Edson Braafheid

Edson Braafheid

Personal information
Full name	Edson René Braafheid
Date of birth	8 April 1983 (1983-04-08)
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Suriname
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Left back
Club information
Current club	1899 Hoffenheim
Number	28
Youth career
	JOS Amsterdam
	Amstelland
	Abcoude
0000–2003	Utrecht
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2007	Utrecht	81	(2)
2007–2009	Twente	76	(1)
2009–2011	Bayern Munich	12	(0)
2010	→ Celtic (loan)	10	(0)
2011–	1899 Hoffenheim	24	(0)
National team‡
2004–2006	Netherlands U-21	15	(0)
2009–	Netherlands	10	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 January 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2011

Edson René Braafheid (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛtsɔn ˈbraːfɦɛi̯t]; born 8 April 1983 in Paramaribo) is a Surinamese-born Dutch footballer who currently plays as a left back for German Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim.

Club career

Utrecht

Braafheid began his professional career at FC Utrecht in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the side.

FC Twente

On 10 February 2007, Braafheid played his first Eredivisie match for FC Twente against Feyenoord. His current contract at the club lasts until 2010.

Braafheid came to Twente on a free transfer after his contract with Utrecht expired; he was a talented left back, but Braafheid impressed friend and foe when playing for Twente as a strong, sturdy central defender instead of his former position. He kept talented central defender Ramon Zomer out of the Twente squad ever since he made the position his own. Former Twente coach Fred Rutten is to thank for that, turning Braafheid from a noticeably talented back to an impressive central defender, despite his mediate height.

Bayern Munich

Braafheid joined Bayern Munich for the 2009–10 season after the German club and Twente agreed on a €2 million transfer deal on 11 June 2009. He was not able to secure himself a place in the starting squad, however, during the first half of the season, he asked for a transfer in order to have a chance of being nominated for the Dutch 2010 World Cup team.

Celtic

Braafheid was signed by Celtic of Scotland on a loan deal until the end of the 2009–10 season on 1 February.

Braafheid made his debut for Celtic on 7 February 2010 in a 4–2 victory over Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup. He failed to make an impression afterwards, and played in several draws and defeats in crucial games for Celtic. He was finally dropped from the first team following the sacking of Tony Mowbray on 25 March 2010.

1899 Hoffenheim

After Braafheid made only three appearances in the first leg of the new season, he moved to fellow Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim on January 27, following teammate David Alaba. On 5 February 2011, Braafheid made his debut for the team in the 3–2 home win against FC Kaiserslautern, but was sent off only six minutes after coming on as a substitute for Vedad Ibisevic.

International career

Braafheid with Dutch fans.

In 2006, Braafheid was part of the Netherlands squad that won the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006 in Portugal.

In a column in early 2008, critic Hugo Borst had named Braafheid as a true defender, and stated he should have been in the Dutch squad for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland under manager Marco van Basten. Dutch fans heavily criticised the defence after Jaap Stam, Frank de Boer, and other highly rated defenders said goodbye to the Oranje shirt. Even despite the defenders since then continued to concede very few goals in the post-Stam era, defence was considered as the greatest weakness. On 11 February 2009, Braafheid made his debut for the Dutch national team against Tunisia.

2008 Summer Olympics

In early summer of 2008, Braafheid was selected for the Dutch Olympic Squad going to Beijing, along with fellow Twente defender Rob Wielaert, as one of the three possible dispensation players. But as Twente qualified for UEFA Champions League football in play-offs by beating Ajax, Braafheid and Wielaert were no longer allowed to go, as their Champions League matches were early in the season.

2010 World Cup

Braafheid 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 competing in South Africa. Braafheid was brought onto the pitch for Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the World Cup final just before the end of the first prolongation. Near the end of second prolongation he received an accidental volley that hit the back of his head. Luckily, the ball fell right into the arms of the Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. The Netherlands went on to lose the match, thus making them the runners up for a third time in a World Cup final. Braafheid and the rest of his team were rewarded with a silver medal.

Career stats

As of 22 January 2012

Season	Club	Country	Competition	Matches	Goals
2003–04	Utrecht	Netherlands	Eredivisie	14	0
2004–05				23	0
2005–06				31	2
2006–07				13	0
2006–07	Twente			11	0
2007–08				32	0
2008–09				33	1
2009–10	Bayern Munich	Germany	Bundesliga	9	0
2009–10	Celtic (loan)	Scotland	SPL	10	0
2010–11	Bayern Munich	Germany	Bundesliga	3	0
2011–	Hoffenheim	Germany	Bundesliga	24	0
			Total	203	3

External links

• Edson Braafheid at National-Football-Teams.com
• Profile at VI.nl (Dutch)