Joris Mathijsen

Joris Mathijsen

Mathijsen training with Feyenoord in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Joris Mathijsen
Date of birth	(1980-04-05) 5 April 1980 (age 37)
Place of birth	Goirle, North Brabant, Netherlands
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Youth career
1986–1989	VOAB
1989–1998	Willem II
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2004	Willem II	127	(6)
2004–2006	AZ	52	(2)
2006–2011	Hamburger SV	145	(6)
2011–2012	Málaga	28	(0)
2012–2015	Feyenoord	57	(1)
Total		409	(15)
National team‡
2004–2012	Netherlands	84	(3)
Honours Representing  Netherlands Men's football FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2010 South Africa Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 May 2015. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 November 2012

Joris Mathijsen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɔː.rɪs ma.ˈtɛi̯.sə(n)]; born 5 April 1980) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a centre-back.

Mathijsen started his football career at SV VOAB in Goirle after he visited a training session of a friend as a young boy. At the age of nine, he left this club and came through the youth system of Willem II. He was promoted to the first team for the 1998–99 season, making his debut on 27 February 1999 in a match against FC Utrecht. After six seasons at Willem II, he was sold by manager Co Adriaanse to AZ. However, he endured a harder time breaking into the first team with AZ and his case was not helped by injuries.

After finishing as runners-up in the Eredivisie in 2006, Mathijsen opted to transfer to German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV for €6 million, where he teamed up with fellow Dutchmen Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong. He scored Hamburg's 2,500th Bundesliga goal (his first for the club) on 20 October 2007 against VfB Stuttgart.

In November 2008, Mathijsen signed a new contract extension, tying him to Hamburg until the summer of 2012. In mid-June 2011, however, he signed a two-year contract with Spanish La Liga side Málaga.

In the summer of 2012, it became apparent that Málaga was willing to let Mathijsen transfer to another club, prompting several Dutch sides to show interest, including Feyenoord and Ajax; on 10 August, Mathijsen signed with the former.