Eljero Elia

Eljero George Rinaldo Elia (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛlɟəroː ˈeːlijaː]; born 13 February 1987) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish team İstanbul Başakşehir and the Netherlands national team.

Eljero Elia
Elia at practice with Hamburger SV in 2009.
Personal information
Full name Eljero George Rinaldo Elia[1]
Date of birth (1987-02-13) 13 February 1987
Place of birth Leidschendam-Voorburg, Netherlands
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Winger
Club information
Current team
 İstanbul Başakşehir
Number 11
Youth career
SV Voorburg
Forum Sport
TONEGIDO
1996–2000 ADO Den Haag
2000–2002 Ajax
2002–2004 ADO Den Haag
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2007 ADO Den Haag 59 (6)
2007–2009 Twente 64 (11)
2009–2011 Hamburger SV 52 (7)
2011–2012 Juventus 4 (0)
2012–2015 Werder Bremen 66 (4)
2015 → Southampton (loan) 16 (2)
2015–2017 Feyenoord 55 (17)
2017– İstanbul Başakşehir 63 (7)
National team‡
2006–2008 Netherlands U21 7 (1)
2009 Netherlands B 1 (0)
2009– Netherlands 30 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:44, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 June 2018

He turned professional at ADO Den Haag and then played for Twente before moving abroad to represent Hamburger SV, Juventus and Werder Bremen. In 2015, he came back to his home country to play for Feyenoord before moving to his current club, İstanbul Başakşehir, in 2017.

Elia scored on his debut for the Netherlands national team in September 2009 and was part of the Dutch squad which reached the final at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Club career

Early career

Born in Leidschendam-Voorburg, Elia played as a youth for local sides SV Voorburg, Forum Sport and TONEGIDO.[3] In 1996, at age nine, he moved to the youth system of ADO Den Haag.[3]

ADO Den Haag

Elia made his professional debut on 23 January 2005 against Groningen at age 17.[4] In that season, he played four matches and scored his first professional goal in a match against AZ on 8 May.[5] Elia soon established himself in the starting lineup at ADO Den Haag.

After some conflicts between Elia and ADO's new coach, Lex Schoenmaker,[6] Twente signed him in 2007.[7]

Elia with Twente in 2008

Twente

Besides Twente, Ajax were also keen to sign Elia. However, had he chosen Ajax, he would have initially been sent on loan to ADO Den Haag, where he had left after disagreements with their head coach, Schoenmaker.[6] Furthermore, ADO had suffered relegation in the meantime and Elia did not want to play in the Eerste Divisie.[6][8]

Elia made his debut for Twente in a 2–2 draw against Utrecht on 26 August 2007.[9] He scored his first goal in a 2–1 win over Heracles Almelo on 8 February 2008,[10] and scored another goal in a 2–1 win over Ajax the following month. In his first season at the club, Elia made 30 appearances and scored twice in the league.[11]

Under new manager Steve McClaren, Elia improved and went on a goalscoring run with 11 goals. He made his European debut in the third qualifying round of the Champions League against English club Arsenal, where Twente lost in both legs.[12] Despite the club's elimination from the tournement, they progressed to the UEFA Cup group stage, where Elia scored his first European goal in a 2–3 loss to Manchester City on 6 November 2008.[13] After advancing from the group, Twente lost over two legs in the round of 32 against Marseille after penalties.[14] In the Dutch Cup, Twente progressed to the final against Heerenveen, where Elia scored the opener, which would not be enough as Twente lost on penalties after Youssouf Hersi missed the decisive kick.[15] Nonetheless, Elia was named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year for 2009, adding to his burgeoning reputation as an emerging talent in Europe.[16]

In the January transfer window, Ajax and PSV were linked with a move to sign Elia after his breakout season for Twente. Ajax had their bid rejected twice by the club in their efforts to sign Elia.[17] Elia ended all speculation by signing a five-year contract extension Twente, keeping him at the club until 2013.[18] However, two months after signing a new contract, Elia announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the season.[19]

Hamburger SV
Elia pictured taken on 25 July 2012.

On 5 July 2009, Elia joined Hamburger SV on a five-year contract[20] that cost €8.5 million. On 8 August 2009, he made his debut as a substitute in the first match of the season against SC Freiburg. He scored his first league debut goal in a 4–2 win over VfL Wolfsburg on 23 August 2009. Five months later, he scored a brace and set up a goal in a 4–0 win over 1. FC Nürnberg. Elia scored his first Europa League goal in a 4–2 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv on 1 October 2009. In a 1–1 draw at Mainz 05 on 28 November 2009, Elia suffered an ankle injury in the 15th minute. He missed the rest of the season following an ankle surgery, which manager Bruno Labbadia described as a "bitter blow".[21]

During his first season, in March 2010, Elia had a severe infection due to a poorly applied tattoo, which meant he felt uncomfortable in his shirt. As a result, Hamburg's neighbours Werder Bremen have since banned their players from getting tattoos.[22] In his debut season, Elia made 24 appearances and scored five goals. At the end of the season, Elia was linked with several clubs such as Juventus, but insisted he knew nothing about a move and wanted to stay at Hamburg for another season.[23]

In his second season, Elia was rotated and played less frequently, which led him to consider leaving the club if he did not regain his starting position.[24] In his third season, Elia made four appearances before moving to Juventus. While at Hamburg, Elia was fined by the club after he stated that the club's team style didn't suit him and claimed the club did not look after him while on the sideline.[25]

Juventus

On 31 August 2011, Juventus confirmed the signing of Elia from Hamburg on a four-year contract for a fee of €9 million.[26] Elia made his Juventus debut on 25 September 2011 in a 1–1 draw against Catania. Elia, however, found it hard to make an impact in the black and white shirt and featured only four times in the whole season. Despite Juventus winning the Serie A title without losing a game, Elia announced he wanted to leave the club in order to revive his career elsewhere.[27] The following month, on 11 June 2012, Elia handed in a transfer request which was granted by Juventus.[28]

Werder Bremen

On 9 July 2012, Werder Bremen confirmed the signing of Elia from Juventus on a four-year contract for a fee of €5.5 million.[29] After moving to Bremen, Elia said he hoped that he could resurrect his form and aimed to earn an international call-up.[30] He appeared in his first game for Bremen in a 2–1 loss in the opening game of the season against Borussia Dortmund. After making seven appearances with no goals, Elia admitted he found it difficult to adapt to the club's playing style.[31] Despite this, he made 25 total appearances for the club that season, in which he scored one goal.[11]

In the 2013–14 season, Elia started strongly when he scored two goals and his first for Bremen against 1. FC Nürnberg in a 3-3 draw on 29 September 2013.[32] He then scored two goals in two matches against Mainz 05 on 24 November 2013, when Bremen lost 3–2,[33] and in a 4–4 draw against 1899 Hoffenheim on 30 November 2013.[34] The 2013–14 season was an improvement for Elia, as he made 33 appearances and scored four times. His improvement led the club to decide against selling him.[35]

In the 2014–15 season, Elia made a good start in the opening game of the season, where he provided an assist for Franco Di Santo in a 2–2 draw against Hertha BSC.[36] Elia's season, however, was interrupted when he missed a game due to gastrointestinal virus[37] before causing controversy on social media when he tweeted the words "Ready for War" ahead of the Nordderby.[25] In December 2014, manager Viktor Skrypnyk decided to drop Elia from the first team matchday squad.[38]

Upon returning to his parent club from Southampton in the summer of 2015, Werder exempted Elia from regular first-team training to find a new club and also considered placing him into the club's reserve.[39][40]

Southampton (loan)

On 23 December 2014, Southampton announced that Elia would join them on loan from 3 January 2015 for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season.[41]

On 11 January 2015, Elia made his Premier League debut for Southampton in a 1–0 win away to Manchester United at Old Trafford; he was replaced by substitute Dušan Tadić after 63 minutes, who went on to score the winning goal.[42] Elia scored his first Premier League goals with a brace in a 2–1 victory at Newcastle United on 17 January.[43] After making 13 appearances and scoring twice, Elia was keen to stay at the club permanently,[44] with Werder Bremen's chief director claiming Southampton wanted to sign him.[45]

Feyenoord
"I think Elia runs twenty meters within a second. Once he is firmly in the game, you can't stop him. You can kick him down, but at a certain moment you already got enough cards, then you can't do that either."

—Bram van Polen commends Elia for his performance in the 2–0 loss of PEC Zwolle against Feyenoord on 27 September 2015.[46]

On 6 August 2015, Elia signed a two year-deal with Dutch side Feyenoord under the management of former Arsenal player Giovanni van Bronckhorst.[47] Elia made his debut for the club on 30 August in a 3–1 loss to rivals PSV.[48] In 2016, Elia, playing as a starting regular for the Rotterdam-based outfit, won the KNVB Cup, the club's 12th title.

On 7 March 2016, Elia was brought in for questioning and arrested for his alleged involvement in a brawl in the Rotterdam city centre the week before.[49]

The following season with Feyenoord, Elia won the Eredivisie title of 2017.[50]

İstanbul Başakşehir

On 13 June 2017, he joined Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir on a 3-year contract.[51]

International career

Elia first appeared for the Netherlands national under-19 team in 2005, a year after his debut as a professional. He developed rapidly and at the beginning of 2006, he was selected for the U21 side. He was selected by coach Bert van Marwijk for the senior team's friendly encounter with England.[52]

On 6 September 2009, Elia made his debut for the Netherlands against Japan in a friendly match.[53] He came on at half-time replacing Arjen Robben. His first match for the Oranje went very well, and he produced two assists in a 3–0 victory.[54] In his second match, on 9 September 2009, Elia scored the only goal to win a match against Scotland.[55] He scored his second international goal in a 6–1 friendly win over Hungary with a solo effort after coming on as a substitute.

Elia with the Dutch national team in 2010

2010 World Cup

On 27 May 2010, Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk announced that Elia would be part of the 23-man final squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[56] In the first match, he set up their second goal in a 2–0 win over Denmark, with his shot hitting the post and Dirk Kuyt tapping it in. In Durban, during the Netherlands' second match of the group stage, Elia came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute, after the Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima fumbled a powerful effort by Wesley Sneijder into the back of the net to give the Dutch a 1–0 lead after 53 minutes.[57] In the 66th minute of the Netherlands' final group stage match against Cameroon, Elia came on as a substitute for Kuyt.

In the final, Elia was a 71st-minute substitute for Kuyt, as Netherlands finished runners-up to Spain.[58]

Personal life

Elia's first name is an homage to his sister's favourite jazz singer, Al Jarreau.[59] As a child, he idolised Romario.[59]

Career statistics
As of match played on 28 December 2019.[11]
Club Season League Cup1 Continental2 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
ADO Den Haag 2004–05 4100—41
2005–06 30200—302
2006–07 25310—263
Total 59610—606
Twente 2007–08 3020060362
2008–09 34954814714
Total 6411541418316
Hamburger SV 2009–10 24510101356
2010–11 24210—252
2011–12 4010—50
Total 52730101658
Juventus 2011–12 4010—50
Total 4010—50
Werder Bremen 2012–13 24011—251
2013–14 33400—334
2014–15 9010—100
Total 66421—685
Southampton (loan) 2014–15 16210—172
Total 16210—172
Feyenoord 2015–16 31860—378
2016–17 24941303110
Total 5517101306818
İstanbul Başakşehir 2017–18 2450083328
2018–19 2112010241
2019–20 1110050161
Total 567201437210
Career total 3725425640543365

1 Includes appearances in the KNVB Cup, DFB-Pokal, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, and Turkish Cup.
1 Includes appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

International goals
Updated to games played 27 March 2015.[60]
Eljero Elia: International goals
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
19 September 2009Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland Scotland1–01–02010 World Cup qualification
25 June 2010Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands Hungary5–16–1Friendly

Honours

Juventus[50]

Feyenoord[50]

Netherlands[11]

Individual

References
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