Orlando Engelaar

NAC Breda

Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Engelaar began playing football when he was seven years old and said: "Football is my life. I'm working on it day and night." Engelaar then joined Feyenoord in the youth system at the same age after being invited to an open day. He quickly impressed the Feyenoord's management and joined the academy. Engelaar then spent fifteen years at Feyenoord". Having started out playing as a striker, Engelaar eventually settled into a midfield or defensive role where he impressed with his aerial and passing abilities. He then explained his final years at the academy, saying: "I had now signed a three-year contract at the age of eighteen. In the first half of the second season I had to come back from that injury. That took time, of course. I was told I could leave. I was able to go to the Excelsior satellite club. But I didn't see it that way. That club then played - nine, ten years ago - without any prospects in the first division. At that time there were few examples of players who came out well again. I'm not going to be stabled at Excelsior, you do that with a cow.' At his father's request, he accepted the invitation to play with the Suriprofs team. That was then coached by Henk ten Cate. Engelaar left such a good impression that the Amsterdam trainer offered him a contract on behalf of NAC. But then Feyenoord did not want to lose the midfielder anymore - he had started to play better again." After fifteen years at Feyenoord, Engelaar…

Engelaar was eligible to play for Suriname, as his father was born in the country and once played as a centre-back for the national team. Engelaar declared his participation for Netherlands, having ruled out to play for Belgium and said he's capable for the Oranje. Manager Marco van Basten mentioned Engelaar and hinted that he could be in the squad. On 28 May 2007, Engelaar was called up to the Netherlands squad for the first time. He made his international debut for the Oranje in a friendly against South Korea on 2 June 2007. He later made two appearances for Netherlands later in the year, both coming on as a substitute against Thailand and Belarus. In March 2008, Engelaar said in an interview that he determined to make it to the Netherlands squad for the UEFA Euro squad. Two months later, Engelaar was included in the Oranje's provisional squad. He made his first start for Netherlands against Ukraine on 24 May 2008 and started the whole game, as they won 3–0. Engelaar made two more starts for Oranje against Denmark and Wales. His performance prior to the tournament convinced coach Marco van Basten to include the player in the 23 men squad. He played the full match in the Netherlands' 3–0 victory over Italy in their Group C match. After the match, manager Van Basten praised Engelaar's performance, saying: "He played an excellent role in his controlling role. Engelaar was calm on the ball, controlled the game well on the right and left and was well positioned for falling…

Melbourne Heart

A-League Goal of the Year 2014