Nigel de Jong
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De Jong with the Netherlands national team in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nigel de Jong | |||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 30 November 1984 | |||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||||
| Number | 34 | |||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–2002 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2006 | Ajax | 96 | (9) | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Hamburger SV | 66 | (3) | |||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Manchester City | 104 | (1) | |||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Milan | 79 | (6) | |||||||||||||||
| 2016 | LA Galaxy | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Galatasaray | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Netherlands U21 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||
| 2004– | Netherlands | 81 | (1) | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 December 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2015 |
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Nigel de Jong (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnɑjdʒəl də ˈjɔŋ]; born 30 November 1984) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Turkish club Galatasaray and the Netherlands national team. He joined the Ajax youth academy as a youngster and worked his way through the ranks to make the first team at age 17. Two years later, in 2004, he made his international debut. Additionally, in 2010 he won a World Cup runners-up medal.
De Jong moved on from Ajax in 2006 to join Hamburg in search of first team football and then moved to Manchester City in January 2009 for an estimated £18 million, where he became an important part of City's holding midfield. A tireless grafter, he has garnered a reputation of being a combative and feisty player in his performances, a reputation that has earned him nicknames such as "The Destroyer" and "Lawnmower". He moved to Italian side Milan in August 2012 where he spent three and half years, before moving to LA Galaxy in February 2016.
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.
On 26 January 2006, De Jong signed a four and a half-year contract at German 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 Nuremberg. 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 Bucharest. 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.
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