Noord
Noord Noord
Coordinates: 12°34′N 70°02′W / 12.567°N 70.033°W / 12.567; -70.033Coordinates: 12°34′N 70°02′W / 12.567°N 70.033°W / 12.567; -70.033
Country	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Constituent country	Aruba

Noord is a town in Aruba (a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). It is part of the Noord/Tanki Leendert administrative unit of Aruba, which has a population of 16,944 as of 2000. By now, it is the town with the greatest population. This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction.

Noord is perhaps best known in the United States as the birthplace of Major League Baseball pitcher Sidney Ponson.

References[link]

• Source for population figure

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Henk Wijngaard (b. Stadskanaal, June 13, 1946) is a Dutch country singer.

Wijngaard's mother was a refugee from France and his father a Canadian allied soldier. He was initially employed as a truck driver.^[1] In 1978 he had his breakthrough hit with the self-penned song, "Met de vlam in de pijp". After this followed 20 further Dutch Top 40 hits, many on the themes of truck driving.

Discography[link]

Singles (Dutch chart positions)

• 1976 "B'dai dai die"
• 1977 "Wagen volgeladen"
• 1977 "Stoere Jongens uit het Noorden"
• 1977 "Zomertijd/kunnen wij elkaar niet vergeven"
• 1978 "Met de vlam in de Pijp" (#6)
• 1978 "Ik Heb M'n Wagen Volgeladen" (#20)
• 1978 "Nachtrijders" (#25)
• 1979 "Kilometervreters" (#26)
• 1979 "Asfaltrockers" (#32)
• 1980 "Containersong" (#11)
• 1981 "Truck als Mn woning" (#22)
• 1981 "Oh Suzanne"
• 1981 "Als chauffeur ben ik geboren" (#36)
• 1982 "Bak roest op 18 wielen" (#30)
• 1982 "Truckcarrace" (#39)
• 1983 "Trucker Olè" (#33)
• 1983 "Blij dat ik rij"
• 1983 "Wie niet weg is"
• 1983 "Nachtrijders"
• 1984 "Samen in een Truck", Duet with Irene Lardy
• 1984 "Aan elke vrouw waar ik..."
• 1984 "Weg van de snelweg"
• 1984 "Wat een baan"
• 1986 "Gooi nog eens een blok op het vuur schat"
• 1986 "Jimmy is Lazarus"
• 1987 "120 Varken naar Beiroet"
• 1987 "Deze jongen gaat naar huis"
• 1988 "Zo rij ik Europa rond"
• 1988 "Sneeuwwittebruidsjurk" (#16)
• 1989 "Zo, zoals je bent"
• 1989 "Rijk als een koning"
• 1989 "Radio Noord - Er zijn zoveel mooie steden"
• 1990 "Die kleine deur naar 't paradijs" (#35)
• 1990 "He Suzie" (#8)
• 1990 "Ik moet schijten"
• 1990 "Als ik ga moet je niet om me huilen"
• 1991 "Ik moet nog wat jaren mee" (#12)
• 1991 "Ik ben veel liever alleen" (#32)
• 1992 "Kijk uit hier ben ik" (#35)
• 1992 "Rosie" (#31)
• 1993 "Teken van leven"
• 1993 "Beun de Beunhaas" (#29)
• 1994 "De zon schijnt weer in m'n cabine" (#38)
• 1994 "Ik heb jou"
• 1994 "Heimwee naar jou"
• 1995 "Ik ben voor de liefde"
• 1995 "De vlam is gedoofd"
• 1996 "Ma petite boom boom"
• 1996 "Doar zakt mie de broek van af"
• 1997 "Geloof, Hoop en Liefde"
• 1997 "Mijn Daffy Duck"
• 1998 "18 Wielen"
• 1998 "Kleine waker"
• 1999 "Ik ben een oorlogskind"
• 1999 "In mijn cabine"
• 2001 "Geboren als een trucker"
• 2002 "Sophie"
• 2004 "Zolang de motor draait"
• 2004 "Meisie meisie"
• 2005 "Het Zwarte Asfalt"
• 2006 "Was ik maar een Dichter"

References[link]

Armin van Buuren
Van Buuren performing on Queensday in Amsterdam, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Armin van Buuren
Also known as	Gaia, AVB
Born	(1976-12-25) 25 December 1976 (age 35) Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands[1]
Origin	Koudekerk aan den Rijn, South Holland, Netherlands
Genres	Trance Progressive Trance Uplifting Trance Neo-trance
Occupations	Remixer, Producer, DJ, Composer, Musician, Pianist, Songwriter
Instruments	Synthesizer, drum machine, equalizer, personal computer
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Armada Music (2003–present), Vandit (Co-Joined), Ministry of Sound Australia
Associated acts	Alibi, Dark Matter, Electrix, Lilmotion, Major League, Monsieur Basculant, Red & White, Technology, Triple A, Wodka Wasters, Nadia Ali,[2] Christian Burns,[2] Ferry Corsten,[2] Adam Young,[2] BT,[2] Sophie Ellis-Bextor,[2] Guy Chambers[2]
Website	arminvanbuuren.com

Armin van Buuren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑr.mɪn vɑn ˈby.rə(n)]), OON (born 25 December 1976 in Leiden, Netherlands)^[1] is a Dutch trance producer and DJ. Between 2007 and 2010, he was voted number one in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 list of the most popular DJs.^[1] In the 2011 list, he ranked in second place. Since 2001, Van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance, which claims to have around 15 million weekly listeners in 26 countries,^[3] which would make it one of the most listened-to radio shows in the world. His 2008 studio album, Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at #1, a first for a dance music artist in Dutch music history.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands on 25 December 1976,^[1] but grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. Van Buuren started making music when he was 14.^{[citation needed]} He was inspired by French electronic music composer, Jean Michel Jarre, and wished to become a great electronic music composer like Jarre.^{[citation needed]}

He finished high school at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and left for college to study law at Leiden University. While studying law, Van Buuren's interest for making music blossomed, and he began working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus. As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, although he did return to finish law school in 2003.

On 18 September 2009, Van Buuren married Erika van Thiel in Wassenaar, Netherlands. They met during a vacation on Crete, and had been together for nine years prior to the marriage.^[5][6]

On 12 January 2011, Van Buuren announced the pregnancy of his wife Erika on Twitter.^[7] He hoped the baby, due that summer, would be his "best production ever."^[7] Their daughter, Fenna, was born on 24 July 2011.^[8]

Career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

1995–1999: Early career and success[link]

In 1995, Van Buuren had his first major success with a track called "Blue Fear", which was released under the Cyber Records label; he was 19 years old at the time. This track, which was produced in the "Euro Trance" mold, made it onto the UK Chart. Another successful track, "Communication" was released under the same label, and became popular in Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 1999. After being signed to AM PM Records, this track entered the UK Chart at No. 18 in 2000.

Armin van Buuren at Lizard Lounge, Dallas, Texas, 9 August 2008

Van Buuren began his DJ career at club Nexus in Leiden, where he learned to play long DJ sets, which were regularly six to seven hours per set.^[9] During school holidays he played more than four times a week. In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him as a DJ in England and the United States.^[9] His career accelerated, entering the DJ magazine Top-100 in November 2001 at Number 27.^[9] He has played in more than 25 different countries and can often be found on the main stage at big summer festivals. Van Buuren played a record-breaking twelve and a half hour set for Dancetheater in The Hague (the Netherlands).^[10][11] In the United Kingdom he performs regularly at Passion (resident 2002), Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Slinky, Ministry of Sound, Peach and Golden.

In the beginning of 1999, Van Buuren started his label Armind together with United Recordings. The first release, Gig – "One," was well received. The second release "Touch Me," under the name Rising Star was signed to Ministry of Sound in the UK, before the record was released.

By the time of his third release, Gimmick – "Free" was signed to R&S Records, Van Buuren had managed to make his label popular very quickly. Under the surname Gaia he released "4 Elements" on Captivating Sounds, a sub-label of Warner Brothers. Teaming up with Tiësto, two new projects were born: Major League – "Wonder Where You Are?" was released on Black Hole Recordings and Alibi – "Eternity" was released on Armind. "Eternity" received club and chart success and was signed to Paul van Dyk's imprint Vandit Records. Another major collaboration followed this. Together with Ferry Corsten, Van Buuren recorded a riff-classic titled "Exhale" for the System F. album. Released as a single, this track reached gold status in less than a month.

[edit] 2000–2004: A State of Trance and 76

In 2000, Van Buuren started his own Armin van Buuren compilation series. He managed to find a balance between progressive house,and vocal trance music styles. His first compilation album, A State of Trance (not to be confused with his weekly A State of Trance radio shows), sold more than 10,000 copies and contains Van Buuren's well known remix of Moogwai, "Viola." His second album, Basic Instinct featured a new track: "Perpetuous Dreamer" – "The Sound of Goodbye." This track entered the Dutch charts in June 2001 at number 26. Later in the year, the track hit No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The third album, In Motion was released 6 August 2001. This album contained the real trance sound and was very popular in the United States. A fourth album, Transparence, followed in 2002. In 2003, he worked with such artists such as DJ Seth Alan Fannin throughout a global tour on Dance Revolution in Europe, selling out to crowds of 20,000 people in Armin's home country of the Netherlands.

In March 2001, Van Buuren started his own radio show on ID&T Radio (traditionally broadcast in Dutch and later English since ASOT 183). In this weekly two-hour show, entitled A State of Trance, he plays the latest popular trance music tracks. His show and the artists he features are popularized by publishing the artists and track titles on his website. This radio-show/website combination has proven popular internationally. When ID&T Radio changed genres in 2004, Van Buuren left and took A State of Trance with him. The show then moved to Fresh FM, a Dutch radio station. It is now a weekly feature on SLAM!FM, another Dutch radio station, DI.FM, an online radio station, and on XM Satellite Radio, channel 80 in the United States and Canada. A complete list of stations that broadcast A State of Trance can be found at the ASOT section of Armin's website. Also in 2004, Van Buuren remixed the 24 theme song into a trance hit. In June 2005, the 200th episode was celebrated in Amsterdam and subsequently aired on radio. The 250th (eight hour) anniversary episode was celebrated in Club Asta in The Hague, Netherlands, featuring Van Buuren, Jonas Steur, M.I.K.E., John Askew, Rank 1 and Menno de Jong.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, he had a residency at Glow in Washington D.C.,^[9] and he has played all across North America in San Francisco, Vancouver, Houston, Toronto, Boston, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Montreal, Detroit, Edmonton, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Seattle and at The Necto (nightclub). He has also regularly appeared at Amnesia on the island of Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. In October that year, Van Buuren was voted Number 5 in the DJ Magazine 100 top DJ's. The following year, he jumped up to the No. 3 spot, and held 3rd place for the next three years. His work left him at the No. 2 spot, just below Paul van Dyk in the 2006 polls, and, in 2007, Armin reached #1, heading the 2007 DJ Mag Top 100. He was voted No. 1 again in 2008, 2009 and again in 2010.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2003, Van Buuren released his debut studio album, 76, a 76-minute album divided into 13 tracks.^[12]

Armin Van Buuren performing at Avalon, Boston, Massachusetts 2007

[edit] 2005–present: Shivers, Imagine and Mirage

On 8 August 2005, Van Buuren released his second studio album, Shivers. On the album Van Buuren worked with artists such as Pakistani-American singer Nadia Ali, English singer Justine Suissa and American trance duo Gabriel & Dresden.

On 11 November 2006, he had a live performance called Armin Only in Ahoy Rotterdam for the second time (after 12 November 2005) with a nine hour solo set, where he performed to over 11,000 fans.

In the summer of 2007, Van Buuren recorded and released a live set at Amnesia, Ibiza. Universal Religion Chapter 3, Live from Amnesia at Ibiza was released on 28 September 2007 as a mix compilation on Armada Records and in the US as "Universal Religion 2008" on Ultra Records on 4 December 2007.

On 17 April 2008, Van Buuren released his third studio album, Imagine. It features collaboration with singers such as Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation and Jacqueline Govaert of Krezip. The album debuted at number one on the Dutch Albums Chart. Since the release of Imagine, Van Buuren has been working with Benno de Goeij and DJ-RA of Rank 1 on solo productions and remixes.^{[citation needed]}

19 April 2008 saw the 3rd edition of Armin Only, this time in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands. The event was attended by 16,000 fans and (partly) broadcast live on Dutch National TV. During the second half of 2008, Van Buuren took this show abroad, with visits to Australia, Romania, Poland, Belgium, and a special New Years Eve 2008 show at Together As One in Los Angeles, U.S.

On 29 September 2008, Armin won the DJ Award for "Best Trance DJ" at Ibiza along with other nominees, that of Tiësto, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk.

On 12 January 2008, Van Buuren was given the "Buma Cultuur Pop Award," the most prestigious Dutch music award.

In 2009, Foreign Media Games announced the production of In The Mix: Featuring Armin van Buuren, a music game being produced in collaboration with Cloud 9 Music and Van Buuren's Armada Music label. The title is scheduled to be released sometime in 2010 exclusively for the Wii console.^[13]

He has collaborated with his brother, guitarist Eller van Buuren, in such venues as Together As One in Los Angeles, U.S., on New Year's Eve 2009, as well as on Armin's 2008 album Imagine.

On 3 March 2010, Van Buuren was awarded with the prestigious Golden Harp, for his musical work and contribution to Dutch music, by the music collecting society BUMA/STEMRA at the 2010 Buma Harpen Gala in Hilversum, the Netherlands.^[14][15]

On 23 June 2010, it was announced that Van Buuren's fourth studio album, Mirage was due to be released on 10 September.^[16] The first single "Full Focus", was released through iTunes Store on 24 June at midnight.^[17] The song peaked at number sixty in the Netherlands. One of the confirmed tracks from the album is a collaboration with English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor called Not Giving Up On Love, which was released as a single from Bextor's fourth studio album, Make a Scene.^[18][19] Armin also wrote a song for English singer Seal, but due to the release of his greatest hits album, Hits, the collaboration never came together.^[20]

On 12 September 2010, Van Buuren launched "A State of Sundays", a new weekly 24-hour radio show aired on Sirius XM Radio ^[21]

On 20 October 2010, Van Buuren won the award for Most Popular International DJ presented by The Golden Gnomes.^[22]

On 27 October 2010, Van Buuren was announced, for the 4th year running, as the number 1 DJ, and thus prolonging his title as 'Most Popular DJ in the World'.^[23]

The 2010 edition of Armin Only: Mirage kicked off on 13 November 2010, in Utrecht, Netherlands, with more shows coming in Saint-Petersburg, Kiev, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Beirut, Poznań, Moscow and Bratislava .^[24]

On 27 November 2010, Van Buuren made his third appearance in Shanghai, China.

On 2 February 2012, Van Buuren mentioned a new studio album in the works on episode #546 of his radio show, "A State Of Trance".

A State of Trance 500 (ASOT 500)[link]

To mark the 10 year anniversary and 500th episode of his weekly radio show A State of Trance, Van Buuren performed at five shows across five continents over five consecutive weeks along with various artists.

The first show was held on 19 March 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa at the MTN Expo Center. In addition to Armin, Blake Jarrell, Protoculture, Lange, Leon Bolier, and Jorn van Deynhoven were performers. Super8 & Tab were to be part of the South African show, however a flight cancellation caused them to be absent for the event. The event was attended by over 20,000 people.

Miami's show was performed at the Ultra Music Festival on 27 March, and part of the show were Marcus Schossow, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, ATB, and Sander van Doorn.

Argentina held the third celebration of ASOT 500 in club G.E.B.A Buenos Aires, with Heatbeat, Jochen Miller, Dash Berlin, Markus Schulz, John O'Callaghan and W & W. It was the only of the five ASOT 500 celebrations that was held outdoors. Van Buuren recorded a live video with his cell phone and uploaded it to Twitter while playing his live set.

ASOT 500 was celebrated in the Netherlands in Den Bosch. Accompanied by more than 30 DJs from countries all over the world, the event was attended by over 30,000 people. DJs present included Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold and Sean Tyas. The event was radio broadcast live to over 30 countries.^{[25][dated info]}

The final show was held in Sydney, Australia on 16 April at Acer Arena in Olympic Park. It was a sold out event weeks before the night. Artists present included Shogun, tyDi, Menno de Jong, Aly & Fila, and Alex M.O.R.P.H. Van Buuren played for three hours.

A State of Trance 550 (ASOT 550)[link]

In March 2012, Van Buuren performed in six shows across three continents as part of ASOT 550. He began his tour on March 1 in London, continued on to Moscow on March 7, and to Kiev, Ukraine on March 10. Then, he traveled to the United States to host his show at the Beyond Wonderland festival in Southern California. A week later on March 25, he closed out Ultra Music Festival 2012 for the 5th edition. This was followed by the final show in the Brabanthallen of Den Bosch, the Netherlands.

A State of Trance sponsored a tent at the Electric Daisy Carnival at Met Life stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 19, 2012, which by all accounts could be considered an unofficial extension of ASOT 550. ^[26]

Discography[link]

• 76 (2003)
• Shivers (2005)
• Imagine (2008)
• Mirage (2010)

Year Mixes[link]

Van Buuren is well known for his annual "Year Mix" which incorporates clips and custom mashups from the year's most popular trance tracks. Each year-mix consists of about 85 individual releases, edited into a two hour mix which is released on double CD as well as aired on his weekly radio show at the end of each year. According to Van Buuren, each year-mix takes several months to make, including thousands of digital audio edits and hundreds of audio plugins.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Armin van Buuren

• Official website
• Artist Page on ArmadaMusic.com
• Armin van Buuren on Myspace
• Armin van Buuren at Allmusic
• Armin van Buuren discography at Discogs
• Armin van Buuren discography at MusicBrainz
• Armin van Buuren at the Internet Movie Database
• Armin van Buuren's profile on Trancepedia
• Armada Music – the record label of Armin van Buuren
• Armin van Buuren – A State of Trance episodes
• *Flowd - artist channel on *Flowd network.

Dana Winner
Born	Chantal Vanlee (1965-10-02) 2 October 1965 (age 46) Hasselt, Belgium
Nationality	Belgium
Occupation	singer

Dana Winner is the stage name of Chantal Vanlee (born in Hasselt, 10 February 1965). She is a Belgian singer who is famous especially in Flanders, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Biography[link]

In 1990 she released her first single Op het dak van de wereld, (Dutch: "On the roof of the world"), a cover of The Carpenters' Top of the World from 1973. In 1993 she became really popular with Woordenloos (Dutch: "Without words"). However, it was only in 1995 that she released her only hit single so far to reach the Dutch Top 40, Westenwind. This was a cover of the former hit One Way Wind by the Volendam group The Cats.

After her first success, Dana Winner also became well known in Germany and South Africa. At the end of the 1990s, she began singing in other languages and did not release an album in Dutch between 2000 and 2006. It was also in 2006 that she got a permanent memento in Bornem, along the SIM-route.

References[link]

• (Dutch) Official homepage

Ron Vlaar

Personal information
Full name	Ron Peter Vlaar
Date of birth	(1985-02-16) February 16, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth	Hensbroek, Netherlands
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Feyenoord
Number	4
Youth career
1991–1995	Apollo '68
1995–1996	SVW '27
1996–2004	AZ
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	AZ	10	(0)
2006–	Feyenoord	132	(8)
National team‡
2006–2007	Netherlands U21	8	(0)
2005–	Netherlands	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 December 2010

Ron Peter Vlaar (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔn ˈvlaːr]; born 16 February 1985 in Hensbroek, North Holland) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Feyenoord as a central defender.

Vlaar made his professional debut at the age of 20 for the club AZ. After a successful 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with Netherlands U20, Vlaar received his first call-up for the Netherlands national team by the Netherlands coach Marco van Basten. Despite the few but promising matches Vlaar played, the youngster was transferred to Feyenoord. Main reason for his move was his personal relationship with AZ coach Louis van Gaal. Vlaar was often compared to Jaap Stam, but due to various injuries the centre back couldn't live up to the expectations as of yet.^[1]

Vlaar was an important player in the two Netherlands U21 squads winning the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2006 and 2007.

Early life[link]

Vlaar was born in Hensbroek, North Holland, the Netherlands. His mother, Margaret, was a handball player, while his father was an amateur football player. Vlaar has two younger sisters, Ellen and Lisan, who are both active in sports as well. Ellen is a gymnast and Lisan is playing volleyball.^[2]

Club career[link]

Youth[link]

In Hensbroek, Vlaar joined local club Apollo '68 at the age of six. Apollo '68 youth coach Kees Wijte was quickly convinced: "But when he was five, he was already allowed to train with us. You could already see how good he was. He had a powerful kick with both his left and right leg, and a very good one as well. Besides, he had a fantastic mentality. Ron always wanted to win and become better." ^[3]

When he went to his final year in elementary school, Vlaar left Apollo '68. The youngster wanted to play on a higher level and joined SVW '27 from Heerhugowaard. At his new club, Vlaar's development went well above expectation. After playing for SVW '27 for one season, Vlaar got invited to join the AZ youth academy, a professional side playing in the Eerste Divisie.^[2] In 2002, Vlaar signed his first youth contract. The contract would keep him in Alkmaar until summer 2007.

AZ[link]

In the season 2004–05, Vlaar made his unexpected Eredivisie debut at the age of 20. Due to injuries and suspensions within the first team squad at the end of the season, Vlaar was paired up with the experienced centre back Barry Opdam on April 23, 2005 in the away match against RKC Waalwijk (2–1).^[4] Five days later, on April 28, 2005, Vlaar made his European debut. The youngster was part of the starting line-up in the UEFA Cup semi final away match against Sporting Clube de Portugal (2–1).^[5] Vlaar played three Eredivisie matches and two UEFA Cup matches in his debut season.

While Vlaar thought the season 2005–06 would be his breakthrough year, AZ coach Louis van Gaal kept choosing for more experienced players. Vlaar was part of the starting line-up thrice, while he came in as a substitute in four matches, having a total of seven Eredivisie appearances in his first half year. Despite Vlaar's substitute status at AZ, the youngster impressed the Netherlands coach Marco van Basten enough to invite him for his first international matches. As Vlaar was only playing at AZ for a youth contract, various sides were interested to offer Vlaar more playing time. AZ were keen to offer Vlaar a new and improved contract, however Vlaar had no interest in staying at AZ as he felt blackmailed by AZ coach Louis van Gaal: "He told me I would only play at emergencies if I wouldn't sign the new contract".^[6] The young centre back was close to a deal with Ajax ^[7] and was spotted in London, as he was visiting Martin Jol's Tottenham Hotspur with his father and agent.^[8] However, on December 28, 2005, Vlaar signed a three-and-a half-year deal with Feyenoord.^[8]

Feyenoord[link]

At Feyenoord, Vlaar quickly became a first team starter. Vlaar made his official Feyenoord debut on January 15, 2006, in the away match against Vitesse (0–1).^[9] Vlaar played 16 Eredivisie matches after his winter break transfer, without scoring any goals.

Vlaar had a bad start of the season 2006–07, as he got foot injury in the pre-season match against Reading (2–1) in August. At first it seemed to be a minor injury, but Vlaar had to drop out in the 33rd minute of the season opening away match against FC Groningen (3–0).^[10] The doctors found a crack in a bone in his foot, causing Vlaar to be out for almost the entire first half of the league.^[11] After his recovery, Vlaar regained his place in the first team and played 20 Eredivisie matches in the remaining season. On December 16, 2006, Vlaar scored his first Feyenoord goal in the away match against FC Utrecht (2–1).^[12]

With the arrival of the new Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk and new centre back partner Kevin Hofland in the season 2007–08, Vlaar was ready to make the next step in his development. However, on September 16, 2007, Vlaar got injured in the Eredivisie away match against Roda JC (1–3).^[13] Vlaar needed a surgery on the cruciate ligament and was out for the rest of the season.^[14] After the surgery, Vlaar was confronted with an additional setback, as he had a bacterial infection. Vlaar was recovered from his injury at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. However, during pre-season, Vlaar got another injury at a medial collateral ligament of his knee. After being sidelined for over a month, Vlaar returned to the training field. After an innocent duel with Kevin Hofland, Vlaar damaged his cruciate ligament again. It was the same injury he had in the previous season, causing Vlaar to miss a complete season again.^[15]

After being sidelined for two seasons, Vlaar made a strong comeback in the 2009–10 season. Absolute highlight was the 60 meter distance goal in the KNVB Cup away match against Harkemase Boys (0–5) on September 24, 2009.^[16] Since his return, he has formed a strong partnership with Brazilian centre back André Bahia. Earning praise with his imposing body and impressive displays.

International career[link]

Vlaar with the Netherlands.

Youth[link]

Vlaar represented the Netherlands at various youth levels. However, he had most success with the Netherlands U20 on the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and with Netherlands U21 on the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2006 and 2007

The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in the Netherlands between June 10 and July 2, 2005. Vlaar, reserve captain behind Hedwiges Maduro, was an important player in the Dutch team and was active in every match the team played on the tournament. Netherlands U20 had a smooth run through the group stage, winning their three matches respectively easy against Japan U20 (2–1), Australia U20 (3–0) and Benin U20 (1–0). After beating Chile U20 (3–0) in the next round, the Netherlands U20 reached the quarter finals against later finalist Nigeria U20 (1–1 aet 9–10 pso). Despite Vlaar's equalizing goal and successful penalty kick, the Netherlands U20 didn't advance to the next stage.^[17]

Netherlands U21[link]

Vlaar was part of the Netherlands U21 on the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, where the Dutch side claimed the trophy for the first time in history. Besides the group match against Denmark U21 (1–1), Vlaar played in every match on the tournament. Jong Oranje started and finished their campaign against Ukraine U21, going out on a high with a 3–0 win in the final, after surprisingly losing their opening game to the Ukrainian team.^[18]

Twelve months after winning the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the first time, Vlaar was the captain of the team that retained the trophy in style with a 4–1 win against Serbia U21 in the final. Vlaar played in every match in the group stage, but had to leave the pitch injured in the semi final match against England U21 (1–1 aet 13–12 pso). Vlaar had to watch the final from the sideline, but was able to lift the trophy together with reserve captain Hedwiges Maduro.^[19]

Netherlands[link]

In the few matches the promising defender played, he made enough of an impression to be noticed by Marco van Basten, the coach of the Dutch national side. He was selected for the qualifier against Romania in June 2005, but did not play. The first international match in which he played was the clash against the Czechs on 8 October 2005.

Since his comeback for Feyenoord, he has grown into a strongholder of the team. Impressing many experts with strong, commanding and tough displays, evolving into a leader of Feyenoord's backline. It seems he's finally delivering on his promise, playing to his full potential. His strong appearances haven't gone unnoticed by national coach Bert van Marwijk, who officially stated to be following him in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. However, not yet calling Vlaar to the national team, due to the severity of his previous injuries, allowing him to gradually come to full fitness and preventing overuse of muscles since Vlaar only came back to first team football in the summer of 2009. However, V.Marwijk stated he would seriously consider calling Vlaar up in the second half of the season. That has led many fans as well as teammates to believe Vlaar would be getting a place in the Dutch World Cup squad.

Vlaar was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[20] However, on 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player not would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.^[21] On 7 May 2012, he was named in the provisional list of 36 players for the Euro 2012 tournament by Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk.

Statistics[link]

Club[link]

Statistics accurate as of January 26th 2012.

International[link]

National team Club Season Apps Goals Netherlands AZ 2005–06 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord 2009-10 1 0 Netherlands Feyenoord 2010-10 1 0 Total 4 0

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goals Competition 2005–06 1. 8 October 2005 Toyota Arena, Prague  Czech Republic 0–2 0 2006 World Cup qualification 2. 12 November 2005 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam  Italy 1–3 0 Friendly 3. 3 March 2010 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam  United States 2-1 0 Friendly 4. August 11 2010 Donbass Arena, Donetsk  Ukraine 1-1 0 Friendly

Statistics accurate as of 12 November 2005.

Honours[link]

• Feyenoord:
  • KNVB Cup: 2007–08

• Netherlands U21:
  • UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2006, 2007

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ron Vlaar

• Feyenoord official profile (Dutch)
• Stats at Voetbal International (Dutch)
• Ron Vlaar profile and stats at Wereld van Oranje (Dutch)
• Ron Vlaar at National-Football-Teams.com
• Ron Vlaar – FIFA competition record
• Ron Vlaar on Playerhistory.com

Netherlands squads v t e Netherlands squad – 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (1st Title) 1 Vermeer 2 Verhaegh 3 Luirink 4 Zomer 5 Emanuelson 6 Schaars (c) 7 Castelen 8 Hofs 9 Huntelaar 10 Aissati 11 De Ridder 12 Medunjanin 13 Gerritsen 14 John 15 Benson 16 Tiendalli 17 Vlaar 18 Kruiswijk 19 Braafheid 20 De Zeeuw 21 Vorm 22 Pasveer Coach: De Haan v t e Netherlands squad – 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (2nd Title) 1 Waterman 2 Zuiverloon 3 Vlaar (c) 4 Kruiswijk 5 Pieters 6 Maduro 7 Jenner 8 Drenthe 9 Babel 10 Aissati 11 De Ridder 12 Bruins 13 Rigters 14 Beerens 15 Schilder 16 Vermeer 17 Medunjanin 18 Donk 19 Jong-a-Pin 20 Janssen 21 van der Struijk 22 Bakkal 23 Krul Coach: De Haan v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Stekelenburg 2 Van der Wiel 3 Heitinga 4 Mathijsen 5 Bouma 6 Van Bommel (c) 7 Kuyt 8 N. de Jong 9 Huntelaar 10 Sneijder 11 Robben 12 Vorm 13 Vlaar 14 Schaars 15 Willems 16 Van Persie 17 Strootman 18 L. de Jong 19 Narsingh 20 Afellay 21 Boulahrouz 22 Krul 23 Van der Vaart Coach: Van Marwijk