Andy van der Meyde

Ajax

Born in Arnhem, Gelderland, Van der Meyde signed for Ajax as a youngster, and made his first-team debut aged just 18, helping to a 1–0 win against Twente on 12 November 1997. In 1999, in order to gain experience, he was loaned to Twente for one season, and was an undisputed starter for a side that finished sixth in the Eredivisie. It would be in 2001–02 that Van der Meyde established himself as first-choice at Ajax. After a turbulent start, Ronald Koeman was instated as head coach, and the player became an integral part in the rebuilding of the team, making the right-winger position his own. The campaign ended in huge success as the Amsterdam club conquered the double, with him scoring five times in the league. In 2002–03 Van der Meyde – playing alongside the likes of youngsters as Mido, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Steven Pienaar and Cristian Chivu – scored a career-best 11 goals, while also helping Ajax to the quarterfinals in the UEFA Champions League, netting in a crucial 1–1 away draw against Roma which certified the team's qualification for the knockout stages.

Inter Milan

In the 2003 off-season, 24-year-old Van der Meyde was acquired by Inter Milan from Italy, for £4 million. However, he managed only 14 Serie A appearances in his first season, appearing slightly more in the following campaign. Van der Meyde scored a spectacular goal against Arsenal on 17 September 2003, in the Champions League group stage 3–0 away…

On 19 May 2002, Van der Meyde was handed his debut for Dick Advocaat's Dutch national team against the United States, which he marked with a goal in a 2–0 win. He helped the country reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2004, featuring in four games – all starts – and assisting Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 1–1 group stage draw to Germany, but being overlooked for the last-four match against Portugal. After the tournament, following Marco van Basten's appointment as national team manager and the emergence of youngsters as Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart, Van der Meyde failed to receive another callup, finishing his international career with 17 caps.

Club

International

Van der Meyde has two daughters from a previous marriage. In November 2012, following the publication of his biography Geen genade (English: No Mercy), Van der Meyde gave a series of media interviews, including with The Times in England, in which he admitted to a long term series of personal problems: after a difficult first year in Milan he spent a long time on the bench in his second year, and began drinking. Offered the chance to join AS Monaco at the end of the season his wife, who liked to keep animals, rejected the prospect of living in an apartment, so he moved to Everton. Injured upon arriving, he played regularly for a period after regaining fitness, before getting injured against Manchester United; in rehabilitation for six months, after his newly born daughter was hospitalised for an equal period, he again turned to alcohol. In his second year at Everton, Van der Meyde's wife and daughters returned to the Netherlands to enable his youngest child to have access to hospital treatment and to maintain close ties with family members. Van der Meyde began an affair, which his wife discovered after she paid a private detective to follow his activities; this led to his divorce, and also a break-up with his girlfriend. After his contract with Everton was terminated at the end of the fourth season due to recurring injuries, personal problems, and falling out with manager David Moyes, Van der Meyde remained as a resident of Liverpool for a year. Moving in with a friend he…