Nigel de Jong is a famous Dutch soccer player who defends the colors of the Italian club Milan and his national team today. A talented player was born in 1984, and in his 30-plus years, he managed to build an excellent career. I would like to tell about her.
The beginning of professional activity
First of all, I would like to say that Nigel de Jong is the son of a famous Dutch football player, whose name is Jerry de Jong. Like many other players who were born and raised in this state, Nigel began to engage in this sport at the Ajax club. And it’s very successful. Already in the middle of autumn 2002, he made his debut in the main team. The younger de Jong quickly managed to gain respect among the players. Moreover, the fans loved him from the first games.
The first few years were very successful for a promising football player, but then he began to appear less and less on the field and in the end he completely dropped out of the main team. However, this did not mean the end. Since then, in 2006, Nigel de Jong moved to a more famous and titled club - the German “Hamburg”.
Career in Germany
As part of the popular German club, the Dutchman quickly became a key player. He had some qualities that made him really the right person on the field. Namely: intransigence and the ability to "patronize" your opponent and "guard the zone" very tightly (and sometimes even tough). And team partners, and coaches, and fans - everyone was happy with the new player.
The Dutchman spent two and a half seasons in the “Hamburg”. For all this time, he entered the field more than 60 times (in the Bundesliga). But still there was some nuance. And it was confirmed by everyone - from players to commentators and fans. Nigel de Jong too often crossed the line of fair play. Moreover, in matches, in training. He did not hesitate to lie in hard and very dangerous tackles, he often began to wield his elbows when he found himself “on the second floor”, fighting for the riding ball. Therefore, the Dutchman did not stay in Hamburg for a long time. In 2009, in January, he left the German club and moved to the English “Manchester City”, where he secured his base from the first matches.
Last years
Despite all the talk about tough play, Nigel continued to behave in his own spirit. For which he received from the English fans such a nickname as the Killer of the legs. For 2010, de Jong broke the legs of two players! The first was Stuart Holden (Nigel made the tackle, and the American was unlucky), and the second was Hatem Ben Arfa (the Newcastle player received a double turn). For the last trick, by the way, the Dutchman did not even receive a yellow card. But the punishment was. And it became sudden and unexpected. De Jong was expelled from the Dutch national team (not forever, but from qualifying matches). The head coach of the team said that the player went too far and that his tackles and behavior are unacceptable. And the head coach of ManCity supported Nigel. He claimed that someone is someone, but De Jong is an absolutely competitive, great player.
At the 2010 World Cup, Nigel checked in again. With the karate jump, he defeated Xabi Alonso, a player in the Spanish team, and hit him in the chest with spikes.
To date, Nigel de Jong, whose photo is presented above, stands for “Milan”. He went there for 3.5 million pounds in 2012.
Interesting Facts
Nigel de Jong is a footballer who, as already understood, plays rather tough and sometimes unacceptable. However, he rarely received red cards. The last time - ten years ago, in 2006! And by the way, there are many awards behind his shoulders. He was the champion of the Netherlands and the owner of the Super Bowl of the country. With Manchester City, he won the FA Cup and Super Cup. He also became a bronze medalist at the Premier League (2010/11). And he won the championship of England in 2011/12. With the national team, the football player became the bronze medalist of the 2014 World Cup and took second place at the 2010 World Cup.
What about personal life? This is also worth a few words, discussing the career and biography of such a colorful football player as Nigel de Jong. The player has a wife, but this is not a model or actress, as we are all used to. The footballer married a simple but attractive girl of Surinamese descent named Winona. Almost nothing is known about his personal life.