Gregory van der Wiel

Ajax

Van der Wiel started his playing career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam. At age seven, the young defender was scouted by AFC Ajax and brought to the Ajax Academy at "De Toekomst". In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC Haarlem due to the player having a "mentality problem". Talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said, "When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was always well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans and brought to the club. At Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five-year-old outfits, and had to find our own way to the trainings. The atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development. It was a wake-up call for me." In 2005, Ajax approached him once again and brought him back to the Academy. His second stint at the club proved to be a much more successful experience, resulting in him signing his first professional contract, effectively starting from July 2006. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard, Van der Wiel was made captain of Jong Ajax. Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against Twente, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam. He would play three more matches that season. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Van der Wiel signed a four–year contract with the club, keeping him…

Youth career

After previously representing the Netherlands under-19 national team, Van der Wiel has been capped at the under-21 level and participated at the 2007 Toulon Tournament. Although he recovered from the knee injury, Van der Wiel did not make the final Dutch squad for the Olympic Games in Beijing, following which he was disappointed and critical of manager Foppe de Haan's decision. Later in 2008, Van der Wiel featured two more times for the under-21 side. In November 2008, Van der Wiel was initially included in the Netherlands' B-team squad for their match against the Sweden national under-21 team. However, he was replaced by Rens van Eijden due to a groin injury sustained during training.

Senior career

On 6 February 2009, Van der Wiel was called up by the senior Dutch team for the first time. He then made his senior debut on 11 February as a substitute for former Ajax teammate John Heitinga in the friendly match against Tunisia. He made his first competitive debut on 28 March 2009 as a starter in a 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Scotland. He again played the entire match for the 4–0 World Cup qualification victory over Macedonia on 1 April 2009.

Twitter incident

In October 2009, Van der Wiel became embroiled in a controversy after he was unable to travel with the Dutch squad to Australia for a friendly match due to a concussion sustained while playing for Ajax. However, Van der Wiel later attended a Lil Wayne…

A versatile defender, Van der Wiel usually played as an attacking right-back or wing-back and is known for his speedy runs down the flank, as well as his defensive skills, ability on the ball and distribution. He is also capable of playing as a wide midfielder on either flank, or even as a centre-back.

Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel has a Dutch-Antillean father from Curaçao and a Dutch mother. He has three younger sisters: Layla, Ambar and Hind. When asked about his religion, he said, "I believe in God, but do not believe in faith. I keep my superstition for myself." Van der Wiel is friends with footballers Hurşut Meriç, having grown up together in Amsterdam, and Jan-Arie van der Heijden, having known each other at their early careers at Ajax. Van der Wiel has numerous tattoos of which he said, "[I] have two quotes (pronouns), my mother's name, my father's initials, the first letters of the names of my sisters, some decorations and my own name, that was my first tattoo. My parents thought eighteen was a good age for my first tattoo.. But they would rather not see me get a tattoo. Nowadays you see children getting tattooed at an earlier age. I think eighteen is a good age myself." He has also said hip hop is his culture. In November 2009, Van der Wiel donated money to help Dutch club HFC Haarlem in its financial difficulties. However, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful as the club declared bankruptcy on 25 January 2010. Later in 2010, the Johan Cruyff Foundation dedicated a "Cruyff Court" in Van der Wiel's name. Van der Wiel had the court built in the Sapaté district in Curaçao—where his family is from—which was officially opened on 15 June 2011. In August 2015, Van der Wiel was a victim of a robbery after thieves broke into his apartment and stole his luxury…