Michael de Leeuw
Michael de Leeuw (born 7 October 1986) is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for FC Emmen.[1]
_(cropped).jpg) de Leeuw with Chicago Fire in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Jeroen Maarten Michiel de Leeuw | ||
| Date of birth | 7 October 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Goirle, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | FC Emmen | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| DWC | |||
| RKTVV Tilburg | |||
| 2007–2009 | Willem II | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2011 | SC Veendam | 67 | (38) |
| 2011–2012 | De Graafschap | 33 | (10) |
| 2012–2016 | FC Groningen | 111 | (48) |
| 2016–2018 | Chicago Fire | 57 | (12) |
| 2019– | FC Emmen | 37 | (10) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 8 February 2020 | |||
Career
Born in Goirle, De Leeuw began his career at amateur clubs DWC and RKTVV before joining the youth department of Willem II. He never broke through to the first team, and therefore chose to play for BV Veendam in the Dutch second division.
Veendam
De Leeuw was placed as a striker in his first year for Veendam, and he was an immediate success, scoring 25 goals in 36 league matches. At the end of the year, he won the topscorer award and the award for 'Talent of the Year', for the most talented player of the season.[2] He was chased by several clubs in the Eredivisie and clubs abroad, but in the end chose to stay in Veendam.[3][4]
FC Groningen
On 22 May 2012, FC Groningen announced that they had signed De Leeuw.
He helped the Green-White Army win the KNVB Cup in 2014/15 against defending champions PEC Zwolle. It was their first major trophy and they qualified for the UEFA Europa League.[5][6]
Chicago Fire
On 17 May 2016, the Chicago Fire announced they have signed De Leeuw to a three-year deal through 2018 with a club option for 2019.[7]
In his first season with Chicago, de Leeuw contributed seven goals and three assists across 17 games. In his second season with Chicago, de Leeuw's role switched to supporting striker behind Nemanja Nikolic, who led the League's scoring in 2017. In his new role de Leeuw contributed a career high eight assists along with three goals.
His season was cut short by a ruptured ACL injury suffered against New York City FC on 30 September 2017, he is expected back to recover by August 2018.[8]
de Leeuw was released by Chicago at the end of their 2018 season.[9]
Career statistics
| 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 | |||||||
| 2009–10 | BV Veendam | Eerste Divisie | 36 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 37 | 25 | |
| 2010–11 | 31 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | De Graafschap | Eredivisie | 33 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 11 |
| 2012–13 | FC Groningen | 30 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 12 | |
| 2013–14 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2014–15 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 24 | ||
| 2015–16 | 27 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 10 | ||
| Netherlands Total | 209 | 94 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 241 | 105 | ||
| MLS | League | US Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions League | Other | Total | |||||||
| 2016 | Chicago Fire | MLS | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 8 |
| 2017 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 | ||
| 2018 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | ||
| MLS Total | 57 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 13 | ||
| 2018-19 | FC Emmen | Eredivisie | 16 | 3 | – | – | – | 16 | 3 | |||
| 2019-20 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 8 | ||||||
| FC Emmen Total | 37 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 303 | 116 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 339 | 129 | ||
Statistics accurate as of last match played on 1 February 2020.
Honours
References
- Michael de Leeuw at WorldFootball.net
- "De Leeuw en De Vries gelauwerd in Jupiler League". VI. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- "De Leeuw gewilde prooi bij verschillende clubs". VI. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- "The top scorer in the Dutch Eerste Divisie has not yet been snapped up". IMScouting. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
- "Groningen claim first trophy with KNVB Cup triumph". Goal.com. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- "PEC Zwolle vs. Groningen - 3 May 2015 - Soccerway". Za.soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- "Chicago Fire Acquire Dutch Forward Michael de Leeuw". Chicago: Chicago Fire Soccer Club. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- "Michael de Leeuw". Chicago Fire. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- "Chicago Fire Soccer Club Exercises Contract Options on Six Players". Chicago-Fire.com. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
External links
- Michael de Leeuw at Voetbal International (in Dutch) – Archived 2016-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Michael de Leeuw at Chicago Fire Soccer Club