Quick Facts
Biography
Kevin Strootman (born 13 February 1990) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for Roma and the Netherlands national football team.
Club career
Sparta Rotterdam
Born in Ridderkerk, Strootman began his career with Sparta Rotterdam, making his professional debut during the 2007–08 season. He signed a contract extension with the club in November 2008. 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. He played with Utrecht in the second half of the 2010–11 season, before moving to PSV in June 2011.
PSV
Strootman was joined at PSV with fellow Utrecht recruit Dries Mertens. 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."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. 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."
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. 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, 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. His first start of the 2014–15 season came in a 2–2 draw with Sassuolo on 7 December. 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.
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.
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.
International career
Strootman made his senior international debut for the Netherlands against Austria in 2011 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.
Style of play
Strootman is said to be a tough-tackling midfielder, possessing good vision and balance on the ball. 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. He is known as the Dutch Roy Keane, drawing comparisons for his uncompromising style of play. During his first season with Roma (2013–2014), he earned the nickname er lavatrice, "the washing machine", for his ability to always clean up play.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 5 October 2016.
| 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 | |||||||
| 2007–08 | Sparta Rotterdam | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | 4 | 0 | 35 | 5 | |||
| 2010–11 | Eerste Divisie | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| FC Utrecht | Eredivisie | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | PSV | Eredivisie | 30 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 3 | — | 46 | 6 | |
| 2012–13 | 32 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 8 | ||
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
| 2013–14 | Roma | Serie A | 25 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | ||
| Totals | Netherlands | 148 | 18 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 187 | 28 | |
| Italy | 45 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 193 | 24 | 23 | 7 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 244 | 36 | ||
International
- As of 10 October 2016
| Dutch national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2011 | 10 | 1 |
| 2012 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 32 | 3 |
Honours
- PSV Eindhoven
- KNVB Cup: 2011–12
- Johan Cruijff-schaal: 2012