Hedwiges Maduro facts for kids
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Maduro managing Almere City in 2024
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hedwiges Eduard Martinus Maduro | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 February 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Almere, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1996 | ASC Waterwijk | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–2001 | Sporting Flevoland | |||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Omniworld | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Ajax | 70 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Valencia | 76 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Sevilla | 26 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | PAOK | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Groningen | 32 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Omonia | 28 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 251 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Netherlands U21 | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Netherlands | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Almere City U21 | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Ajax (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Almere City | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Hedwiges Maduro (born on 13 February 1985) is a Dutch football coach and former player. He used to be the head coach for Eredivisie club Almere City. During his playing days, he was mostly a defensive midfielder, but he could also play as a central defender. He started his professional career at Ajax when he was 19.
Maduro played for several years in La Liga, Spain's top football league, mainly with Valencia. He played 113 games for them and helped them win the Spanish Cup in 2008. He also played professionally in Greece and Cyprus. As a Dutch international player, he represented the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup.
Contents
Playing Football
Starting at Ajax
Hedwiges Maduro was born in Almere, Netherlands. He joined Ajax as a young player. In the 2003–04 season, he was named the club's most promising new talent. He made his first appearance in the Eredivisie league on 27 February 2005, playing against Roda JC.
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Over the next few years, Maduro became a regular player for Ajax. He helped the team win two KNVB Cups and three Johan Cruyff Shields. In total, he played 105 games for Ajax and scored eleven goals.
Playing in Spain: Valencia and Sevilla
In January 2008, Maduro moved to Valencia in Spain. He signed a four-and-a-half-year deal. His first game in La Liga was a 0–1 loss at home against Almería. In his first year, he started in all 11 games he played. Valencia won the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) that year, but Maduro was a substitute and did not play in the final.
In his first full season with Valencia, Maduro played a smaller role at first. But he soon got more playing time because other players were injured or suspended. He played well in different positions, even as a right-back. On 25 April 2009, he scored his first goal for Valencia against Barcelona. Valencia finished sixth in the league that season, and Maduro played in over 30 games.
Maduro spent most of the 2011–12 season out of action due to a serious ankle injury.
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On 5 June 2012, Maduro joined Sevilla for free. He played 30 games in all competitions in his first season, helping the team finish ninth. He had been diagnosed with a heart condition before the season, but it did not stop him from playing. Later, a new coach came in, and Maduro was not needed as much.
Other Teams: Greece and Cyprus
In January 2014, Maduro signed with PAOK in Greece for two and a half years. In February 2015, he had a hand injury and visited his old club Ajax. After his contract ended, he left PAOK.
On 20 July 2017, Maduro signed a two-year contract with Omonia in Cyprus. He had moved from Groningen. He played his first game for Omonia on 10 September, a 2–1 home win.
On 9 August 2018, Maduro announced that he was retiring from playing football.
Playing for the Netherlands
Soon after starting his league career with Ajax, Maduro played his first game for the Netherlands. This was on 26 March 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Romania. He was chosen to be part of the Dutch squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played for four minutes in a group stage game against Argentina. The Netherlands was later knocked out of the tournament.
In 2007, even though he had already played many games for the senior national team, Maduro played in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This tournament was held in the Netherlands. He scored the first goal of the competition, helping the Dutch Under-21 team beat Israel 1–0. He also played in the second match, a 2–1 win against Portugal. This win secured a spot in the semi-finals and also qualified them for the Olympic tournament.
In the semi-finals against England, the game ended 1–1 after extra time. Maduro successfully scored his penalty kick in the shootout, which the Netherlands won 13–12 after a lot of shots. The Dutch team then won the final against Serbia 4–1, keeping their title from 2006. Maduro was named in the 'UEFA Team of the Tournament'.
Becoming a Coach
Coaching Young Players
After retiring as a player, Maduro started training to become a professional football coach. He also worked as a football analyst for ESPN. In the 2018-2019 season, he was an assistant coach for the Netherlands Under-21 team. The next season, he was an assistant coach for the Netherlands Under-18 team.
In mid-2020, he became the head coach of Almere City's Under-21 team. He led them to win the U21 Division 1 title in 2022. From December 2021, he also worked as an assistant coach for the main Almere City team. In April 2022, he signed a two-year contract to be a full-time assistant coach for the first team.
In June 2023, Maduro signed a three-year contract to be an assistant coach at his former club, Ajax. On 23 October that year, he became the temporary manager of Ajax after the previous manager was dismissed. He lost his first game as caretaker manager 2–0 to Brighton & Hove Albion. In his only league game, the team lost 5–2 to PSV Eindhoven.
Leading Almere City
On 13 May 2024, Maduro was announced as the new head coach for Eredivisie club Almere City. He was set to lead the team for the 2024–25 season. He said he was happy to return to the club where he started his coaching career, as Almere City and the city of Almere mean a lot to him.
However, on 19 December 2024, Maduro was dismissed from his role as head coach at Almere City.
Achievements
Ajax
- KNVB Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2005, 2006, 2007
Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 2007–08
PAOK
- Greek Football Cup runner-up: 2013–14
Netherlands U21
Individual
- Ajax Talent of the Future/Talent of the Year: 2005
About Hedwiges Maduro
Maduro's father came from Paradera on Aruba, and his mother was from Curaçao. Both Aruba and Curaçao are islands in the Dutch Caribbean.
See also
In Spanish: Hedwiges Maduro para niños
