Urby Emanuelson facts for kids

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Urby Emanuelson

Emanuelson with Utrecht in 2017

Personal information

Full name

Urby Vitorrio Diego Emanuelson

Date of birth

16 June 1986 (age 39)

Place of birth

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Height

1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position(s)

Left back, midfielder, winger

Team information

Current team

Jong Ajax (assistant)

Youth career

Voorland

1994–2004

Ajax

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2004–2011

Ajax

172

(17)

2011–2014

AC Milan

(3)

2013

→ Fulham (loan)

(1)

2014–2015

Roma

(0)

2015

→ Atalanta (loan)

(0)

2016

Hellas Verona

(0)

2016–2017

Sheffield Wednesday

(0)

2017–2022

Utrecht

(4)

Total

361

(25)

International career

2005–2008

Netherlands U21

(1)

2006–2012

Netherlands

(0)

Managerial career

2022–2023

Utrecht (assistant)

2023–

Jong Ajax (assistant)

Medal record


Men's football
Representing Netherlands
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner	2006

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Urby Vitorrio Diego Emanuelson (born June 16, 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He is now an assistant coach for Jong Ajax.

Urby grew up in the Ajax Youth Academy. He spent most of his playing career at Ajax as a left wing-back. Later, his coach Martin Jol moved him to play more as a left midfielder or left winger. In this new role, he became very good at running down the wing, helping his teammates score, and scoring goals himself. When he moved to AC Milan, his coach Massimiliano Allegri also used him as an attacking midfielder, a regular midfielder, and even a right winger. This shows how versatile he was on the field!

Club Career Highlights
International Career
- Youth Teams
- Senior National Team
Personal Life
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Ajax

Emanuelson with Ajax in 2006

Urby Emanuelson started his football journey at Ajax's youth system. He joined them from a club called Voorland SC. After moving through the youth ranks, he signed his first professional contract in 2005. On February 24, 2005, Urby made his first team debut for Ajax. It was in a UEFA Cup match against Auxerre. He came on as a substitute in the 79th minute. Later, on April 10, 2005, he played his first league game in the Eredivisie, helping Ajax win 4–2 against AZ Alkmaar.

In the 2005–06 season, Urby quickly became the main left-back for Ajax. He also sometimes played in left midfield. He helped Ajax win the Johan Cruyff Shield against PSV Eindhoven, which was his first trophy. On January 22, 2006, he scored his first goal for Ajax, which was the winning goal in a 3–2 match. He also scored in the KNVB Cup quarter-finals. Even though he had an injury later that season, he returned to help Ajax win the KNVB Cup final against PSV Eindhoven. His great performance led to him being named "Amsterdam talent of the year 2006."

Emanuelson (far left, with Wesley Sneijder, Maarten Stekelenburg, Zdeněk Grygera, and John Heitinga) played for Ajax from 2004 to 2011.

The next season started well, with Ajax winning the Johan Cruyff Shield again, with Urby playing the whole game. He continued to play as a left-back and in midfield. He scored his first league goal of the season in October 2006. Urby was even nominated for the "Golden Boy" award, which is for the best young player in Europe. He helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup for the second time in a row.

In the 2007–08 season, Ajax won the Johan Cruyff Shield for the third time in a row. Urby continued to be a key player. He scored his first goal of the season in January 2008. Around February, he started playing more as a left midfielder because his coaches felt he was better there. He even said he preferred not to play left-back anymore.

For the 2008–09 season, Urby played in various midfield positions. He scored his first goal of the season in December 2008. He also scored against Ajax's big rival, Feyenoord. He played a total of 42 games that season, scoring four goals.

In the 2009–10 season, Urby continued to play in different midfield roles. He scored his first goal of the season in August 2009. He scored several more goals throughout the season, including in the UEFA Europa League. He helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup for the third time in his career. He played 48 games and scored eight goals that season.

Urby started the 2010–11 season by helping Ajax reach the Champions League group stage. He scored two goals early in the season. In November 2010, it was announced that Urby would leave Ajax at the end of the season. He played 32 games and scored two goals before leaving in January.

Moving to AC Milan

Emanuelson warming up with AC Milan in August 2012

On January 23, 2011, Urby joined the famous Italian club AC Milan. He signed a contract for three and a half years. He made his debut just three days later in a Coppa Italia match, where he set up a goal for his teammate. He helped AC Milan win their first league title, called the Scudetto, in seven years. He mostly came on as a substitute that season.

Emanuelson listening to music, as he was about to warm up in August 2012

At the start of the 2011–12 season, Urby helped AC Milan win the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana against their rivals, Inter Milan. He became a regular player, playing in different midfield positions. He scored his first goal in the Italian league (Serie A) in February 2012. He played 42 games that season, scoring two goals.

Emanuelson about to take a corner kick during a match in 2012

In the 2012–13 season, Urby continued to play for AC Milan, sometimes starting and sometimes coming off the bench. He scored his first goal of the season in a Champions League match in October 2012. He also scored and set up two goals in a big 5–1 win in November. By the time he went on loan, he had played 20 games and scored two goals.

Urby returned to AC Milan for the 2013–14 season. He often played as a left-back, but also in midfield. He helped the team by setting up three goals in matches they won. He played 33 games that season. After this, his contract with AC Milan ended, and he left the club.

Loan to Fulham

On January 31, 2013, Urby moved to England to play for Premier League team Fulham on loan until the end of the season.

He made his Fulham debut on February 2 against Manchester United. He played in different midfield positions for Fulham. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win against Swansea City on the last day of the season. Urby enjoyed his time in England, saying he adapted well to the different style of football.

Playing for Roma and Atalanta

On July 11, 2014, Urby signed a one-year contract with Italian club Roma. However, he found it hard to get playing time because of strong competition. He made his debut for Roma in September 2014, coming on as a substitute. He only played two games for Roma before being loaned out.

On January 21, 2015, Urby was loaned to Atalanta for the rest of the season. He made his debut for Atalanta shortly after. He helped Atalanta by setting up goals and was even named the club's Player of the Month in February. He played nine games for Atalanta. After the loan, he returned to Roma, but his contract ended, and he became a free agent.

Time at Hellas Verona

After leaving Roma, Urby trained with his old clubs, Ajax and AC Milan, to stay fit. On January 3, 2016, he joined Hellas Verona for free.

He made his debut for Verona on January 6, 2016, in a match against Juventus. He often came on as a substitute. He helped Verona get their first win of the season in February 2016. He also set up a goal in a match against Fiorentina. However, Verona was relegated from Serie A that season. Urby played 11 games for Verona.

Short Spell at Sheffield Wednesday

After leaving Verona, Urby joined English team Sheffield Wednesday on September 6, 2016.

However, he had a tough time with injuries and fitness issues during the 2016–17 season. He only made one appearance for Sheffield Wednesday, coming on as a substitute in the last game of the season. He left the club at the end of the season.

Return to Holland with FC Utrecht

In summer 2017, Urby returned to his home country, Holland, and signed a one-year contract with FC Utrecht.

He made his FC Utrecht debut in a UEFA Europa League match in July 2017. He helped the club reach the play-off round of the Europa League qualifiers. He quickly became a regular player for FC Utrecht, playing in midfield and at left-back. In March 2018, he signed a new contract with the club. He played 38 games that season.

For the 2018–19 season, Urby signed another contract extension with Utrecht until 2020. He started the season well, scoring his first goal for FC Utrecht in September 2018. He scored two more goals later that year and was praised by his coach. He even captained the team for the first time in January 2019. He played 27 games and scored four goals that season, helping Utrecht qualify for European football.

In the 2019–20 season, Urby mostly came off the bench. He helped set up goals for his team. He was linked with a move to the USA, but it didn't happen. The season was later stopped and cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Urby played 18 games that season.

His contract with FC Utrecht ended in July 2020, but he rejoined the club in September on a part-time contract. He made his first appearance of the 2020–21 season in September 2020.

International Career

Youth Teams

Urby Emanuelson played for the Netherlands at various youth levels, including the U21 team.

He was part of the Dutch squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005. The team reached the quarter-finals. In August 2005, he made his debut for the Netherlands U21 team. In May 2006, he scored his first U21 goal. He was a key player in the Dutch squad that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2006. He was even named in the "UEFA Team of the Tournament" as a left-back.

In 2008, Urby was chosen to be in the squad for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He played four games in the tournament, where the team reached the quarter-finals.

Senior National Team

In September 2005, Urby was first called up to the senior Netherlands team. On August 16, 2006, he made his debut for the senior team in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland, which the Netherlands won 4–0.

In 2007, he helped the Netherlands defense keep two clean sheets in important matches. In September 2007, he set up a goal that helped the team win 1–0 against Albania. He also played in a match that helped the Netherlands qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. However, he was not chosen for the final Euro 2008 squad.

After a break from the national team, Urby was called up again in July 2010. He played in a friendly match against Ukraine in August 2010. His last appearances for the national team were in 2011 and 2012. He played a total of 17 games for the Netherlands senior team.

Personal Life

Urby Emanuelson comes from a family of footballers. His father, Errol Emanuelson, was also a professional footballer. His older brother, Julian Emanuelson, also played professionally. His cousin, Roché Emanuelson, played for the Suriname national team. Another cousin, Jean-Paul Boëtius, is also a professional footballer. Urby said he looked up to Clarence Seedorf when he was growing up. He even got to play with Seedorf in a match, which he described as "great."

Urby has two children.