Jasper Cillessen facts for kids
.jpg)
Cillessen with NEC in 2024
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 April 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nijmegen, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Las Palmas | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2001 | De Treffers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2010 | NEC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | NEC | 34 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Ajax | 101 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Jong Ajax | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Barcelona | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Valencia | 51 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | NEC | 62 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Las Palmas | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2023 | Netherlands | 65 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
† Appearances (Goals). |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Jasper Cillessen is a professional footballer from the Netherlands. He was born on April 22, 1989. Jasper plays as a goalkeeper for the club Las Palmas in Spain.
Jasper started his football journey in 2001, joining the youth team of NEC. He made his first professional appearance for NEC in 2010. A year later, he moved to Ajax for about €3 million. He played 141 matches for Ajax over six seasons. During this time, he helped them win three Eredivisie titles, which is the top football league in the Netherlands.
In 2016, Jasper moved to Barcelona in Spain. The transfer fee was around €13 million. After three seasons, he joined Valencia in 2019. He then returned to NEC in 2022.
Jasper also plays for his country, the Netherlands. He was first called up to the national team in May 2011. He made his official international debut in 2013. He was the main goalkeeper for the Netherlands when they finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Jasper's Club Career
Starting at NEC
Jasper Cillessen was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands. He grew up in a nearby town called Groesbeek. He began playing football in the youth team of his local club, De Treffers. In 2001, he joined the NEC/FC Oss youth academy.
In 2008, Jasper signed his first professional contract with NEC. He started playing for their reserve team. In 2010, he signed a new contract to stay with NEC until June 2012.
Jasper got his chance to play for the main team on August 28, 2010. This happened because the first-choice goalkeeper, Gábor Babos, was injured. Jasper played his first senior match, which was a 2–2 draw against SC Heerenveen. He played so well that he was named the man of the match. Even when Babos returned, Jasper kept his spot as the main goalkeeper. He then signed another contract extension until 2014. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Jasper was named the Footballer of the Year for the Gelderland region.
Playing for Ajax
On August 27, 2011, NEC and Ajax agreed on a deal for Jasper to move to the Amsterdam club. The transfer cost was about €3 million. He signed a five-year contract with Ajax, lasting until 2016.
Jasper played his first game for Ajax on September 21, 2011. It was a KNVB Cup match against VV Noordwijk. Ajax won 3–1. He made his first league appearance for Ajax on October 23, 2011. This was in a match against their big rivals, Feyenoord. He came into the game in the 66th minute after the starting goalkeeper, Kenneth Vermeer, received a red card. Even though Ajax was down to ten players, Jasper helped them get a 1–1 draw.
Jasper became the main goalkeeper for Ajax during the 2013 pre-season. The manager, Frank de Boer, wanted both of his top goalkeepers to show who should be the first choice. Jasper then started playing regularly for Ajax in the Eredivisie.
Time at Barcelona
On August 25, 2016, Jasper signed a five-year contract with Barcelona in Spain. The initial transfer fee was €13 million, with an extra €2 million possible later. He joined Barcelona to replace Claudio Bravo. After only three training sessions, he played his first game for Barcelona. It was a La Liga match against Alavés, which Barcelona lost 1–2.
During his time at Barcelona, Jasper played a big role in the Copa del Rey (a Spanish cup competition). He played in 17 out of 18 matches in this competition during the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons. Barcelona won the trophy in both seasons. This meant the club won the Copa del Rey four times in a row since 2014–15.
On January 30, 2019, Jasper saved his first penalty kick in a professional game. This happened in a 6–1 home win against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey. This win helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals of the competition.
Moving to Valencia
_(cropped).jpg)
On June 25, 2019, Jasper Cillessen signed a four-year contract with Valencia. The fee for this transfer was €35 million. This made him the second-most expensive player ever bought by Valencia. He played his first game for Valencia on August 17, 2019. It was a 1–1 home draw against Real Sociedad in La Liga.
Back to NEC
In August 2022, Jasper returned to his former club, NEC. He agreed to a three-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Valencia was reported to be several hundred thousand Euros.
Joining Las Palmas
On June 19, 2024, Jasper Cillessen moved back to Spain. He signed a two-year deal with Las Palmas, which plays in Spain's top football league.
Jasper's International Career
Playing for Youth Teams
In October 2010, Jasper was called up to play for the Netherlands national under-21 team. This was for important play-off matches against Ukraine.
Playing for the Senior Team
.jpg)
After the 2010–11 season, Jasper was considered for the senior Netherlands squad. This was for friendly matches against Uruguay and Brazil. The manager, Bert van Marwijk, chose Jasper for the trip to South America. On May 7, 2012, Jasper was included in a list of 36 players for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. He was one of nine players who had not yet played for the national team.
On June 7, 2013, Jasper played his first official game for the Netherlands national team. This was under manager Louis van Gaal. Jasper played the first half of a friendly match against Indonesia. The Netherlands won 3–0. He was replaced by Kenneth Vermeer in the second half. Together, they kept a clean sheet (meaning no goals were scored against them).
In June 2014, Jasper was chosen for the Netherlands squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He wore the number 1 jersey and started in the team's first match. This was a big 5–1 victory against Spain. He played in every match during the tournament, and the Netherlands finished in third place. However, in the quarter-final match against Costa Rica, manager Louis van Gaal made a surprising change. He took Jasper out of the game just before the penalty shootout. Tim Krul came in to play goalkeeper for the shootout, which the Dutch team won.
Jasper was initially chosen to be the starting goalkeeper for the Netherlands at the Euro 2020 tournament. But on June 1, 2021, he was removed from the squad because he tested positive for COVID-19. He later said that the manager, Frank de Boer, knew about the virus when he was first picked, and that he felt fit enough to play.
Career Highlights
Jasper Cillessen has achieved many great things in his football career.
With Ajax:
- Eredivisie (Dutch League): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 (won 3 times)
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2013 (a Dutch Super Cup)
With Barcelona:
- La Liga (Spanish League): 2017–18, 2018–19 (won 2 times)
- Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup): 2016–17, 2017–18 (won 2 times)
- Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup): 2018
With Netherlands National Team:
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2014
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2018–19
Individual Awards:
- Gelderland Footballer of the Year: 2011
- Gillette Player of the Year: 2014
- Ajax Player of the Year (Rinus Michels Award): 2014–15, 2015–16
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: September 2022, February 2023
Images for kids
-
Cillessen with NEC in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Jasper Cillessen para niños
