John de Jong explained

John de Jong
Fullname:Johannes Jacobus de Jong
Birth Date:8 March 1977
Birth Place:The Hague, Netherlands
Height:1.830NaN0
Position:Midfielder
Youthclubs1:VV Wilhelmus
Years1:1995–1997
Years2:1998–2000
Years3:2000–2008
Years4:2002–2003
Clubs4:Heerenveen (loan)
Caps1:69
Caps2:71
Caps3:92
Caps4:26
Totalcaps:258
Goals1:19
Goals2:16
Goals3:18
Goals4:9
Totalgoals:62

Johannes Jacobus “John” de Jong (born 8 March 1977) is a Dutch retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

Best known for his lengthy spell with PSV, he had good passing abilities, also having his career cut short by injury, retiring at 30. He amassed Eredivisie totals of 189 games and 43 goals, over the course of ten seasons.

Club career

Born in The Hague (Den Haag), de Jong started his professional career with his hometown club ADO Den Haag, in the second division. In January 1998, his solid performances led to a move to the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht, where he continued to perform well.

For 2000–01, de Jong joined PSV Eindhoven. After a good run in his debut campaign (28 matches, three goals, national league conquered) and the second, he was loaned to SC Heerenveen for one season. On 26 February 2008, after having only played 15 games in four years, all in 2004–05, de Jong retired from football due to an injury he sustained in training in 2005. He was unable to recover even after 35 months of rehabilitation, and subsequently expressed interest in staying at PSV in a non-footballing capacity.[1]

Honours

PSV

2000–01

2004–05

2000, 2001, 2003

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Injury victim de jong retires at 30. Goal.com. 26 February 2008. 26 February 2008.