Demy de Zeeuw

Demy Patrick René de Zeeuw (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdeːmi də ˈzeːu̯]; born 26 May 1983) is a Dutch footballer who last played for NAC Breda and the Netherlands national football team. He is a defensive midfielder described as a good tackler and a gifted passer of the ball. He previously played for AGOVV, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ and AFC Ajax. While at AZ he was a key player in the squad that won the 2008–09 Dutch league, the club's first championship victory in 28 years. Following this success he transferred to Ajax, with whom he won the 2009–10 Dutch Cup, and the 2010–11 Dutch league title.

Go Ahead Eagles

De Zeeuw during his time at AZ in 2007

De Zeeuw began playing football in his hometown Apeldoorn at WSV Apeldoorn. He played there until he was twelve at which point he was scouted by Go Ahead Eagles. He 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 he had established himself as an important player for the club. His performances were noticed by Eredivisie club AZ, 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 euros, signing a four-year contract.

AZ

During his first season in the Alkmaarderhout, De Zeeuw played 26 matches. Consequently, in May 2006 he was offered a new contract by AZ until 2010. The following season, he 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. His contract with AZ was extended again on May 2007. In the 2007–08 season, AZ performed below all expectations: before the start of the competition the team was seen as one of the challengers for the title, but halfway through the seasons all hope for winning the title was gone. De Zeeuw described the season as "one giant disappointment". Manager Van Gaal thought that the role of De Zeeuw in the squad had to change; he had to start carrying the team more. AZ finished the season in a disappointing 11th position in the league.

De Zeeuw (third from left) with Mark van Bommel, Gregory van der Wiel, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst

After UEFA Euro 2008, De Zeeuw was linked with a move to AFC Ajax where former Netherlands manager Marco van Basten had taken over, but a move failed to materialise. Partly because of his public soliciting for a transfer he saw himself out of the starting line-up at the beginning of the 2008–09 season in the opening match against NAC Breda. The player was almost transferred to Hamburger SV on the last day of the transfer period after an accord on the transfer fee was reached between the two clubs. However the German club was too late to register the player with the German Football Association, so a move again failed to materialise. Despite his problems at the beginning of the season, De Zeeuw soon fought himself back into the starting line-up during the third league match, a 1–0 victory over PSV Eindhoven. AZ would not lose a single match in the rest of the first half of the competition, and during the winter break HSV again wanted to sign the player, but AZ stated that they would not allow the player to leave halfway throughout the season.

De Zeeuw (second from bottom right) with Ajax teammates in 2010

In the spring of 2009, AZ offered De Zeeuw a contract extension again, this time until 2011. This time, however, the player rejected the proposal. At the end of the season, the player celebrated the first championship victory with AZ in 28 years. The success brought more attention from international clubs including HSV once again. In July 2009 Ajax officially announced that they were interested in signing the player. De Zeeuw himself stated that he was interested in moving to the Amsterdam club where former HSV manager Martin Jol had taken over from Van Basten. AZ initially stated that they did not wish to sell the player to a club they saw as a direct competitor, but after several weeks showed a willingness to cooperate on the transfer. On 24 July 2009, the definite transfer from AZ to Ajax was announced for a reported 6 million euros. The player signed a contract for 4 seasons, until 2013.

Ajax

De Zeeuw was presented to the Ajax fans ahead of a match between Ajax and Atlético Madrid during the Amsterdam Tournament. He made his professional debut for Ajax on 2 August 2009 in a 2–0 away win against FC Groningen. De Zeeuw scored his first Eredivisie goal for Ajax on 29 September 2009 in a 3–0 victory over ADO Den Haag at the Amsterdam ArenA.

In a buildup to a match against AZ, De Zeeuw's former club, on 25 October 2009, De Zeeuw made an assist for Gregory van der Wiel. However, the match was overshadowed for De Zeeuw, as he was booed and jeered by AZ Alkmaar fans, who at one point called him "cancer jew", so referee Bas Nijhuis stopped the match for time being. On 1 November 2009, De Zeeuw scored a brace in the "klassieker" against arch-rivals Feyenoord in a 5–1 thrashing of the Rotterdam team. The midfielder scored another brace on 22 November 2009 in a 5–1 demolition of SC Heerenveen, taking his league tally to five goals in fourteen matches. In the final of KNVB Cup, De Zeeuw played in both legs and in the second leg, he set up a goal for Siem de Jong, as Ajax beat Feyernood 6–1 on aggregate. Though Ajax finished second behind Twente, De Zeeuw finished his season with a positive one, as he scored eleven goals in forty-seven appearance in all competitions.

The 2010-11 season saw De Zeeuw help the club reach the Group-Stage of the Champions League after beating PAOK Salonika and Dynamo Kiev. He scored his European goal as Ajax beat Auxerre 2-1 on 19 October 2010. Manager Martin Jol was sacked and replaced by Frank de Boer. Under de Boer, De Zeeuw's playing style changed after de Boer made changes to the club's style of play. In de Boer's first game, De Zeeuw scored another European goal, in a 2-0 win over Milan on 8 December 2010, though Ajax would finish third place in the group stage. Nevertheless, the club would play in the Europa League. On the last day of the January transfer window, De Zeeuw was linked with a move to the Turkish team Fenerbahçe who even made a bid for him, which was rejected by Ajax. De Zeeuw would score his first goal of the season, in a 4-0 win against his former club, AZ on 6 March 2011 and was also named man of the match.

In the final of the KNVB Cup against Twente, De Zeeuw scored the opener after just 19 minutes. But unfortunately, Ajax would lose 3-2 to Twente. Despite this, the 2010-11 season saw De Zeeuw help the club win the league. At the end of the season, de Zeeuw was linked with a move to Spartak Moscow. Manager de Boer was willing to sell him at the right price.

Spartak Moscow

On 6 July 2011, it was reported that Demy de Zeeuw had transferred to the Russian club for an estimated 7 million euros. As a result of the move to Spartak Moscow, his first club, Go Ahead Eagles, received 5% transfer move. Upon joining Spartak Moscow, De Zeeuw would play in the same position, just like he did at Ajax, Valeri Karpin suggested.

After being absent for two games at the start of the season, De Zeeuw made his debut for the club in a 4-2 win over Terek Grozny on 7 August 2011. After a slow start, De Zeeuw scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Krylia Sovetov Samara on 18 September 2011. He scored in the next match, on 25 September 2011, in a 4-2 win over Krasnodar, though he was injured later in the game. After the match, the manager suggested he suffered a concussion as the result of his injury. De Zeeuw sustained a knee injury and had to be substituted in the 62nd minute during a match against Tom Tomsk, which they won 4-0. As a result, he would miss the remaining two games before taking a long break until March. In his season at the club, making thirteen appearances and scoring twice, De Zeeuw was criticised by the club's supporters. In response to criticism, De Zeeuw said he doesn't get on the first team because of injuries, and was often played in occasional games.

In the 2012-13 season, De Zeeuw received a second bookable offense in the play-off of the Champions League, as they beat Fenerbahçe 3-2 on aggregate to reach the group-stage. After the match, De Zeeuw expressed dissatisfaction at receiving a second bookable offense. At Spartak Moscow, De Zeeuw was unable to earn his first place, as he could not really prevail and often sat on the bench.

After joining Anderlecht on loan, De Zeeuw was described as the "worst transfer signing" by Manager Karpin, who signed him from Ajax. De Zeeuw expressed relief at leaving the club. At the end of the 2012-13 season, De Zeeuw was considered by the club to be in the first team next season, but De Zeeuw made it clear that he refused to return to the club.

At the end of the 2013-14 season, De Zeeuw was released by the club.

Anderlecht (loan)

On 22 January 2013, De Zeeuw joined Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht on loan for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the club on 15 February 2013, in a 2-0 victory over Charleroi and then scored his first goal for the club on 19 May 2013, in a 4-2 win over Lokeren. The club would win the league after a 1-1 draw against Zulte-Waregem.

On 5 July 2013, De Zeeuw was loaned again by the club for the second time, which would keep him until the end of the 2013-14 season. He scored his first goal of the season when he scored in a 4-3 loss against Zulte-Waregem and a week after, he scored again in the round six of the Belgian Cup, in a 7-0 win over Eupen. On 5 November 2013, De Zeeuw scored again in the Champions League Group Stage, in a 1-1 draw against PSG. After the match, De Zeeuw said scoring against PSG made it his day, as he relished it. On 30 November 2013, De Zeeuw was later criticised by Manager John van den Brom for having a bad attitude. De Zeeuw would make fourteen appearances for the club and at the end of the season, he left Anderlecht.

NAC Breda

On 7 February 2015, De Zeeuw signed an amateur deal with Dutch Eredivisie team NAC Breda until the end of the season. Because of Dutch football regulations, De Zeeuw's amateur deal was turned into a professional deal on 10 February 2015.

De Zeeuw playing for The Netherlands

De Zeeuw was a member of the Dutch squad that won the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2006. He was also eligible to represent the Netherlands Antilles.

De Zeeuw usually plays as a defensive midfielder and in the national team he has to compete with the likes of Mark van Bommel, Orlando Engelaar, and Nigel de Jong in that position. Impressive performances for AZ led to his international debut for the Dutch national team in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia on 28 March 2007.

Euro 2008

During the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Albania De Zeeuw was in the starting line-up. De Zeeuw hoped to make a good impression during UEFA Euro 2008 to earn a transfer to another club, but his appearance was limited to a single appearance in the group stage against Romania.

2010 World Cup

De Zeeuw was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition. The player came on as a substitute for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark. De Zeeuw was in the starting line-up for the semi-final match against Uruguay. However, the player had to be replaced by Rafael van der Vaart at half time after an incident where he was kicked in the face by Martín Cáceres. Neuropsychology concludes that De Zeeuw could have suffered multiple symptoms.

Post 2010 World Cup

Since the World Cup, De Zeeuw struggled to earn a call up by the national team and cited lack of first opportunities at Spartak Moscow, as well as injuries, as some of the reasons for his absence.

Statistics accurate as of matches played on 23 June 2012

In January 2011, De Zeeuw tweeted that his house was robbed. He claims that the thieves took his jewelry, laptop and also his Fiat 500 car.

Upon joining Spartak Moscow, De Zeeuw started learning Russian. Esquire named De Zeeuw as the most fashionable footballer. De Zeeuw says his idol was Roberto Baggio while growing up.

In 2013, De Zeeuw became a father when his girlfriend gave birth to a girl.

Balr: Demy de Zeeuw created his own brand called Balr with a few different Dutch footballers called Eljero Elia and Gregory Van Der Wiel. De Zeeuw also owns a few big instagram accounts like: @balr, @433, @hotels and @wannahaves.

De Zeeuw with the Netherlands wearing his World Cup runners-up medal