Thomas Vermaelen

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Thomas Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen.jpg
Personal information
Full name Thomas Vermaelen
Date of birth 14 November 1985 (1985-11-14) (age 26)
Place of birth Kapellen, Belgium
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club Arsenal
Number 5
Youth career
000?–1999 Germinal Ekeren
1999–2000 Germinal Beerschot
2000–2003 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2003–2009 Ajax 98 (8)
2004–2005 → RKC Waalwijk (loan) 13 (2)
2009– Arsenal 51 (10)
National team‡
2005–2007 Belgium U21 11 (1)
2008 Belgium U23 5 (0)
2006– Belgium 33 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:57, 23 January 2012 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:22, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

Thomas Vermaelen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtoː.mɑs ˌvər.ˈmaː.lə(n)]) (born 14 November 1985) is a Belgian footballer who plays for the Premier League club Arsenal and the Belgian national team. Being left-footed, he usually plays as a left-sided centre back and can play at left back as well.[2] He is currently the vice captain of Arsenal, with Robin van Persie named captain.

Contents

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Vermaelen started his career in his home country with Germinal Ekeren, which later changed its name to Germinal Beerschot after a merger.

Vermaelen was with Ajax from 2000 - 2009.

[edit] Ajax

Vermaelen joined the academy of Dutch club Ajax. He made his professional debut on 15 February 2004 in a 2–0 away win over Volendam. It was however the only match he played during the season in which Ajax won the Eredivisie championship. He was sent on loan to RKC Waalwijk for the 2004–05 season. At RKC he was not a first team regular, but made thirteen appearances in which he scored three goals.

His breakthrough came when he returned to Ajax and won the KNVB Cup. Performances that season resulted in a call-up to the Belgium national football team. Ajax won the Johan Cruijff Shield and another KNVB Cup the following season and in 2007, they won the Johan Cruijff Shield for the second consecutive time.[3] He forged a partnership with fellow academy graduate John Heitinga and later Jan Vertonghen when Heitinga left for Spain. Following the departure of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in mid-season, Vermaelen served as captain of Ajax for the remainder of the 2008–09 season and he played mostly as a left-back.

[edit] Arsenal

Vermaelen (right) with Arsenal

Vermaelen joined Arsenal from Ajax for an initial fee of €10 million (rising to €12 million) on 19 June 2009, signing a four-year contract.[4][5] After Kolo Touré surrendered the number 5 jersey to him upon joining Manchester City,[6] Vermaelen, with William Gallas, formed Arsenal's central defence pairing. Vermaelen made his Premier League debut on 15 August 2009 in 1–6 away win against Everton, and scored in the 37th minute.[7] He became the 84th Arsenal player to score on their debut.[8] He then scored a brace against Wigan in a 4–0 victory.[9] Arsenal fans voted him as their player of the month twice in a row on Arsenal.com,[10][11] and affectionately nicknamed him the 'Verminator'.[2] However, he scored an own goal in a home match against Chelsea when a cross came in from Ashley Cole. The game finished 3–0 to Chelsea.[12] He became notable for being a goal scoring defender, due to his spectacular 25 yard left footed goal against Blackburn Rovers and many headed goals during the first half of Arsenal's 2009–10 season.[13] In recognition for his contributions, he was nominated for the Belgian Sportsman of the year award[14] and was also included in the PFA team of the season.[15] Vermaelen finished the season with 45 games and 8 goals in all competitions under his belt.

In the pre-season of the 2010–11 season, Vermaelen captained Arsenal in an Emirates Cup match against A.C. Milan with regular captain Cesc Fàbregas and vice captains Manuel Almunia and Robin van Persie not in the squad.[16]

In the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Vermaelen made his 50th appearance for Arsenal in the space of just over a season, playing the full 90 minutes alongside new signing Laurent Koscielny in Arsenal's 2–1 win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on 28 August 2010. He started all of the first three Arsenal matches of the season before suffering an Achilles injury on international duty with Belgium.[17] He had a new injury setback when Arsène Wenger reported that the achilles problem would keep him out of action until 2011.[18] On 17 March 2011, Arsene Wenger confirmed that Vermaelen would miss the remainder of the season with a new injury setback.,[19] but on 26 April, Vermaelen played 90 minutes in his first competitive game after 8 months in a reserves game against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 28 April. On 8 May, he was included in Arsenal's 18-man squad travelling to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, however, Vermaelen was an unused sub, but on 15 May, he finally returned, in Arsenal's 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa and played the full 90 minutes. Following Cesc Fabregas's transfer to Barcelona in August 2011, Thomas was named as vice captain of Arsenal, with Robin van Persie named captain.[20] On 6 September 2011 he had treatment on his Achilles tendon which could rule Vermaelan out for at least six weeks. On 18 October 2011 he signed a contract extension to keep him at the club for an additional 4 years. He made his long-awaited return against Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the Carling Cup, where he captained the side to a 2–1 victory at the Emirates Stadium. He suffered a suspected calf injury in the 84th minute, but to Arsenal's relief, he stated in the post-match interview it was just a cramp. On 29 October 2011, he came on as an 88th minute substitue in Arsenal's 5–3 away win against Chelsea replacing Gervinho. This was his first league match since Arsenal's 2–0 home defeat to Liverpool, on 20 August. On 1 November, Vermaelen started his first UEFA Champions League game in 3 months against Olympique de Marseille and played a key role in helping keep a clean sheet for the Gunners in which the game ended 0–0. Vermaelen scored Arsenal's second goal in their 3–0 win over West Brom on 5 November. He also featured in the 1–1 draw with Fulham on 26 November, when he scored a 65th minute own-goal but salvaged a point with an 82nd minute equaliser for Arsenal. On 3 December, Vermaelen scored the second goal against Wigan to win the match 4–0.[21]

[edit] International career

A former youth international, Vermaelen had participated in the U-19 Championships and the 2007 U-21 European Championships. He made his senior debut for Belgium at age 20 against Luxembourg in March 2006. On 8 October 2009, he was named Belgium captain[22] prior to the games against Turkey and Estonia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers but could not prevent the Belgians from finishing fourth in their group. He was recalled to squad for 14 November friendly against Hungary and scored his first goal for his country by tapping in a Eden Hazard cross. Vermaelen is regarded as one of the best Belgian defenders of his generation.[23]

[edit] International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 November 2009 Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium  Hungary
2–0
3–0
 Friendly

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Club

As of 29 January 2012
Club Season League Cup[24] Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Ajax 2003–04 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Waalwijk (loan) 2004–05 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 2 0
Ajax 2005–06 24 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 29 3 0
2006–07 23 0 0 3 0 0 7 0 0 33 0 0
2007–08 19 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 21 1 0
2008–09 31 4 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 40 5 0
Total 111 10 0 3 0 0 23 1 0 137 11 0
Arsenal 2009–10 33 7 1 1 0 0 11 1 1 45 8 2
2010–11 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1
2011–12 13 3 1 3 0 0 5 0 1 21 3 2
Total 51 10 3 4 0 0 16 1 2 71 11 5
Career total 162 20 3 7 0 0 39 2 2 208 22 5

[edit] Honours

Vermaelen (left) with Jan Vertonghen at Ajax.

[edit] Club

Ajax

[edit] Individual


[edit] References

  1. ^ "Player Profile: Thomas Vermaelen". premierleague.com (Premier League). http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/profile.overview.html/thomas-vermaelen. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 
  2. ^ a b White, Duncan (24 October 2009). "Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen earns himself 'Verminator' nickname". Telegraph.co.uk (London: The Telegraph). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/6424578/Arsenals-Thomas-Vermaelen-earns-himself-Verminator-nickname.html. Retrieved 2010-05-28. 
  3. ^ "VZ: De transferobjecten van de Eredivisie". Voetbalzone.nl. Voetbalzone. 8 June 2009. http://www.voetbalzone.nl/doc.asp?uid=80130. Retrieved 2009-07-08. 
  4. ^ "Thomas Vermaelen joins Arsenal". Ajax.nl. Ajax. 19 June 2009. http://english.ajax.nl/News/Archive/Article/Thomas-Vermaelen-joins-Arsenal.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
  5. ^ "Thomas Vermaelen completes move to Arsenal". Arsenal.com. Arsenal. 19 June 2009. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/thomas-vermaelen-completes-move-to-arsenal. Retrieved 2009-06-19. 
  6. ^ Hytner, David (20 August 2009). "Thomas Vermaelen's seamless transition augurs well for Arsenal's defence". London: The Guardian newspaper. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/aug/20/thomas-vermaelen-arsenal-defender. Retrieved 31 October 2009. 
  7. ^ Dawkes, Phil (15 August 2009). "Everton 1–6 Arsenal". BBC.co.uk (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8199120.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-16. 
  8. ^ "Thomas Vermaelen is 84th debut goalscorer". Arsneal.com. Arsenal. 17 August 2009. http://www.arsenal.com/usa/sh/news/news-archive/debut-scorers. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
  9. ^ Dawkes, Phil (19 September 2009). "Arsenal 4-0 Wigan". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/8256624.stm. 
  10. ^ "Vermaelen is EA SPORTS Player of the Month!". Arsenal.com. Arsenal. 10 September 2009. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/vermaelen-is-ea-sports-player-of-the-month-. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
  11. ^ "Vermaelen is EA SPORTS Player of the Month!". Arsenal.com. Arsenal. 14 October 2009. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/30011/vermaelen-is-ea-sports-player-of-the-month-. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
  12. ^ "Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea". BBC News. 29 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/8377195.stm. 
  13. ^ Bellwood, Tom (5 October 2009). "When defenders attack - Arsenal star Thomas Vermaelen follows Steve Bruce, Joleon Lescott, Stuart Pearce and more as unlikely goal heroes". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1218281/When-defenders-attack--Arsenal-star-Thomas-Vermaelen-follows-Steve-Bruce-Joleon-Lescott-Stuart-Pearce-unlikely-goal-heroes.html. 
  14. ^ "65 nominés pour les 4 plus prestigieux prix du sport" (in French). lalibre.be. 9 November 2009. http://www.lalibre.be/sports/omnisports/article/541723/65-nomines-pour-les-4-plus-prestigieux-prix-du-sport.html. 
  15. ^ . May 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1268852/Wayne-Rooney-Manchester-United-dominate-PFA-Team-Year.html. 
  16. ^ Grant Wilson (31 July 2010). "Arsenal Defender Thomas Vermaelen Impressed With New Defensive Partner Laurent Koscielny". Goal.com. http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2010/07/31/2050518/arsenal-defender-thomas-vermaelen-impressed-with-new. Retrieved 31 July 2010. 
  17. ^ http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/diaby-and-vermaelen-out-for-braga-clash
  18. ^ "Vermaelen blow rocks Gunners". The Sun (London). 6 December 2010. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3262193/Thomas-Vermaelen-will-not-return-until-the-New-Year.html. 
  19. ^ "Vermaelen out for the season". news (internet). 17 March 2011. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6818468,00.html. 
  20. ^ Arsenal F.C. (16 August 2011). "van Persie appointed as Arsenal captain". Arsenal.com. http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/van-persie-appointed-as-arsenal-captain. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  21. ^ "Vermaelen scores at both ends in draw". ESPN Soccernet. 26 November 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/318114?cc=5739. Retrieved 28 November 2011. 
  22. ^ "Vermaelen is de nieuwe kapitein van de Rode Duivels" (in Dutch). De Morgen Voetbal. 8 October 2009. http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/998/Voetbal/article/detail/1012973/2009/10/08/Vermaelen-is-de-nieuwe-kapitein-van-de-Rode-Duivels.dhtml. 
  23. ^ "Diables Rouges – Quelle équipe samedi contre la Hongrie?" (in French). lalibre.be. 13 November 2009. http://www.lalibre.be/sports/football/article/542531/diables-rouges-quelle-equipe-samedi-contre-la-hongrie.html. 
  24. ^ Includes FA Cup and League Cup.

[edit] External links

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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar		 Captain of AFC Ajax
2009		 Succeeded by
Luis Suárez
Arsenal F.C. – current squad
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