Robert Niestroj
Waldemar Robert Niestroj (born 2 December 1976 in Opole, Silesia, Poland) is a professional footballer of German nationality.[1] He is currently with SV Straelen and has previously played for a number of clubs in Germany, England, Greece and Iceland.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Waldemar Robert Niestroj | ||
| Date of birth | 2 December 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Opole, Poland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | SV Straelen | ||
| Youth career | |||
| TSV Eller 04 | |||
| 1991–1995 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 44 | (8) |
| 1998–2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | → 1. FC Nürnberg (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Iraklis Salonica (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 72 | (6) |
| 2004–2005 | FC Sachsen Leipzig | 27 | (3) |
| 2005 | Grindavik | 16 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Preußen Münster | 17 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Panserraikos | 14 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | SV Straelen | 9 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Career
Niestroj began his professional career with Fortuna Düsseldorf, making his debut on 26 April 1997 in a 0–5 loss at Bayern Munich, the only Bundesliga appearance of his career. He broke into the team during the 1997–98 season, scoring seven times, the best seasonal tally of his career.
After a bright start to the following campaign, he was spotted by English First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers,[2] who bought him in November 1998 for £500,000 as Colin Lee's first signing. He failed to make much impact though and managed just seven appearances in total (six of which came during the 1998–99 season that saw the club miss out on the play-offs on the final day).
Out of favour at Molineux, he spent the rest of his contract on loan at 1. FC Nürnberg and Greek side Iraklis Salonica. He then rejoined his former club Fortuna Düsseldorf as a free agent in January 2002, where he remained for a season-and-a-half.
He had short stays at FC Sachsen Leipzig, Icelandic side Grindavik, Preußen Münster and Greeks Panserraikos. He is currently playing for SV Straelen in the Verbandsliga Niederrhein (sixth tier).
References
- "Robert Niestroj" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
- Matthews, Tony (2001). The Wolves Who's Who. West Midlands: Britespot. ISBN 1-904103-01-4.