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Fernando Ricksen

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Fernando Ricksen
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-07-27) 27 July 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Heerlen, Netherlands
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right back
Youth career
Fortuna Sittard
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1997 Fortuna Sittard 94 (5)
1997–2000 AZ 92 (12)
2000–2006 Rangers 182 (13)
2006 → Zenit Saint Petersburg (loan) 14 (2)
2007–2009 Zenit Saint Petersburg 36 (2)
2010–2013 Fortuna Sittard 48 (1)
Total 412 (32)
International career
2000–2003 Netherlands 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Fernando Jacob Hubertina Hendrika Ricksen (born 27 July 1976 in Heerlen) is a former Dutch football defender/midfielder. He played on the right side of defence, midfield or as a central holding player. He has won 12 caps for The Netherlands.

Ricksen, formerly of Fortuna Sittard, joined Rangers in 2000 from Dutch team AZ Alkmaar for a transfer fee of £3.75m.[1]

Career

Rangers

Ricksen endured a difficult start to his Rangers career, culminating in him being substituted after a torrid 23 minutes against countryman Bobby Petta in a 6–2 defeat to Celtic. On his second trip to Celtic Park six months later, he was sent-off before half-time in another defeat. He had been dropped for the two intervening derbies.[1]

In November 2000 Ricksen became the first player in Scottish football to be banned retrospectively on television evidence. His Kung Fu-style kick on Darren Young had been missed by the referee but caught on camera, leading to a five game ban. Ricksen subsequently used his personal website to suggest Young required "straightening out."[2]

After the departure of manager Dick Advocaat during season 2001–02, Ricksen helped the club to League Cup and Scottish Cup triumphs, under the management of Alex McLeish.

Ricksen was also a key player in Rangers' 2002–03 treble success, playing 46 games and scoring 3 goals, most notably a double in a 4–0 win against Hearts at Tynecastle.

2003–04 proved to be a failed season for Rangers, with the departure of several players from the treble winning season most notably Barry Ferguson and Lorenzo Amoruso. Ricksen, however, proved to be an important member of the Rangers team which finished second, playing 42 games, despite several injury and disciplinary problems throughout the season. In October 2003 Ricksen threw Rangers chairman John F. McClelland into a swimming pool before a match against Panathinaikos in Athens.[3] The same week he was banned from the Netherlands national team for smashing a hotel door down after a night out.[3] After the events Rangers banned Ricksen from talking to the media and manager McLeish said "We would rather have Fernando on the back pages and we have told him that."[3]

In March 2004 Ricksen was again banned by the SFA video review panel. He had elbowed Derek Riordan in a CIS Cup defeat to Hibernian, resulting in a four game ban and a £10,000 fine from his club.[4]

Ricksen was an ever-present during season 2004–05 playing 51 games and scoring 9 goals as Rangers won both the League Cup and the SPL after a dramatic last day of the season. Ricksen was also given the captaincy for a large part of the season following an injury to goalkeeper Stefan Klos. Ricksen was later voted both Rangers Player of the Year and joint Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year in a season which saw him thrive as one of the clubs key players.

In 2005–06, however, Ricksen failed to sustain the standard set the previous season as Rangers finished third in the SPL and without a trophy. Despite this domestic failure, Rangers did reach the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League however Ricksen was left-out for the games against Villarreal with youngster Alan Hutton preferred.

It remained unclear whether Ricksen would be seen as a key member of the Rangers team under new manager Paul Le Guen for the 2006–07 season. An alcohol-fueled incident involving a stewardess on Rangers' outbound flight to their pre-season camp in South Africa, led to Ricksen being sent home by Le Guen, who later described his behaviour as "inappropriate and unacceptable for the way in which I have asked my players to conduct themselves."[5]

Zenit St Petersburg

Ricksen moved on loan to Zenit St Petersburg on a season long loan on 9 August 2006, the Russian club's manager being Dick Advocaat, who signed Ricksen for Rangers. Two weeks later he returned to Ibrox in a friendly between Rangers and Zenit and was booed after injuring Chris Burke with what was described as a reckless tackle.[6][7] Weeks later, Ricksen engaged in an on-field fist-fight with Zenit captain Vladislav Radimov.[8] On 28 November 2006, Zenit St Petersburg announced that they bought out Ricksen's transfer from Rangers. Despite this Ricksen again fought with Radimov during a match in January 2007.[8] In January 2009, after two and a half years in Russia, Ricksen was demoted to Zenit's reserve side, having previously refused to leave the club. On 28 August 2009 FC Zenit terminated his contract because of Ricksen's constant disciplinary misbehaviours.[9]

Back at Sittard

After being without a club for more than a year, on 2 December 2010 Ricksen agreed to rejoin his childhood team Fortuna Sittard, involved in their battle to escape relegation from the Eerste Divisie, signing a contract till the end of the season.[10]

Personal life

On Christmas Day 2000 Ricksen was the subject of a report to the procurator fiscal after an incident when his car crashed into a lamppost in the early hours of the morning.[11] Ricksen denied charges of drink-driving, careless driving, committing a breach of the peace by shouting and swearing, and conducting himself in a disorderly manner.[12] At a trial in February 2003 Ricksen was found to have been twice over the limit and was convicted of drink-driving, receiving a £500 fine and a 12-month driving ban.[12] He was acquitted of the other charges.[12]

In October 2003 Ricksen was fined £7,000 after being convicted of a breach of the peace and assault in relation to a drunken late-night house party he held the previous November.[13] Having initially denied the charges, in Court Ricksen admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner, causing a breach of the peace, repeatedly igniting fireworks, shouting and swearing and then threatening and assaulting a neighbour who had complained.[8][14] In football season 2004–05 Ricksen self-imposed an abstinence from alcohol.[15]

In July 2006 Ricksen checked himself into the Sporting Chance Clinic for residential treatment relating to alcohol abuse and anger management.[16] For the previous six months he had been receiving out-patient treatment from the clinic.[17]

Ricksen is diagnosed with ALS.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
1993–94 Fortuna Sittard Eerste Divisie 2 0
1994–95 30 2
1995–96 Eredivisie 28 1
1996–97 34 4
1997–98 AZ Eerste Divisie 32 1
1998–99 Eredivisie 31 0
1999-00 29 9
Scotland League Scottish Cup League Cup Europe Total
2000–01 Rangers Premier League 27 1
2001–02 31 4
2002–03 35 3
2003–04 30 1
2004–05 38 4
2005–06 22 0
Russia League Russian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2006 Zenit Saint Petersburg Premier League 14 2 0 0 - - 0 0 14 2
2007 14 0 0 0 - - 3 0 17 0
2008 8 0 1 0 - - 0 0 9 0
2009 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0 0 0
Netherlands League KNVB Cup League Cup Europe Total
2010–11 Fortuna Sittard Eerste Divisie 17 0 17 0
2011–12 23 1 23 1
2011–12 8 0 8 0
Total Netherlands 234 18
Scotland 183 13
Russia 36 2 1 0 - - 3 0 40 2
Career total 445 33

Honours

With Fortuna Sittard

With AZ

With Rangers

With Zenit St Petersburg

References

  1. ^ a b He's behind you
  2. ^ A relaxed Ricksen puts his Celtic troubles behind him
  3. ^ a b c McLeish warns troubled Ricksen
  4. ^ Ricksen gets four-game ban
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/5164284.stm
  6. ^ Burke crocked by Ricksen tackle
  7. ^ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17616377%26method=full%26siteid=66633-name_page.html
  8. ^ a b c Fernando Ricksen
  9. ^ Official FC Zenit St. Petersburg website (Russian)
  10. ^ 'Ricksen maakt vrijdag rentree bij Fortuna'
  11. ^ Rangers player faces drink-drive charge
  12. ^ a b c Rangers star banned for drink-driving
  13. ^ Rangers footballer fined £7,000 for fireworks row
  14. ^ Ricksen appeal after fireworks fine
  15. ^ Troubled Ricksen consults clinic
  16. ^ Ricksen fireworks are sure to warm up final
  17. ^ Ricksen praised for taking action


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