Khalid Boulahrouz

Khalid Boulahrouz
Personal information
Full name Khalid Boulahrouz[1]
Date of birth (1981-12-28) 28 December 1981
Place of birth Maassluis, Netherlands
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Playing position Defender
Youth career
Excelsior Maassluis
DSOV
Ajax
Haarlem
0000–2001 AZ
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2004 RKC Waalwijk 64 (4)
2004–2006 Hamburger SV 52 (1)
2006–2008 Chelsea 13 (0)
2007–2008 → Sevilla (loan) 6 (0)
2008–2012 VfB Stuttgart 64 (2)
2012–2013 Sporting CP 11 (0)
2013–2014 Brøndby IF 13 (0)
2014–2015 Feyenoord 12 (0)
Total 235 (7)
National team‡
2002–2003 Netherlands U21 5 (0)
2004–2012 Netherlands 35 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 May 2015.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 December 2013

Khalid Boulahrouz (pronounced [xɑˈlit bulɑˈrus]; born 28 December 1981 in Maassluis) is a Dutch former footballer. His nickname is "The Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" the opposition.[3] He is noted for his tackling and versatility at the back.[4]

He played top-flight football in the Netherlands, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal and Denmark. A full international from 2004 to 2012, he earned 35 caps and was included in the Dutch squads for two World Cups and two European Championships.

Personal life

Boulahrouz was born in Maassluis, Netherlands to a family of Moroccan descent. He has eight siblings. As a youngster he went to the youth academies of Ajax and Haarlem. When he was sixteen his father died and he had to take responsibility for his family.[5]

In December 2006, he married Sabia Thele. While Boulahrouz was in Switzerland preparing for the Euro 2008 quarter finals against Russia, his then wife Sabia gave birth to a prematurely born daughter Anissa who died in a Lausanne hospital.[6] He opted to play against Russia a few days later, during which the Dutch team wore black armbands in his daughter's memory.[7]

The couple has a second daughter, Amaya (born March 2010)[8] and a son, Daamin (born 30 January 2011). In January 2013 the couple announced its separation and Sabia has since formed a relationship with fellow player Rafael van der Vaart.

After splitting from Sabia, he began dating Miss Nederland 2014 Yasmin Verheijen in October 2014.[9]

Club career

In his youth Boulahrouz played consecutively for Excelsior Maassluis,[10] DSOV,[11] Ajax, Haarlem and AZ.

RKC Waalwijk

After a difficult period playing for different clubs, he finally found some stability at Waalwijk, where coach Martin Jol gave him the confidence he had been looking for.[5] He began his professional career in the Dutch Eredivisie for RKC on 9 March 2002, against Heerenveen.

Hamburger SV

After playing two seasons for RKC he moved to Hamburg to play in the German Bundesliga at the start of the 2004–05 season. While at Hamburg, he earned his nickname "Khalid der Kannibale" ("Khalid the Cannibal") for his ability to eat up the opposition.[3] This is illustrated by the amount of cards he received – 16 yellows and three reds in two seasons at the club. He was also part of a defence that conceded the least amount of goals in the 2005–06 Bundesliga season: 30 goals in 34 games.[12]

Chelsea

Boulahrouz with Chelsea

On 18 August 2006, Chelsea agreed a fee with Hamburg to sign Boulahrouz. The fee was thought to be around £8.5 million (€12 million).[13] After Chelsea's opening game of the 2006–07 season, manager José Mourinho confirmed that the club had signed Boulahrouz and the club but was waiting for his international clearance to be finalised,[14] before speaking of the potential roles Boulahrouz will have in the side. Mourinho stated "In a short squad and in a country where you can have only 16 players for a match, it’s important to have cover for many positions. So, for example, now I can have [Khalid] Boulahrouz, Ricardo [Carvalho] and John [Terry] — three options for the centre; I can have Paulo [Ferreira] and Boulahrouz – two options for the right side; I can have Boulahrouz and Wayne Bridge — two options for the left side."[14]

On 21 August 2006, Chelsea completed the signing of Boulahrouz. Six days later, he was handed his Premiership début against Blackburn Rovers. He wore the number 9 shirt, previously occupied by Hernán Crespo – this is an unconventional number for a defender, being traditionally associated with strikers, but was given to him just because it happened to be one of the numbers not currently allocated to a player by Chelsea at the time of signing.

Boulahrouz made a promising start to his Chelsea career, figuring prominently in high-profile games against Liverpool and more notably Barcelona where he dominated Ronaldinho. However, Boulahrouz gradually dropped out of favour. Boulahrouz was out for a lengthy period of time after a knee injury, followed by a shoulder injury while playing in an FA Cup tie against Norwich City.

Boulahrouz eventually dropped out of contention as the season wound down, with John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho as the first-choice defensive pairing. When Carvalho was injured, manager Mourinho paired Terry with Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien.

Sevilla (loan)

Boulahrouz joined Spanish club Sevilla on a year-long loan for the 2007–08 season.[15] However, he played just six games for them and was deemed surplus to requirements. He returned to Chelsea in 2008 but was not given a squad number and made no appearances.

VfB Stuttgart

On 21 July 2008, Boulahrouz moved to VfB Stuttgart for a fee of around €5 million.[16][17] He struggled in his first three seasons. Early in the 2011–12 Bundesliga season, however, Khalid became a regular in the starting line-up. The 29-year-old defender had his 100th cap in the top German league on 17 September 2011 at SC Freiburg. Two weeks later, Boulahrouz scored his first goal (only his second in the Bundesliga) for Stuttgart on 30 September 2011.[18] His goal came in the 69th minute of a 2–0 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

In May 2012 VfB Stuttgart announced that his expiring contract of would not be extended.[19]

Sporting CP

On 18 July 2012 Boulahrouz signed a two-year contract with Sporting Clube de Portugal.[20] He made 11 league appearances for the club, and on 3 September 2013 his contract was terminated.[21]

Brøndby IF

On 7 October 2013, Boulahrouz signed a contract which is due until the summer 2014.[22] The transfer was confirmed after many weeks of negotiating. He made 13 league appearances for Brøndby IF that season. Boulahrouz had quite a lot of injuries during his stay at Brøndby, which was one of the reasons why a new contract was not discussed.[23]

Feyenoord

On 14 July 2014 it was officially announced that Boulahrouz had signed a one-year contract with Feyenoord free of transfer.[24] He was on the list of the Rotterdam-based club for many years, but due to financial troubles in the past, Boulahrouz had been reluctant to make that step. Now that Feyenoord defenders Stefan de Vrij and Daryl Janmaat are likely to be transferred after a very successful World Cup 2014 performance, after the confirmed departure of Bruno Martins Indi, Boulahrouz is attracted because of his defending skills and as the mentor of young players. On 11 February 2016, more than half a year after his contract with Feyenoord had expired, Boulahrouz announced his retirement from professional football.[25]

International career

Boulahrouz with former Netherlands manager Marco van Basten.

Boulahrouz' displays for RKC caused Marco van Basten to pick him for the Netherlands national football team. He made his international début on 3 September 2004 in a 3–0 win for the Netherlands against Liechtenstein, and was named in the squad for the 2006 World Cup. He managed 34 caps for the national team, as of November 2011.

Boulahrouz was sent off from the Netherlands match against Portugal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Round of Sixteen after a second bookable offence. He was judged to have used an elbow on Portugal's Luís Figo. Before that, he was first booked in the seventh minute after a violent tackle that injured Cristiano Ronaldo, eventually forcing the substitution of the Portuguese player. Referee Valentin Ivanov issued a total of 16 yellow cards and four red cards in this match, a World Cup record.

Having initially missed the cut for the Dutch Euro 2008 squad, following an injury to Liverpool's Ryan Babel, he was reinstated to the 23-man squad. He was chosen to start in the group games.

2010 World Cup

Boulahrouz was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[26] On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.[27] Boulahrouz started in the Netherlands last 2010 World Cup group match on 24 June and helped the Dutch team to a 2–1 win over Cameroon.[28] He also played in the semi-final against Uruguay in place of Gregory van der Wiel.

Playing style

Goalkeeper and international teammate Edwin van der Sar said of Boulahrouz "He is an important defender, but he is also the man to lift spirits within the squad. He is the sort of guy you need around during long evenings at training camp."[3] Former Dutch centre-back Jaap Stam said that Boulahrouz could become his successor.[5]

Career statistics

As of 19 April 2015.[29]
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
2001–02RKC WaalwijkEredivisie100000—10
2002–0331040——350
2003–0429431——325
2004–053010——40
Germany League DFB Pokal Europe Other Total
2004–05Hamburger SVBundesliga2412100—262
2005–062800060—340
England League FA Cup Europe Other Total
2006–07ChelseaPremier League1302050—200
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
2007–08Sevilla (loan)La Liga601010—80
Germany League DFB Pokal Europe Other Total
2008–09VfB StuttgartBundesliga2101050—260
2009–10600020—80
2010–111602060—240
2011–1221220——232
Portugal League Taça de Portugal Europe Other Total
2012–13Sporting CPPrimeira Liga1100030—140
Denmark League Danish Cup Europe Other Total
2013–14Brøndby IFDanish Superliga1300000—130
Netherlands League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
2014–15FeyenoordEredivisie1200060—180
Totals Netherlands 7648160—895
Germany 116371190—1424
England 1302050—200
Spain 601010—80
Portugal 1100030—140
Denmark 1300000—130
Career totals 2357182340—2879

International performance

As of 19 May 2013.[29]
Dutch national team
YearAppsGoals
200430
200570
200690
200720
200860
200910
201030
201130
201210
Total350

References

  1. ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2007). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007–08. Mainstream Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-84596-246-3.
  2. ↑ "Player Profile". VfB Stuttgart. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Boulahrouz profile". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Player Profile". FIFA. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "Kannibaal op voetbalschoenen" (in Dutch). Het Parool. 3 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007.
  6. ↑ "Prematurely born daughter of defender Boulahrouz dies". AP. 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  7. ↑ "Dutch to wear black armbands in QF match". expressindia. 21 June 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Dutch World Cup Prep: Friends & Family Free Time". Kickette. 25 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Rai, Rajvir (5 October 2014). "Khalid Boulahrouz bounces back from ex-wife dating Rafael van der Vaart by hooking up with Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen". Daily Mail. Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Langedijk, Remco (14 July 2013). "Khalid Boulahrouz voor even terug op bij zijn oude club!" (in Dutch). Excelsior Maassluis. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Onverwachts bezoek Khalid Boulahrouz" (in Dutch). DSOV. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Bundesliga 2005/2006". AP. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  13. ↑ "Boulahrouz completes Chelsea move". BBC News. 22 August 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
  14. 1 2 "Reaction: Mourinho delighted with energetic Essien". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Sevilla take Boulahrouz on loan". BBC Sport. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  16. ↑ "Boulahrouz Moves". Chelsea FC. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Fünf Millionen für Boulahrouz" (in German). Kicker.de. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  18. ↑ "Kaiserslautern 0 – 2 VfB Stuttgart". ESPN Soccernet. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Fond farewells". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "Boulahrouz signs in at Alvalade". sporting.pt. Sporting Clube de Portugal. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  21. ↑ "Boulahrouz en Sporting Lissabon uit elkaar". RTV Rijnmond (in Dutch). RTV Rijnmond. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  22. ↑ "Boulahrouz: Vil hjælpe de unge spillere" (in Danish). Brøndby IF. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  23. ↑ "Boulahrouz-skader bekymrer Brøndby". bold.dk. bold.dk. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  24. ↑ "FEYENOORD VERSTERKT ZICH MET KHALID BOULAHROUZ" (in Dutch). Feyenoord. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Boulahrouz stopt definitief met voetballen". NOS (in Dutch). 11 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  26. ↑ "Van Marwijk trims Dutch squad to 27". AFP. FIFA. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  27. ↑ "Holland coach Bert van Marwijk finalises World Cup squad". The Guardian. Press Association. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  28. ↑ Bevan, Chris. "Cameroon 1–2 Netherlands". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  29. 1 2 "Khalid Boulahrouz" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
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