Eljero Elia

Eljero Elia

Elia at practice with Hamburg in 2009.
Personal information
Full name	Eljero George Rinaldo Elia
Date of birth	13 February 1987 (1987-02-13)
Place of birth	Voorburg, Netherlands
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Juventus
Number	17
Youth career
1996–2000	ADO Den Haag
2000–2002	Ajax
2002–2004	ADO Den Haag
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2007	ADO Den Haag	56	(8)
2007–2009	Twente	62	(14)
2009–2011	Hamburger SV	47	(9)
2011–	Juventus	2	(0)
National team‡
2009	Netherlands B	1	(0)
2009–	Netherlands	26	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 September 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 September 2011

Eljero George Rinaldo Elia (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛldʒəroː ˈeːlijaː]; born 13 February 1987 in Voorburg) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Juventus and the Dutch national team. He scored on his debut for the Dutch national team in September 2009 and participated at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Club career

ADO Den Haag

Before excelling in the ADO Den Haag youth team, Elia played for many amateur clubs. He made his professional debut in 2004 when he was just 17 years old. In that season, he played four matches and scored one goal for Den Haag. But things went wrong when Den Haag picked their new coach, Lex Schoenmaker. After some conflicts with Elia, FC Twente moved in to sign the exciting young player.

Elia with Twente in 2008

Twente

Not only FC Twente were interested in Elia's signature but also Ajax were keen to sign him but if he chose Ajax, he would first be loaned back to ADO Den Haag, and Elia did not have a chance of playing there. ADO Den Haag were also relegated, and he did not want to play in the Eerste Divisie. When he played for FC Twente, he was recognised as one of the Eredivisie's best players, and named Dutch Football Talent of the Year in 2009 which added to his already growing reputation in Europe.

Hamburger SV

On 5 July 2009, after media speculation Elia joined Hamburger SV on a five-year contract. and cost €8.5 million. On 8 August 2009, Elia made his debut as a substitute in the first match of the season.

In March 2010, Elia had a severe infection due to a poorly applied tattoo, which meant he felt uncomfortable in his shirt. As a result, Hamburg's neighbours Werder Bremen have since banned their players from getting tattoos.

Juventus

On 31 August 2011, Juventus confirmed the signing of Eljero Elia from Hamburg on a four-year contract for a fee of €9million.

International career

Elia first appeared for the Netherlands U19 team in 2005, a year after his debut as a professional. He developed rapidly, and in the beginning of 2006, he was selected for Netherlands under-21 team. He was selected by coach Bert van Marwijk for the senior team's friendly encounter with England.

On 6 September 2009, Elia had his debut for the Netherlands against Japan in a friendly match. He came on at half-time replacing Arjen Robben. His first match for the Oranje went very well, with Elia producing two assists in the 3–0 victory. In just his second match, Elia scored the only goal to win a match against Scotland on 9 September 2009. Elia scored his second international goal in a 6–1 friendly win over Hungary with a solo effort after coming on as a substitute.

Elia with the Dutch national team in 2010

2010 World Cup

Elia was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 27 May 2010, the Netherlands' manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.

He assisted their second goal in a 2–0 win over Denmark, with his shot hitting the post and Dirk Kuyt tapping it in. In Durban, during the Netherlands' second match of the group stage, Elia came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute, after the Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima fumbled a powerful effort by Wesley Sneijder into the back of the net to give the Dutch a 1–0 lead after 53 minutes of play.

In the 66th minute of the Netherlands' final group stage match, against Cameroon, he came on as a substitute for Dirk Kuyt.

International goals

Eljero Elia: International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 September 2009	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	1–0	1–0	2010 World Cup qualification
2	5 June 2010	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	5–1	6–1	Friendly

Career statistics

As of 8 December 2011.

Club	Season	League			Cup			Continental			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Den Haag	2004–05	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1	0
	2005–06	30	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2	1
	2006–07	25	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	3	2
Den Haag		59	6	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	59	6	3
Twente	2007–08	30	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2	1
	2008–09	34	9	4	3	3	0	6	1	1	43	13	5
Twente		64	11	5	3	3	0	6	1	1	73	15	6
Hamburg	2009–10	24	5	7	1	0	0	8	1	1	33	6	8
	2010–11	24	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	25	2	3
Hamburg		52	7	10	3	0	0	8	1	1	63	8	11
Juventus	2011–12	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
Career totals		177	24	18	7	3	0	14	2	2	198	29	20

External links

• Eljero Elia Voetbal International (Dutch)
• Eljero Elia at transfermarkt
• Eljero Elia stats at Sky Sports
• Eljero Elia at kicker.de (German)
• Eljero Elia at fussballdaten.de (German)