Steven Pienaar facts for kids
Pienaar warming-up for Everton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Jerome Pienaar | ||
| Date of birth | 17 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger / Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Sharjah FC (youth) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| West Ham Westbury | |||
| Westbury Arsenal | |||
| School of Excellence | |||
| Ajax Cape Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | Ajax Cape Town | 24 | (6) |
| 2001–2006 | Ajax | 94 | (15) |
| 2006–2008 | Borussia Dortmund | 25 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Everton (loan) | 28 | (2) |
| 2008–2011 | Everton | 76 | (7) |
| 2011–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Everton (loan) | 14 | (4) |
| 2012–2016 | Everton | 71 | (7) |
| 2016–2017 | Sunderland | 15 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Bidvest Wits | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 361 | (41) | |
| International career | |||
| 1999–2000 | South Africa U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2012 | South Africa | 61 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019–2020 | SV Robinhood (assistant) | ||
| 2020–2024 | Ajax (youth) | ||
| 2024– | Sharjah (youth) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Steven Jerome Pienaar (born 17 March 1982) is a South African former professional footballer. He is currently a coach for the U14 team of Sharjah FC in the United Arab Emirates.
Steven Pienaar grew up in Westbury, a suburb in Johannesburg. He was once the captain of the South African national team. He mainly played as a winger, which is a player who runs down the sides of the field. He also played as an attacking midfielder, helping to create goals. Pienaar played for clubs in South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany, and England. These clubs included Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, and Bidvest Wits. Today, Pienaar is an international ambassador for his former club, Everton.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Ajax Cape Town
Steven Pienaar was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He began his professional football journey at Ajax Cape Town. This club was about 1400 kilometers away from his hometown. He joined their youth academy after being noticed while playing for the School of Excellence.
Pienaar shared that he was very lucky to attend the School of Excellence in 2000. This helped him improve his football skills. He also mentioned working with Dutch coach Leo van Veen at Ajax Cape Town. This coach helped him change his mindset about the game. He learned how to prepare for matches and play for the team, not just to impress the fans.
At Ajax Cape Town, Pienaar won the Rothman's Cup. His team beat Orlando Pirates 4–1 in the final on 13 December 2000. This was his last game for the club before moving on.
Moving to AFC Ajax
When he was 18, Pienaar moved to the Netherlands in January 2001. He made his first appearance in the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league) on 24 February 2002. His team won 1–0 against NAC Breda. He became a key player for Ajax. They won the Dutch League in 2002 and 2004. He played alongside famous players like Zlatan Ibrahimović and Wesley Sneijder. Future Everton teammates John Heitinga and Andy van der Meyde were also part of this strong Ajax team.
Time at Borussia Dortmund
In January 2006, Steven Pienaar joined the German club Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. He signed a three-year contract after leaving Ajax. He was seen as a player who could replace Tomáš Rosický, who moved to Arsenal. Pienaar wore the number 10 shirt at Dortmund. However, he faced challenges during his time there and found it difficult to fully settle in with the other players.
Joining Everton
Pienaar joined Everton on loan for the 2007–08 season. He later signed a permanent contract with Everton in April 2008. He made his first appearance for Everton in a 2–1 home win against Wigan Athletic on 11 August 2007. He scored his first goal for Everton in a 2–0 home victory over Middlesbrough on 30 September. His strong performances attracted interest from many other clubs.
Even though he missed 11 games due to injury, Pienaar was named Everton's Player of the Season for the 2009–10 season.
Playing for Tottenham Hotspur
In January 2011, both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur wanted to sign Pienaar from Everton. He chose to join Spurs for a fee of £3 million, signing a four-year contract. He played his first game for Tottenham in a 1–1 draw against Newcastle United. In August 2011, Pienaar had a groin injury that kept him out of action for six weeks. He scored his first goal for Spurs in a 4–0 win against Irish team Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League on 15 December.
Pienaar's time at Tottenham was marked by several injuries. This meant he did not play in many games and found it hard to make a big impact on the team.
Returning to Everton
On the last day of the transfer window in January 2012, Pienaar returned to Everton on a six-month loan. He played his second debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic. A week later, he scored his first goal of this loan spell in a 2–0 win over Chelsea. Pienaar finished the season by scoring against Newcastle United. In a post-match interview, he said he wanted to rejoin Everton permanently. Even though he only played in 14 games, Pienaar provided six assists, which was the most for Everton in the season. He also scored four goals, matching his best league goal tally for Everton at that time.
Everton agreed to a permanent transfer in July 2012, paying Tottenham £4.5 million. On 25 August 2012, he scored his first goal since signing permanently. This was the opening goal in a 3–1 away win against Aston Villa. On 9 December, Pienaar scored a powerful header against his former club Tottenham. This goal was Everton's 1,000th goal in the Premier League. Everton came back from being a goal down to win 2–1 at Goodison Park. Pienaar finished the season with seven goals, his highest ever in a season with Everton. In October 2013, Pienaar returned from a hamstring injury. He came on as a substitute against Hull City and scored the winning goal just ten seconds later. Despite Everton finishing the 2013–14 season in fifth place, Pienaar struggled with injuries for much of it. He scored one goal and made two assists in the games he played.
Pienaar played fewer games over the next two seasons. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he left Everton when his contract ended.
Later Career and Retirement
On 19 August 2016, Pienaar signed a one-year contract with Sunderland. There, he reunited with his former manager, David Moyes. He played in 17 games, but his contract was not extended. He then returned to South Africa, joining Bidvest Wits in July 2017. However, he was released six months later. Steven Pienaar officially retired from professional football in March 2018.
International Career
Steven Pienaar played for the South Africa under-17 team before joining the senior national team. He made his international debut for South Africa in a 2–0 win against Turkey in 2002. He played in 61 international matches and scored three goals during his career. Pienaar represented South Africa in the 2002 and 2010 World Cup tournaments. The 2010 World Cup was especially memorable as it was held in his home country.
On 2 October 2012, Pienaar announced that he was retiring from playing for the national team.
Coaching Career
After retiring from playing, Steven Pienaar started coaching. He began at the Dutch amateur club SV Robinhood as an assistant coach. In September 2019, he earned his UEFA A Licence, which is a coaching qualification. In December 2019, Pienaar returned to AFC Ajax as a trainee coach. As of 2024, he is coaching the youth team at Sharjah FC.
Personal Life
Steven Pienaar is from the mixed-race South African community known as Coloureds. In South Africa, he is often called "Schillo." This nickname was given to him by friends when he was a child, inspired by the Italian footballer Totò Schillaci during the 1990 World Cup.
Honours and Awards
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2001–02, 2003–04 (Dutch League Champion)
- KNVB Cup: 2001–02 (Dutch Cup Winner)
Everton
- FA Cup runner-up: 2008–09 (Reached the FA Cup Final)
Individual Awards
- Ajax CT Young Player of the Season: 2000
- Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2002–03
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06
- SAFA Player of the Year: 2009
- Everton Player of the Season: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Steven Pienaar para niños
