Theo Snelders

Snelders was born in Westervoort, Gelderland. He started his career with Twente, but is mostly remembered in Scotland, especially for his spell at Aberdeen following his move for £300,000 in summer 1988. A successful replacement for Jim Leighton, he had a very good first season at Pittodrie, winning the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1989. He saved Anton Rogan's penalty in Aberdeen's penalty shootout win over Celtic in the 1990 Scottish Cup Final. After fracturing a cheekbone in a collision with Ally McCoist of Rangers in 1991, he was unavailable for the club's vital winner-takes-all match against the Gers in May of that year, with inexperienced understudy Michael Watt unable to prevent a 2–0 defeat. Snelders had also played in the Aberdeen side that beat Rangers to win the 1989 Scottish League Cup Final, but tasted defeat against the same opponents in that tournament's 1988 and 1992 editions and in the 1993 Scottish Cup Final, and was the regular goalkeeper as the Dons finished runners-up to Rangers in five of his seven full league campaigns. Midway through one of the campaigns, in which the team was not challenging for honours (1991–92), Snelders was sent off for an incident of violent conduct on the pitch; his reaction to a penalty being awarded to Keith Wright of Hibernian was to strike the forward to the head, followed by kicking the ball over the stand and out of the stadium. His makeshift replacement, defender Brian Irvine, saved the spot-kick, only for…

Snelders was a member of the Dutch squad at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship. He made his only full international appearance on 22 March 1989, against the Soviet Union. He kept a clean sheet as the Dutch won 2–0, with the goals coming from a Marco van Basten diving header and a Ronald Koeman penalty. Snelders was an unused substitute with the Dutch team at the 1994 World Cup.

Club

International

Aberdeen

Scottish Premier Division: Runners-up 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94 Scottish Cup: 1989–90; runners-up 1992–93 Scottish League Cup: 1989–90; runners-up 1988–89 Rangers

Scottish League Cup: 1996–97