2010). "World Cup 2010: Xabi Alonso slams Nigel de Jong tackle".
69. (4 October 2010). "Hatem Ben Arfa has surgery on double leg break".
70. (4 October 2010). "Manchester City's Nigel de Jong dropped by Netherlands".
71. (16 April 2016). "Nigel de Jong is simply playing trademark aggressive style that made him attractive to Galaxy". The Los Angeles Times.
72. (13 December 2015). "MILAN – VERONA, prima espulsione stagionale per de Jong". Pianeta Milan.
73. (13 December 2015). "Milan-Verona 1-1: non basta Bacca, Toni fa gol su rigore, espulso De Jong". La Gazzetta dello Sport.
74. (5 August 2015). "I 5 interventi killer di De Jong, il mastino mai espulso in carriera". Eurosport.
75. (15 September 2012). "Milan, scatta l'ora De Jong". gianlucadimarzio.com.
76. (15 April 2015). "MLS Disciplinary Committee suspends LA Galaxy's Nigel de Jong".
77. Bossi, Dominic. (12 December 2013). "Kevin Muscat named football's dirtiest player". Sydney Morning Herald.
78. Newman, Benjamin. (28 December 2015). "Chelsea & Man City men in the most hated list, Cristiano Ronaldo & Zlatan Ibrahimovic most arrogant by L'Equipe".
79. (24 January 2012). "Nigel de Jong Signs Deal to Wear Puma Boots". FootballBoots.co.uk.
80. {{Soccerway. nigel-de-jong/2006
81. Includes one appearance in the [[FA Community Shield]]
82. Includes one appearance in the [[2020–21 Qatar Stars League#Relegation play-off. Relegation/Promotion playoffs]]
83. {{NFT player
84. (22 November 2020). "Nigel de Jong – Honours".
85. "Nigel de Jong: Overview". Premier League.
86. McNulty, Phil. (14 May 2011). "Man City 1–0 Stoke".
87. Smith, Ben. (12 August 2012). "Chelsea 2–3 Man City".
88. "Netherlands 0–1 Spain: Line-ups". FIFA.
89. "Brazil 0–3 Netherlands". FIFA.
90. Smith, Ben. (6 December 2005). "Het woord is aan Nigel de Jong".