Klaassen (left) and Thulani Serero lining up for Ajax in March 2015
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Davy Klaassen | ||
Date of birth | 21 February 1993 | ||
Place of birth | Hilversum, Netherlands | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
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Ajax | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
1999–2003 | HVV de Zebra's | ||
2003–2004 | HSV Wasmeer | ||
2004–2012 | Ajax | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011– | Ajax | 126 | (44) |
National team‡ | |||
2008–2009 | Netherlands U16 | 5 | (4) |
2009–2010 | Netherlands U17 | 11 | (1) |
2010–2011 | Netherlands U19 | 9 | (2) |
2013 | Netherlands U21 | 4 | (0) |
2014– | Netherlands | 11 | (3) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 May 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2016 |
Davy Klaassen (born 21 February 1993) is a Dutch footballer who captains Dutch side Ajax. He also plays for the Netherlands national team, and is usually deployed as an attacking midfielder for both club and country.
Klaassen began his football career in the youth ranks of local amateur side HVV de Zebra's, where he played until 2003, when he transferred to HSV Wasmeer. A year later he was recruited into the famed Ajax Youth Academy. While playing for the Ajax A1 youth squad in 2011–12, Klaassen helped his side to win the Nike Eredivisie league title, as well as finishing as runners-up to Inter Milan in the NextGen Series (the Champions League equivalent for under-19 teams) after losing on penalties (5–3) following a 1–1 deadlock after extra time.
He made his debut for the first team in the UEFA Champions League group stage away draw (0–0) against Olympique Lyonnais on 22 November 2011 by replacing Lorenzo Ebecilio in the 85th minute. While still competing in the A-Juniors Nike Eredivisie league competing for the Ajax A1 under-19 squad, he made his Eredivisie debut on November 27 as a substitute against N.E.C. and scored only 42 seconds after having been subbed on. He made his debut in the starting XI of the Ajax first team on 11 December 2011, due to starting center midfielder Theo Janssen catching the flu. Klaassen played the entire match which ended in a 0–1 away win for Ajax against RKC Waalwijk.
On 5 August 2013 Klaassen made his debut in the Dutch Eerste Divisie in the 2–0 win against Telstar while playing for the newly promoted reserves team Jong Ajax, in what would be the first match in the 2nd tier of professional football ever for the reserves. He scored his first goal for Jong Ajax on 20 September 2013 in the 1–2 away victory against FC Eindhoven. On 6 October 2013 while playing for the Ajax first team he scored his teams second goal in the 59th minute in the 3–0 home win against FC Utrecht. On 7 December 2013 Klaassen scored his first hat-trick while playing for the first team, in a 4–0 victory at home over NAC Breda, taking home the match ball and earning himself the Man of the Match award. Following the departure of Ajax captain Siem de Jong, Klaassen switched to the vacant number 10 shirt for the upcoming season.