Demy de Zeeuw

Go Ahead Eagles

De Zeeuw began playing football in his hometown Apeldoorn at WSV Apeldoorn and stated that football was his passion, having started out playing the sport when he was five years old. De Zeeuw played there until he was twelve at which point he was scouted by Go Ahead Eagles. De Zeeuw progressed through the club's youth system and signed his first professional contract with them when he was eighteen years old. De Zeeuw played his first matches in professional football for the Deventer-based Go Ahead Eagles. In the 2001–02 season, he played three league matches for the club, and went on to play five seasons for the club, playing 65 matches and scoring 7 goals. By the 2004–05 season, de Zeeuw established himself as an important player for the club. His performance attracted from Eredivisie clubs, including FC Groningen.

AZ

De Zeeuw's performances were noticed by Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar, especially after he played well during a friendly game against AZ in the summer of 2005. AZ manager Louis van Gaal was impressed by the player and he transferred to the club for €100,000, signing a four-year contract. De Zeeuw made his debut for AZ Alkmaar in the opening game of the season against Sparta Rotterdam and started the whole game, as the club won 3–0. Since joining the club, he quickly became a first team regular, playing in the either defender and midfield position. De Zeeuw played in both legs of the first round of the UEFA Cup against Krylia…

Though de Zeeuw was born in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, he was eligible to represent the Netherlands Antilles before the team became defunct in 2010.

Netherlands U21

In May 2005, de Zeeuw was called up to the Netherlands U21 squad for the first time. He made his debut for the U21 Oranje side, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–0 win against Romania U21 on 3 June 2005. De Zeeuw was called up to the Netherlands U21 squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal. Three days later on 17 May 2006, he scored his first goal for the U21 Oranje side, in a 2–2 draw against Germany U21. Besides being an unused substitute in a 2–1 loss against Ukraine U21 in the group match, de Zeeuw played in every match on the tournament. Jong Oranje started and finished their campaign against Ukraine U21, going out on a high with a 3–0 win in the final, after surprisingly losing their opening game to the Ukrainian team. Following the tournament, manager Foppe de Haan praised both de Zeeuw and Ismaïl Aissati's performances. Following this, he went in to make ten appearances and scoring once for the Netherlands U21 side.

Senior team

De Zeeuw played so well for AZ that he was able to make his debut for the Netherlands national football team under then-manager Marco van Basten in August 2006. However, de Zeeuw spent the next seven months, appearing as an unused substitute. Impressive performances for AZ led to his international debut for the Netherlands national…

De Zeeuw revealed that when he was five years old, his parents divorced and he moved with his father to Apeldoorn. De Zeeuw spoke about his relationship with his mother, saying: "My mother was only 16 years old when she got me, my father a few years older. That is why it was a logical choice that I went to live with him. In the early years I saw my mother sometimes, then only once. I was fifteen. I have never seen or spoken to her since." In April 2014, de Zeeuw became a father when his girlfriend gave birth to a girl, Roqi. In April 2018, he became a second time father when his girlfriend (now wife) gave birth to a baby boy. In January 2011, de Zeeuw tweeted that his house was robbed after stating that the thieves took his jewellery, laptop and also his Fiat 500 car. In July 2014, he tweeted once again that his girlfriend's car was stolen while on vacation. Upon joining Spartak Moscow, de Zeeuw started learning Russian. He also speaks Dutch and English. Esquire named de Zeeuw as the most fashionable footballer and in the same interview, he later stated travelling as his greatest passion. De Zeeuw says his idol was Roberto Baggio while growing up. Demy de Zeeuw created his own brand called Balr with a few different Dutch men's footballers called Eljero Elia and Gregory van der Wiel. De Zeeuw also owns a few big Instagram accounts like: @balr, @433, @hotels and @wannahaves. He later revealed that his step mother was an influence for him to become a businessman.

AZ

Eredivisie: 2008–09 Ajax

Eredivisie: 2010–11 KNVB Cup: 2009–10 Anderlecht

Belgian Pro League: 2012–13, 2013–14 Belgian Super Cup: 2013 Netherlands

FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2010