Stefan de Vray is a Dutch defender who has already managed to achieve a lot in his native club, and also reached one of the five strongest leagues in Europe. What was the career path of this player and what lies on his horizon? There are not many strong central defenders today, so you should definitely find out who Stefan de Vray is and what he is.
Carier start
Stefan de Vray was born in the Netherlands on February 5, 1992, and the fact that he will be a football player was determined very early. He has two older brothers who have been playing football since childhood, so Stefan also quickly ended up in the club’s Football Academy. It is worth noting that both brothers as a result refused to engage in this sport, building a career in other areas, but Stefan turned out to be much more persistent, persistent, and most importantly, talented. Therefore, five years later, he was noticed by representatives of one of the strongest clubs in Holland, Feyenoorda. It was there that the 10-year-old boy moved, who showed great promise. And now, eight years later, in the club system, Stefan de Vray received his first professional contract in 2010, when he was eighteen years old.
Performances at Feyenoord
Stefan de Vray is a football player who showed his incredible talent very early, so the club management carefully followed him. And even before a professional contract was signed, the 17-year-old boy got the opportunity to play for an adult team. He played 21 matches already in the 2009/2010 season, showing that a new Holland defensive football star was rising on the horizon. Over the next four years, de Vray was one of the main talents of the country, he had high hopes, and he continued to perform at a high level, gaining more and more experience. In total, during his stay at Feyenoord, Stefan played in 135 matches, scoring seven goals. Unfortunately, at this time the club was not as strong as before, so the defender could not win trophies. That was what prompted him in 2014 to an important decision. The central defender decided to change the team, because he was interested in many large European clubs, among which the most attractive was the Italian FC Lazio.
Going to Lazio
The Club of Rome paid seven million euros for the 22-year-old defender and clearly hoped that he would immediately become a base player. Stefan was absolutely not opposed and quickly joined the club, having begun to demonstrate an impressive level of skill for such a young age. Already in the first season, the defender entered the field in 35 matches, scoring one goal, and helped his club reach the final of the Italian Cup. The next season, he began no less cheerfully, having played five matches, but received a serious knee injury that required surgical intervention. As a result, de Vray missed the entire season, recovering from injury only at the end of June 2016.
In the summer, rumors circulated that London's Chelsea were about to sign Stefan, as the new coach Antonio Conte was looking for a reliable central defender, but Lazio refused to sell his Dutch talent. And this season, Stefan has already played in seven matches, scoring one goal. It is hoped that he will no longer receive such a serious injury and will fully reveal his potential.
Team appearances
For the Dutch national team, despite his young age, de Vray has already played 30 matches. He made his debut in August 2012 in a friendly match against the national team of Belgium, having played 45 minutes. In his first tournament, the 2014 World Cup, the 22-year-old player went on as the main defender and came out at the base in every match, even scoring the Spaniards in the group stage. As a result, the Dutch team lost in the semifinals to the Argentines, and defeated the Brazilians in the match for third place.
The last match of de Vray took place in September 2015, just before the injury. Since then, he did not play for the national team - he was called to the last qualifying games, but while he was in the infirmary, the Dutch had already formed a different bunch of defenders, so in matches with the Swedes and Belarusians de Vray remained on the bench. He will have to make a lot of efforts to return to the base of the team.