Steven Pienaar
Pienaar warming-up for Everton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Jerome Pienaar | ||
| Date of birth | 17 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger / Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
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Current team
|
Sunderland | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| West Ham Westbury | |||
| Westbury Arsenal | |||
| School of Excellence | |||
| Ajax Cape Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Ajax Cape Town | 24 | (6) |
| 2001–2006 | Ajax | 94 | (15) |
| 2006–2008 | Borussia Dortmund | 25 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Everton (loan) | 28 | (2) |
| 2008–2011 | Everton | 76 | (7) |
| 2011–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Everton (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2012–2016 | Everton | 71 | (7) |
| 2016– | Sunderland | 12 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999–2000 | South Africa U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2012 | South Africa | 61 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 October 2012 (UTC) |
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Steven Jerome Pienaar (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈsti.vən ˈpi.nɑːr]; born 17 March 1982) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sunderland, and was captain of the South African national team until October 2012. He primarily plays as a winger, but can also play on either the right or left wing and as an attacking midfielder. Pienaar has previously played for Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Pienaar was born in Johannesburg. He started his professional career at Ajax Cape Town, some 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) away from his home in Johannesburg. He was brought to the attention of Ajax CT whilst playing for the School of Excellence and was asked to join their youth academy.
Pienaar said, "I was very fortunate to go to the School of Excellence 2000, to be able to polish the technique and the talent that God gave me and to learn how to use it in the way that God had wanted me to." "I was fortunate to work with the Dutch coach Leo van Veen, who helped me at Ajax Cape Town... He appreciated the way I played but at the same time he changed my mentality. He taught me how to prepare for games, not just playing to please the crowd but also how to play for the team."
At Ajax Cape Town, he won the Rothman's Cup after beating Orlando Pirates 4–1 in the final on 13 December 2000, his final game for the club.
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