Andy van der Meyde facts for kids

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Andy van der Meyde

Van der Meyde in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-09-30) 30 September 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Arnhem, Netherlands
Height	1.77 m
Playing position	Winger
Youth career
	Vitesse 1892
	Ajax
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–2003	Ajax	91	(18)
1999–2000	→ Twente (loan)	32	(2)
2003–2005	Inter Milan	32	(1)
2005–2009	Everton	20	(0)
2010	PSV	0	(0)
2011–2012	WKE	6	(0)
Total		181	(21)
National team
2002–2004	Netherlands	17	(1)
Honours Men's football Representing  Netherlands UEFA European Championship Bronze 2004 Portugal
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Andy van der Meijde (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛndi vɑn dər ˈmɛidə]; born 30 September 1979), anglicised to van der Meyde, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.

After making a name for himself at Ajax, he went on to represent Inter Milan and Everton, his spell at the latter club being cut short due to several problems, both on and off the pitch.

A full international between 2002 and 2004, he won 17 caps and scored one goal for the Dutch national team. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2004.

Club career

Ajax

Born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Van der Meyde signed for Ajax as a youngster, and made his first-team debut aged just 18, helping to a 1–0 win against Twente on 12 November 1997. In 1999, in order to gain experience, he was loaned to Twente for one season, and was an undisputed starter for a side that finished sixth in the Eredivisie.

It would be in 2001–02 that Van der Meyde established himself as first-choice at Ajax. After a turbulent start, Ronald Koeman was instated as head coach, and the player became an integral part in the rebuilding of the team, making the right-winger position his own. The campaign ended in huge success as the Amsterdam club conquered the double, with him scoring five times in the league.

In 2002–03 Van der Meyde – playing alongside the likes of youngsters as Mido, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Steven Pienaar and Cristian Chivu – scored a career-best 11 goals, while also helping Ajax to the quarterfinals in the UEFA Champions League, netting in a crucial 1–1 away draw against Roma which certified the team's qualification for the knockout stages.

Inter Milan

In the 2003 off-season, 24-year-old Van der Meyde was acquired by Inter Milan from Italy, for £4 million. However, he managed only 14 Serie A appearances in his first season, appearing slightly more in the following campaign.

Van der Meyde scored a spectacular goal against Arsenal on 17 September 2003, in the Champions League group stage 3–0 away win at Highbury, as Inter were eventually ousted in the group stages.

Everton

After leaving Inter, strong speculation suggested Van der Meyde would return to Ajax, with additional reported interest from French club Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur in England. However, on 31 August 2005, he agreed a contract with another Premier League team, Everton, for £2 million; on 25 March 2006, in his first Merseyside derby against Liverpool, he received a straight red card for his challenge on Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, in a 1–3 away loss.

In the summer of 2006, Van der Meyde proved once again to be the centre of much speculation regarding his future, having failed to properly settle at Everton and making only ten appearances in his first season.

In July 2007, Van der Meyde played a full 90 minutes in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. In arguably his most successful pre-season at the club, he went on to complete several friendly matches in an attempt to gain fitness ahead of the new domestic league campaign. However, he further cast a doubt over his Everton future by failing to turn up for a scheduled training session.

On 17 August 2007, Van der Meyde was suspended following a 'breach of club discipline' because he had failed to appear at training, being fined two weeks' wages for a total of £50,000. The player appealed for "understanding from the club and fans" due to the personal situation he was facing, with his five-month-old daughter Dolce not being allowed to leave the hospital since her birth due to illness; following this, he did not make an appearance for the main squad for over a year, being limited to just reserve team football.

Van der Meyde returned to first-team football on 7 December 2008, playing five minutes for an injury-hit Everton side in a 2–3 home defeat to Aston Villa. The following month, he was brought on as a substitute in the FA Cup fourth round replay against Liverpool, providing the assist to Dan Gosling's winning strike in the 118th minute; he was released in June 2009, after his contract expired.

Later years

Van der Meyde spent six months unattached before agreeing a short-term deal with PSV Eindhoven in March 2010. On 23 April he made his debut for the club in a 3–0 friendly win over VVV-Venlo, but failed to appear officially during his stint.

In late February 2011, Van der Meyde retired from professional football at the age of 31. However, in December, he returned to action and joined Topklasse amateurs WKE based in Emmen, until the end of the season.

International career

Van der Meyde (wearing No.7) in the Dutch wall, facing a free kick against Sweden at Euro 2004.

On 19 May 2002, Van der Meyde was handed his debut for Dick Advocaat's Dutch national team against the United States, which he marked with a goal in a 2–0 win. He helped the country reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2004, featuring in four games – all starts – and assisting Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 1–1 group stage draw to Germany, but being overlooked for the last-four match against Portugal.

After the tournament, following Marco van Basten's appointment as national team manager and the emergence of youngsters as Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart, Van der Meyde failed to receive another callup, finishing his international career with 17 caps.

Personal life

Van der Meyde has two daughters from a previous marriage.

On 24 May 2014, Van der Meyde refereed the Lingerie World Cup, which the Netherlands won on home soil.

Career statistics

Club

International

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	19 May 2002	CMGi Field, Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States	United States	1–0	2–0	Friendly

Honours

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1997–98, 2001–02
• KNVB Cup: 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02
• Johan Cruijff Shield: 2002

Inter Milan

• Coppa Italia: 2004–05