Kevin Strootman

Kevin Strootman

Strootman with PSV in 2011
Personal information
Full name Kevin Strootman
Date of birth (1990-02-13) 13 February 1990
Place of birth Ridderkerk, Netherlands
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Roma
Number 6
Youth career
2007–2009 Sparta Rotterdam
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2008–2011 Sparta Rotterdam 72 (8)
2011 Utrecht 14 (2)
2011–2013 PSV 62 (8)
2013– Roma 31 (5)
National team‡
2008–2009 Netherlands U19 4 (1)
2009–2013 Netherlands U21 12 (1)
2011– Netherlands 25 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 January 2015.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 March 2014

Kevin Strootman (born 13 February 1990) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for Roma and the Netherlands national football team.[2]

Club career

Sparta Rotterdam

Born in Ridderkerk, Strootman began his career with Sparta Rotterdam, making his professional debut during the 2007–08 season.[3] He signed a contract extension with the club in November 2008.[4] After they were relegated at the end of the 2009–10 Eredivisie season, he played with Sparta in the Eerste Divisie.

Utrecht

In the January transfer window of 2011, Strootman was signed by FC Utrecht.[5] He played with Utrecht in the second half of the 2010–11 season,[3] before moving to PSV in June 2011.[6]

PSV

Strootman was joined at PSV with fellow Utrecht recruit Dries Mertens.[7] He said about the move, "I could have continued my development at Utrecht, but PSV is one of the top clubs in the Netherlands, where I can quickly become a better player. This was the most logical step. There have been a number of steps in quick succession, but I do not think about it." [8] Strootman made his PSV debut in a 3–1 home win against AZ. He made 88 total appearances for the Eindhoven club.

Roma

On 16 July 2013, PSV and Roma finalized a deal for Strootman's transfer to the Italian Serie A side in a deal worth €17 million, with the fee potentially rising to €19 million through add-ons.[9] He was given the number 6 shirt. After completing the move, Strootman commented to the Gazzetta dello Sport, "I'm really happy to be here. The negotiations went on too long, but I'm finally a Roma player. This is a top club, I joined because I know we can start winning immediately." [10]

In a pre-season friendly against the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Stars, Strootman scored one goal and assisted another as Roma prevailed 3–1 at Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kansas.[11] He scored his first competitive goal for Roma in 3–1 Serie A victory over Parma. He went on to score in matches against Torino, Atalanta, Milan and Livorno.

On 9 March 2014, Strootman sustained a knee injury in Roma's 1–0 defeat to Napoli which made him miss the remainder of the 2013–14 season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[12] where the Dutch selection finished third.

On 9 November, Strootman made his first appearance for Roma in exactly eight months, appearing as an 84th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat of Torino at the Stadio Olimpico.[13] His first start of the 2014–15 season came in a 2–2 draw with Sassuolo on 7 December.[14] He assisted the first of captain Francesco Totti's two goals after appearing as a substitute in Roma's 2–2 draw with Lazio in the 175th Derby della Capitale on 12 January 2015.[15]

On 26 January 2015, Strootman was substituted in a Serie A fixture against Fiorentina after sustaining further damage to his anterior cruciate ligament. Three days later, it was confirmed that the player would again undergo knee surgery.[16]

On 26 August 2015, it was reported that, in spite of failing to make a single appearance in seven months, Strootman's injury will again require surgery. The procedure will once again extensively sideline the player, presumably for the entire season.[17]

International career

Strootman made his senior international debut for the Netherlands against Austria in 2011[18] and scored his first international goal against Finland in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier. He was a member of the Netherlands' squad at Euro 2012 but did not appear in any matches as the Dutch were knocked out at the group stage.

He appeared for the Netherlands U21 team at the 2013 UEFA Euro U21 Championship where the team reached the semi-finals, losing to Italy.

Strootman was a regular in Louis van Gaal's side during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.[19]

Style of play

Strootman is said to be a tough-tackling midfielder, possessing good vision and balance on the ball.[5] He is a physical, tactically strong midfielder. He is best used as a central midfielder, often serving as a box-to-box midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker.[20] He is known as the Dutch Roy Keane, drawing comparisons for his uncompromising style of play.[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of 31 July 2015.[22]
Club performance League Cup Continental Other Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Netherlands League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
2007–08Sparta RotterdamEredivisie3000–—30
2008–0925231——283
2009–1028233—40355
2010–11Eerste Divisie16410——174
2010–11FC UtrechtEredivisie1422000—162
2011–12PSVEredivisie30251113—466
2012–13326514110428
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Other Total
2013–14RomaSerie A25541——296
2014–156000100070
Totals Netherlands 148181961545018728
Italy 315411000366
Career total 179232371645022234

International

As of 5 March 2014[22]
Dutch national team
YearAppsGoals
2011101
201250
201392
201410
Total253

Honours

PSV Eindhoven

References

  1. ↑ http://www.asromastore.it/eu-it/players/kevin-strootman
  2. ↑ Kevin Strootman profile at Soccerway
  3. 1 2 "Profile" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Sparta houdt Falkenburg en Strootman binnenboord" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 Kevin Strootman: Scout Report | Sportskeeda
  6. ↑ "PSV hengelt Utrecht-duo Mertens/Strootman binnen" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  7. ↑ PSV - Kevin Strootman and Dries Mertens sign five-year deals
  8. ↑ "Strootman: PSV not a stepping stone". FIFA. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  9. ↑ PSV ontvangt bankgaranties, Strootman-deal rond (Dutch)
  10. ↑ "Strootman spies immediate success with Roma". UEFA. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Roma beats MLS All-Stars". FIFA. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "World Cup news: Dutch star Kevin Strootman ruled out of finals". BSkyB. 10 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "Roma 3-0 Torino". BBC. 9 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "AS Roma 2-2 Sassuolo". ESPN. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Francesco Totti takes selfie after leading Roma fightback against Lazio". The Guardian. 15 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Roma midfielder Strootman to have more knee surgery". Australia News. 29 January 2015.
  17. ↑ http://gazzettaworld.gazzetta.it/news/serie-a/roma/strootman-injury-requires-surgery/
  18. ↑ Kevin Strootman at National-Football-Teams.com
  19. ↑ Kevin Strootman – FIFA competition record
  20. ↑ Dutch Football League - Talent Scout - Kevin Strootman
  21. ↑ Man United Linked With January Move to Sign ‘Dutch Roy Keane’ | CaughtOffside
  22. 1 2 "Kevin Strootman Voetbal International profile". Voetbal International.

External links

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