Pierre van Hooijdonk facts for kids
Van Hooijdonk in 2014
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 29 November 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Steenbergen, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1991 | RBC Roosendaal | 69 | (33) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | NAC Breda | 115 | (81) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Celtic | 69 | (44) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Nottingham Forest | 71 | (36) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Vitesse | 29 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Benfica | 30 | (19) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Feyenoord | 61 | (52) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Fenerbahçe | 53 | (32) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | NAC Breda | 17 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Feyenoord | 37 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 551 | (335) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2004 | Netherlands | 46 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Pierre van Hooijdonk (born 29 November 1969) is a former Dutch professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player whose main job was to score goals.
Pierre played for many clubs across Europe and was known for scoring lots of goals. He also played 46 times for the Dutch national team, scoring 14 goals. He took part in big tournaments like the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, and Euro 2004. Pierre was especially famous for his amazing free kicks, where he could bend the ball into the net. Many people think he is one of the best free-kick takers ever!
Contents
Early Life and Football Dreams
Pierre van Hooijdonk was born in Steenbergen, a town in the Netherlands. He grew up in a small village nearby called Welberg. From a young age, he loved football and was a big fan of the team NAC Breda.
When he was 11, Pierre tried out for NAC Breda's youth team and impressed the scouts. He joined the club, playing as a right midfielder. However, when he was 14, he left NAC's academy and played for a local amateur team, VV Steenbergen. It was there that he changed his position to a striker, which turned out to be a great decision! He soon joined the club's main team.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out: RBC and NAC
Pierre began his professional career with RBC Roosendaal in the 1988–89 season. He started as a substitute but quickly showed his talent by scoring three goals. When the team's main striker got injured, Pierre played more often and scored six goals in 32 matches. He soon signed his first professional contract.
In the next season, he became a key player for RBC, scoring 27 goals in 37 games. This caught the eye of many teams, including his childhood favourite, NAC Breda. Pierre was excited to join NAC, and he helped them get promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, in 1993. He even got his first call-up to play for the Dutch national team in 1994. He scored 81 goals in 115 games for NAC before moving to Scotland.
Success in Scotland: Celtic
In January 1995, Pierre joined Celtic in Scotland. He made a big impact right away, scoring a great goal in his first game. The fans loved him instantly! When Pierre arrived, Celtic hadn't won a trophy in six years. But with him on the team, they won the Scottish Cup in May 1995. Pierre scored the only goal in the final!
The next season (1995–96) was amazing for Pierre. He scored 32 goals, including 26 in the league, making him the top scorer. He was especially good at scoring from free kicks. However, his next season (1996–97) was difficult. He had a disagreement about his pay with the club's owner, which meant he often didn't play. This also affected his chances of playing for the Dutch national team. He eventually left Celtic, having scored 52 goals in 84 games. He then joined Nottingham Forest in England.
Challenges in England: Nottingham Forest
Pierre joined Nottingham Forest in March 1997. The team was struggling in the Premier League. He scored only one goal in eight games, and Forest was relegated to a lower league. Pierre promised to help the club get back to the Premier League.
The next season (1997–98) was very successful. Forest won the league title and got promoted, with Pierre scoring 34 goals! He formed a strong partnership with his fellow striker, Kevin Campbell. Pierre also played for the Netherlands in the 1998 FIFA World Cup that year.
However, after the World Cup, Pierre was unhappy. He felt the club hadn't kept its promises to make the team stronger for the Premier League. He asked to leave, but the club refused. This led to a difficult time where Pierre refused to play for a while. He eventually returned in November and scored 6 goals in 19 games, including a memorable free-kick goal against Liverpool. Despite his efforts, Forest was relegated again at the end of the season.
Back to Europe: Vitesse and Benfica
After leaving Nottingham Forest, Pierre returned to the Netherlands and joined SBV Vitesse in 1999. He quickly proved his goal-scoring skills, helping the team qualify for the UEFA Cup by scoring 25 goals in one season. He also rejoined the Dutch national team during this time.
In 2000, Pierre signed with Benfica in Portugal. He scored 19 goals in his one season there. However, he faced some problems with the club's management and decided he wanted to return to the Netherlands.
Glory with Feyenoord
At the end of the 2000–01 season, Pierre joined Feyenoord in the Netherlands. This was a very successful period for him. He is still remembered for his amazing free-kick goals and for helping Feyenoord win the UEFA Cup 2001–02. He scored two goals in the final against Borussia Dortmund and played a huge part in their victories against strong teams like Rangers and Inter Milan.
Later Career and Retirement
In 2003, Pierre moved to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe SK. He played 52 games and scored 32 goals for the club. Fans nicknamed him Aziz Pierre, which means "Saint Pierre" in Turkish. He won the Süper Lig title twice with Fenerbahçe, in 2004 and 2005. These were the first top-tier championships of his career!
In 2005, he returned to his former club, NAC Breda, and then later rejoined Feyenoord in 2006. On 17 October 2006, Pierre announced that he would retire from football at the end of the 2006–07 season. He played his final professional match on 13 May 2007, ending his career with 550 games and 335 goals in 18 seasons of professional football.
Personal Life
Pierre van Hooijdonk has a son named Sydney, who also became a professional footballer and made his debut for NAC Breda in 2018.
In 2008, it was reported that Pierre had lost a large sum of money due to a scam. He had invested in a company that turned out not to exist.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RBC | 1989–90 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 6 | – | – | – | 32 | 6 | |||||
| 1990–91 | Eerste Divisie | 37 | 27 | – | – | – | 37 | 27 | ||||||
| Total | 69 | 33 | – | – | – | 69 | 33 | |||||||
| NAC | 1991–92 | Eerste Divisie | 35 | 20 | – | – | – | 35 | 20 | |||||
| 1992–93 | Eerste Divisie | 33 | 26 | – | – | – | 33 | 26 | ||||||
| 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 31 | 25 | – | – | – | 31 | 25 | ||||||
| 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 16 | 10 | – | – | – | 16 | 10 | ||||||
| Total | 115 | 81 | – | – | – | 115 | 81 | |||||||
| Celtic | 1994–95 | Scottish Premier Division | 14 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 8 | ||
| 1995–96 | Scottish Premier Division | 34 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 44 | 32 | ||
| 1996–97 | Scottish Premier Division | 21 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 29 | 16 | ||
| Total | 69 | 44 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 | – | 92 | 56 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 1996–97 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98 | First Division | 42 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | – | – | 47 | 34 | |||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 6 | |||
| Total | 71 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 77 | 41 | ||||
| Vitesse | 1999–2000 | Eredivisie | 29 | 25 | 3 | 1 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 36 | 28 | ||
| Benfica | 2000–01 | Primeira Liga | 30 | 19 | 3 | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 35 | 23 | ||
| Feyenoord | 2001–02 | Eredivisie | 33 | 24 | 2 | 0 | – | 12 | 9 | – | 47 | 33 | ||
| 2002–03 | Eredivisie | 28 | 28 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 30 | ||
| Total | 61 | 52 | 6 | 0 | – | 17 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 63 | |||
| Fenerbahçe | 2003–04 | Süper Lig | 34 | 24 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | 37 | 25 | |||
| 2004–05 | Süper Lig | 19 | 8 | 2 | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 26 | 10 | |||
| Total | 53 | 32 | 5 | 2 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 63 | 35 | ||||
| NAC Breda | 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 17 | 5 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | 20 | 8 | |||
| Feyenoord | 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 6 | ||
| Total | 37 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 551 | 335 | 34 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 39 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 638 | 377 | ||
Honours and Awards
Pierre van Hooijdonk won many trophies and awards during his football career:
Celtic
- Scottish Cup: 1994–95
Nottingham Forest
- Football League First Division: 1997–98 (This means they won the league title and got promoted!)
Feyenoord
- UEFA Cup: 2001–02 (A major European competition!)
Fenerbahçe
- Süper Lig: 2003–04, 2004–05 (The top league title in Turkey)
Individual Awards
- Scottish Premier Division top scorer: 1995–96
- PFA Team of the Year: 1997–98 (He was chosen as one of the best players in the league)
- Football League First Division top scorer: 1997–98
- Nottingham Forest Player of the Year: 1997–98
- UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 2001–02
- Eredivisie Top Scorer: 2001–02
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2001–02
- Turkish Footballer of the Year: 2004
See also
In Spanish: Pierre van Hooijdonk para niños
