A midfielder (or simply mid) is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role. The group of midfielders in a team is called the midfield.

More complete midfielders require a number of skills on top of fitness: they tackle, dribble, shoot and pass during any match. Most managers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while the rest are more adept to creating goals or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. At either side of the pitch a manager can field a right or left midfielder, who are used equally for both attack and defence, or a winger, a player used primarily for attack.

In essence, a good midfield must possess the ability to be combative while also being creative. A good striker without midfield support could lack attacking chances, while a defense likewise could be severely tested. Because they occupy the most influential parts of the pitch, midfielders are perhaps more likely to influence the outcome of a match than other positions, especially if they have vision for a good pass or ability to score.

Midfielders typically expend the most energy during a match because of the distance they cover on a pitch, as at times they can be called back into defence, or required to attack with the strikers.

Types of Midfielders[link]

Central midfielder[link]

Central midfielders play various roles on the field of play, and are probably the most important in terms of setting up attacks. Their position enables them to have an all-round view of the match, and as most of the action takes place in and around their area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degree of control over how a match is played. This section of the field is often known as a team's "engine room", because great teams rarely succeed without adept, commanding central midfielders.

Defensive midfielder[link]

A defensive midfielder or holding midfielder is often likened to an evolved version of the old-school sweeper.

The responsibilities of defensive midfielders usually include:

Screening the defense by harrying and tackling the opposition teams' attackers and defenders.

Covering the positions of full-backs, midfielders and even centre-backs as they advance into attack. This can be during open play or during set pieces such as free-kicks or corners.

Retaining distribution nearer the defense. As passing the defense can be especially risky, the presence of the defensive midfielder just in front of defenders provides a relatively safer option going forward.

Directing the distribution towards the flanks or further up front.

Directing the opposition distribution to the flanks or deeper down their end, where they are less effective. Defensive midfielders are often pulled slightly towards the flank to deal with the threat of wingers cutting infield.

Although the duties of defensive midfielders are primarily defensive, some midfielders are deployed as ''deep-lying playmakers'', due to their ability to dictate tempo from a deep position with their passing. As they are not defensive specialists, they are typically supported by a more defensive holding midfielder.

Defensive midfielders require excellent positional sense, work rate, tackling ability, and anticipation (of player and ball movement) to excel. They also need to possess excellent passing skills and close control to hold the ball in midfield under sustained pressure. Most importantly, defensive midfielders require great stamina as they are the onfield players who cover the greatest distance during a professional football match. Deep-lying playmakers typically require a good first touch under opposition pressure and the ability to play long crossfield passes to attacking players further upfield.

The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as ''volante'' and in South American Spanish as ''volante de marca'' (Spanish and Portuguese for "steering wheel", or someone who gives direction), in Portugal as a ''trinco'' (meaning "lock"), in Mexico as "volante de contención" and in Russian as a ''волнорез'' (pronounced – vol-no-rez, meaning "wave-breaker"). Most Brazilian teams deploy at least one "volante" in their team, including the Brazilian national team who have fielded defensive midfielders, such as 1994 World Cup winning team captain Dunga.

Deep-lying playmaker[link]

Some players prefer to set up an attack from a withdrawn position, and are often coined ''deep-lying playmakers'', mainly because of their ability to spread play and dictate the game from a withdrawn position. Despite their deep role, they are not classed as defensive midfielders as tackling and defence are not the main function of their roles, and they may have to be supported by a holding midfielder.

Deep-lying playmakers are typically given a moderate amount of defensive responsibilities, but are granted freedom positionally to dictate the play as it evolves, as well as a license to attempt long riskier balls, to the forwards.

The essential attributes of a deep-lying playmaker include:

Good long passing ability, to play balls towards forwards and wingers. Crossfield wangers are typically attempted from deep when the opposing full back is drawn towards the middle and there is an open channel in the flank for the on rushing winger.

Stamina, to cover large distances in professional football. In the top football leagues, a midfielder covers upwards of 10 kilometres per game.

Short passing ability. Although many deep-lying playmakers have natural talent and creativity, they are expected to play short simple passes when deep in their half to avoid the possibility of a counter-attack. They are however given some degree of freedom in playing long passes deep into opposition territory.

Creativity/Vision. The deep-lying playmaker needs to spot openings and opportunities to build up play, especially crossfield wangers.

A good and sure first touch to control the ball when receiving passes under sustained opposition pressure.

Attacking midfielder[link]

An attacking midfielder is any midfielder who is stationed in a more advanced midfield position to assist goalscoring. The attacking midfielder is an influential position and requires the player to possess good technical abilities, an eye for a pass, running and dribbling skills.

Attacking midfielders are generally required to have:

Excellent technical ability, including close control, passing, shooting and dribbling.

Creativity, to anticipate passing opportunities for their fellow forwards.

Off-the-ball intelligence, to anticipate passes from the midfield which create opportunities to score or to pass on to a forward.

An understanding of the winger role. Due to tactical changes, central attacking midfielders are sometimes played on the wing, to accommodate other strikers or forwards.

A secondary ability is finishing tekkers and composure.

Playing in a very advanced central midfield role just behind the strikers is sometimes known as "playing in the hole", although this term can also be used to describe a deep lying forward, traditionally he is called a Number 10 or ''Trequartista'' . This specialist midfielder's main role is to act as the offensive pivot of the team, to create goal-scoring opportunities for his team mates, and perhaps to score himself. This position is also known as playmaker.

The attacking midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as ''meia' or 'meia-atacante' ("attacking midfielder" in English).

Box-to-box midfielder[link]

The term "box-to-box" is often used to refer to the most dynamic all-round/complete midfielders, who provide both defensive and attacking prowess. The most versatile of players, they typically possess exceptional stamina and are usually skilled at tackling, passing, shooting and also good at keeping possession.

Winger[link]

A winger or wide midfielder is a midfielder located on the wing of the midfield. Traditionally, wingers were purely attacking players who hugged the touch line and were not expected to track back and defend. This began to change in the 1960s. In the 1966 World Cup, England manager Alf Ramsey did not select wingers from the quarter final onwards. This team was known as the "Wingless Wonders" and led to the modern 4–4–2 formation.

This has led to most modern wide players having a more demanding role in the sense that they are expected to provide defensive cover for their full-backs and track back to repossess the ball, as well as provide skillful crosses for centre forwards and strikers. Some forwards are able to operate as wingers behind a lone striker. In a three-man midfield, specialist wingers are sometimes deployed down the flanks alongside the central midfielder or playmaker.

Even more demanding is the role of wing-back, where the wide player is expected to provide both defence and attack. As the role of winger can be classed as a forward or a midfielder, so this role blurs the divide between defender and midfielder.

A winger is an attacking midfielder who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines. Wingers such as Stanley Matthews or Jimmy Johnstone used to be classified as forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, and were formally known as "Outside Right" or "Outside Left", but as tactics evolved through the last 40 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions and are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4–4–2 or 4–5–1 formations (but while the team is on the attack, they tend to resemble 4–2–4 and 4–3–3 formations respectively).

The responsibilities of the winger include:

Providing a "wide presence" as a passing option on the flank.

To beat the opposing full-back either with skill or with speed.

To read passes from the midfield that give them a clear crossing opportunity, when going wide, or that give them a clear scoring opportunity, when cutting inside towards goal.

To double up on the opposition winger, particularly when he is being "double-marked" by both the team's full back and winger.

The stereotypical winger is fast, tricky and enjoys 'hugging' the touchline, that is, running downfield close to the touchline and delivering crosses. However, players with different attributes can thrive on the wing as well. Some wingers prefer to cut ''infield'' (as opposed to staying wide) and pose a threat as playmakers by playing diagonal passes to forwards or taking a shot at goal. Even players who are not considered quick, have been successfully fielded as wingers at club and international level for their ability to create play from the flank. Occasionally wingers are given a free role to roam across the front line and are relieved of defensive responsibilities.

The typical abilities of wingers include:

Technical skill to beat a full-back in a one-to-one situation.

Pace, to beat the full-back one-on-one.

Crossing ability when out wide.

Good off-the-ball ability when reading a pass from the midfield or from fellow attackers.

Good passing ability and composure, to retain possession while in opposition territory.

The modern winger should also be comfortable on either wing so as to adapt to quick tactical changes required by the coach.

Traditionally, right-footed players are played on the right wing and left-footed players on the left as a matter of familiarity and comfort. However, in the modern game, coaches usually demand wingers to be able to play on both flanks and to switch flanks during play regularly as a quick change of tactics. For instance, a right-footed winger who plays on the left flank is more comfortable cutting into the middle, which suits the styles of playmaker forwards who can cause a threat both by shooting from distance, dribbling towards goal, or sliding through passes to other forwards. Another advantage is that the winger can cut inside, towards the weaker foot of the full-back. Clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers on the 'wrong' flank for this reason; Barcelona's Josep Guardiola puts left-footed Lionel Messi on the right and Pedro on the left, while Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho often plays Ángel di María on the right and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left. One of the foremost practitioners of playing from either flank was the German winger, Jürgen Grabowski, whose flexibility helped Germany to fourth place in the 1970 World Cup, and a championship in the 1974 World Cup.

Although wingers are a familiar part of football, the use of wingers is by no means universal. There are many successful football teams who operate without wingers. A famous example is AC Milan, who typically play in a narrow midfield diamond formation or in a Christmas tree formation (4–3–2–1), relying on full-backs to provide the necessary width down the wings.

See also[link]

Association football positions

Formation

Goalkeeper

Defender

Playmaker

Forward

Outside forward

References[link]

Category:Association football positions Category:Association football terminology

ar:لاعب وسط (كرة قدم) az:Ym an:Centrocampista bn:মধ্যমাঠের খেলোয়াড় be-x-old:Паўабаронца (футбол) bg:Полузащитник ca:Centrecampista de:Mittelfeldspieler et:Poolkaitsja es:Centrocampista eu:Erdilari fa:بازیکن میانه fr:Milieu de terrain ko:미드필더 id:Gelandang it:Centrocampista jv:Gelandhang kk:Жартылай қорғаушы lv:Pussargs (futbols) lt:Saugas hu:Középpályás mt:Midfilder mr:मिडफील्डर (फुटबॉल) ms:Pemain tengah nl:Middenvelder ja:ミッドフィールダー pl:Pomocnik pt:Meia (futebol) ro:Mijlocaş (fotbal) ru:Полузащитник (футбол) sr:Играч средине терена (фудбал) sq:mesfushori simple:Midfielder th:กองกลาง tr:Orta saha uk:Півзахисник (футбол) vi:Tiền vệ (bóng đá) zh:中場

playername	Sergio Busquets
fullname	Sergio Busquets Burgos
dateofbirth	July 16, 1988
cityofbirth	Sabadell
countryofbirth	Spain
height
currentclub	Barcelona
clubnumber	16
position	Defensive midfielder
youthyears1	| youthclubs1 CD Badía
youthyears2	| youthclubs2 Barberà Andalucía
youthyears3	1999–2003 | youthclubs3 Lleida
youthyears4	2003–2005 | youthclubs4 Unió Jabac
youthyears5	2005–2007 | youthclubs5 Barcelona
years1	2006| clubs1 Barcelona C | caps1 1 | goals1 0
years2	2007–2008| clubs2 Barcelona B | caps2 32 | goals2 1
years3	2008– | clubs3 Barcelona | caps3 114 | goals3 2
nationalyears1	2008–2009 | nationalteam1 Spain U21 | nationalcaps1 3 | nationalgoals1 1
nationalyears2	2008– | nationalteam2 Spain | nationalcaps2 38 | nationalgoals2 0
nationalyears3	2008– | nationalteam3 Catalonia | nationalcaps3 4 | nationalgoals3 0
pcupdate	30 April 2012
ntupdate	2 March 2012 }}

Sergio Busquets Burgos (, ; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, as a defensive midfielder.

He was a relatively obscure player when he arrived in FC Barcelona's first team in July 2008, but eventually made a name for himself in a relatively short period of time, reaching the Spanish national team in less than one year after making his professional club debut.

Club career[link]

Busquets was born in Sabadell, Barcelona, Catalonia. In 2005, he joined local FC Barcelona's youth ranks, scoring seven goals in 26 matches for the ''Juvenil A'' team in his second season. Two years later, he was promoted to the B team under Josep Guardiola, and helped it achieve promotion to the third division. In that same season he would make his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute in a Catalonia Cup match.

On 13 September 2008, Busquets played his first La Liga match, 90 minutes in a 1–1 home draw against Racing de Santander. During Barcelona's UEFA Champions League match against FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park on 22 October 2008, he scored the second goal in the 15th minute in a 5–0 group stage win. In early December, in another start, he scored his second goal with ''Barça'' in the competition, netting in the 83rd minute of a 2–3 home loss against FC Shakhtar Donetsk. On 22 December, Busquets signed a contract extension until 2013, with a buy-out clause of €80 million.

On 7 March 2009, Busquets scored his first league goal, in a 2–0 home win over Athletic Bilbao. On 27 May, having been regularly used in the league as he competed for the spot with internationals Seydou Keita and Yaya Touré, he also featured in Barcelona's starting eleven in the Champions League final, a 2–0 win over Manchester United. With that victory, Carles and Sergio Busquets became only the third father-and-son combo to both have won Europe's top club competition playing for the same team, joining Manuel Sanchís Martínez and Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo (won it with Real Madrid) and Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini (A.C. Milan).

Busquets' fine form continued in the 2009–10 season, with Guardiola preferring him to Yaya Touré as Barcelona's holding midfielder. In the Champions League semi-final against F.C. Internazionale Milano at Camp Nou on 28 April 2010, he went down to the ground after Thiago Motta had raised his arm and supposedly pushed Busquets in the face. As a result of this action, Motta was shown a second yellow card and sent off, and Busquets was subsequently criticised by the media for apparently feigning injury.

Busquets was again ever-present for Barcelona in 2010–11, even playing as a central defender on occasion. On 27 January 2011, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the club until 2015; the buyout clause was increased to €150 million. On 8 March, playing at centre back, he scored an own goal from a corner kick against Arsenal, in the season's Champions League round-of-16, levelling the score at 1–1; Barcelona eventually won the game 3–1 (and 4–3 on aggregate).

On 24 April 2012, Busquets scored a rare goal (only his sixth official one in four seasons), netting from a easy tap-in after an Isaac Cuenca cross to make it 1–0 for the hosts in the season's Champions League semifinals' second leg against Chelsea, but ''Barça'' could only draw 2–2 against ten men, losing 2–3 on aggregate.

International career[link]

On 11 October 2008, Busquets earned his first cap for Spain's under-21, in their 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification play-offs first leg match, against Switzerland. He scored in the 17th minute but Spain lost the match 2–1, eventually emerging victorious 4–3 on aggregate.

On 6 February 2009, he was called-up to the senior squad for the friendly against England, on 11 February. Busquets finally made his debut for ''La Furia Roja'' on 1 April 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Turkey, playing 16 minutes in a 2–1 win in Istanbul, after replacing David Silva. Four days earlier, he had been named as a substitute when the same sides met in Madrid, where Spain ran out 1–0 winners, with a goal from team mate Gerard Piqué.

Busquets was selected by manager Vicente del Bosque for the finals in South Africa, assuming the holding midfielder role naturalized Brazilian Marcos Senna had previously had in the conquest of UEFA Euro 2008: he played all the matches and minutes for the eventual World champions (save for the last 30 minutes of the 0–1 group stage loss against Switzerland).

Club statistics[link]

1 0 1 0 1 0

Club	Season	League	Cup	!colspan="2"	Other	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals
rowspan="3" align=center valign=center	Barcelona B	!colspan="2"	30	|	—						30	1
!colspan="2"	2008–09	2	|	—						2	0
	Total	—	32!!1
rowspan="5" align=center valign=center	Barcelona	!colspan="2"	24	|	9	0	8	2	—		41	3
!colspan="2"	2009–10	33	|	4	0	10	0	5	1	52	1
!colspan="2"	2010–11	28	|	5	0	12	0	1	0	46	1
!colspan="2"	2011–12	29	|	7	0	10	1	3	0	49	1
	!114!!2!!25!!0!!40!!3!!9!!1!!188!!6
Career total		!146!!3!!25!!0!!40!!3!!9!!1!!220!!7

Honours[link]

Barcelona[link]

La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Copa del Rey: 2008–09; Runner-up 2010–11

Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011

UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11

UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011

FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011

Spain[link]

FIFA World Cup: 2010

FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Individual[link]

La Liga's Breakthrough Player: 2009

Bravo Award: 2009

Decorations[link]

Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010

Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

Personal[link]

Busquets' father, Carles, was also a footballer, having played as goalkeeper for Barcelona for several years during the 1990s, although almost exclusively as a backup.

References[link]

External links[link]

FC Barcelona profile

BDFutbol profile

National team data

2010 FIFA World Cup profile

Transfermarkt profile

Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sabadell Category:Spanish footballers Category:Catalan footballers Category:Association football midfielders Category:Association football utility players Category:La Liga footballers Category:FC Barcelona Atlètic footballers Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:Spain under-21 international footballers Category:Spain international footballers Category:2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players

ar:سيرجيو بوسكيتس bg:Серхио Бускетс ca:Sergi Busquets i Burgos da:Sergio Busquets de:Sergio Busquets et:Sergio Busquets es:Sergio Busquets eo:Sergio Busquets eu:Sergio Busquets fa:سرخیو بوسکتس fr:Sergio Busquets gl:Sergio Busquets ko:세르히오 부스케츠 hy:Սերխիո Բուսկետս hr:Sergio Busquets id:Sergio Busquets it:Sergio Busquets he:סרג'יו בוסקטס ka:სერხიო ბუსკეტსი la:Sergius Busquets lv:Serhio Busketss lt:Sergio Busquets hu:Sergio Busquets mr:सेर्गियो बुस्कुट्स nl:Sergio Busquets ja:セルヒオ・ブスケツ・ブルゴス no:Sergio Busquets nn:Sergio Busquets pl:Sergio Busquets pt:Sergio Busquets ro:Sergio Busquets ru:Бускетс, Серхио sq:Sergio Busquets simple:Sergio Busquets sr:Серхио Бускетс fi:Sergio Busquets sv:Sergio Busquets th:เซร์คีโอ บุสเกตส์ tr:Sergio Busquets uk:Серхіо Бускетс vi:Sergio Busquets zh:塞尔希奥·布斯克茨

name	Nigel de Jong
fullname	Nigel de Jong
height
birth date	November 30, 1984
birth place	Amsterdam, Netherlands
currentclub	Manchester City
clubnumber	34
position	Defensive midfielder
youthyears1	1993–2002 |youthclubs1 Ajax
years1	2002–2006 |clubs1 Ajax |caps1 96 |goals1 8
years2	2006–2009 |clubs2 Hamburger SV |caps2 66 |goals2 2
years3	2009– |clubs3 Manchester City |caps3 100 |goals3 1
nationalyears1	2004– |nationalteam1 Netherlands
nationalcaps1	57
nationalgoals1	1
pcupdate	17:27, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
ntupdate	22:00, 25 March 2012 (UTC) }}

Nigel de Jong () (born 30 November 1984) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Manchester City and the Netherlands national football team.

He joined the Ajax youth academy as a youngster and worked his way through the ranks to make the first team at age seventeen. Two years later, he made his international debut, in an international career that resulted in a 2010 World Cup runner-up medal. De Jong moved on from Ajax in 2006 to join Hamburg in search of first team football and then moved to Manchester City in January 2009 for an estimated £18 million and has since become an important part of City's holding midfield.

A tireless grafter, he has garnered a reputation of being a combative and feisty player in his performances, a reputation that has earned him nicknames such as ''"The Terrier"'' and ''"Lawnmower"''.

Club career[link]

Ajax[link]

On 19 October 2002, de Jong made his debut for the Ajax first team. He scored his first goal of his senior career on 18 February 2003 in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League. He became a first team regular the following season, in which Ajax won the Eredivisie title. In 2004–05, his last full season in Amsterdam, de Jong was named Ajax Player of the Season. After a period when he appeared regularly in midfield and defence, he found himself sitting on the bench more often than being in the starting line-up. On 7 December 2005, it was announced that de Jong had refused to extend his contract with Ajax, which was due to end in July 2006.

Hamburg[link]

On 26 January 2006, de Jong signed a four and a half year contract at German Bundesliga club Hamburg, the transfer fee approximately €1 million. At Hamburg he joined two other Dutchmen: Rafael van der Vaart and Khalid Boulahrouz. He made his Hamburg debut two days later in a 2–1 defeat at Nuremberg. In March 2006 de Jong scored the winning goal in Bayern Munich's first ever defeat at the Allianz Arena. The following week he received the first red card of his career for a second booking in a UEFA Cup match against Rapid Bucharest. His season was cut short in April, when he required surgery on a knee problem. The injury also kept him out of the Dutch squad for the 2006 World Cup, though he was later put on standby after regaining fitness.

Manchester City[link]

On 21 January 2009, de Jong was signed to Manchester City for an estimated fee of £18 million by manager Mark Hughes who deployed him in the role of midfield enforcer in a team whose defence badly needed some reinforcing. He signed a four-and-a-half year contract. and was assigned the number 34 shirt. He made his debut for the club against Newcastle United on 28 January 2009. He made sixteen appearances in the Premier League over the second half of the season.

De Jong was given a start against Arsenal on 12 September 2009. He was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports in a 2–1 win over Chelsea on 5 December 2009. By the end of the season he had become a firm fans' favourite as well as being one of new manager Roberto Mancini's first picks as defensive midfielder as the team narrowly missed out on a Champions League berth. De Jong scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 2–1 victory against West Ham United on 1 May 2011.

International career[link]

On 31 March 2004, de Jong made his debut with the Netherlands in a friendly game against France. He was overlooked for the squad that went to play in UEFA Euro 2004, and missed the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a knee injury.

He was selected by Marco van Basten to play for De Oranje at UEFA Euro 2008. During the tournament, he was played as a "screening midfielder", partnering with Orlando Engelaar in central midfield. This resulted in de Jong playing three out of the four games that saw Holland reach the quarter finals stage with the Dutch team finally exiting the competition through an extra-time defeat by Russia.

He scored his first international goal against Iceland on 6 June 2009 in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, which sealed the Netherlands' passage to the 2010 World Cup.

De Jong was part of the Dutch team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup managed by Bert van Marwijk. The player was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark. He was suspended in the semi final against Uruguay after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the Netherlands' quarter-final win over Brazil. He played in the Final of the competition which the Netherlands lost 1–0 to Spain after extra time.

Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland

''Scores list Netherlands' tally first.''	+ Nigel de Jong: international goals	# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	6 June 2009	|		1 – 0	2 – 1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 9>2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Style of play[link]

De Jong began his career as a creative midfielder or forward. At Ajax he played a number of positions, including central midfield and right wing. De Jong credits his conversion to a defensive-minded player to Huub Stevens, under whom he played at Hamburg. His new approach earned him the nickname ''"der Rasenmäher" ("the Lawnmower")''.

During an international friendly on 3 March 2010, de Jong fractured the leg of Bolton Wanderers' American international Stuart Holden as the result of a late challenge, causing Holden to be sidelined for six weeks. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final he kicked Spanish player Xabi Alonso in the chest, a challenge for which de Jong admitted he was lucky not to have received a red card. On 3 October 2010, in a Premier League match against Newcastle United, a tackle by de Jong on Hatem Ben Arfa resulted in the latter being carried off the pitch with a double fracture of his left tibia and fibula. Nigel de Jong was later dropped from the Dutch national team for an unspecified period of time, but has since been reprieved. De Jong however has never received a red card during his time at Manchester City. To date the only red card De Jong has received in his professional career was a sending off for two bookable offences in a match for Hamburg against Rapid Bucharest in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup.

De Jong had the highest passing completion percentage in the Premier League in the 2010–11 season out of the top 50 players (90%).

Career statistics [link]

0 2 5 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

Club	Season	League	Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals
rowspan="5"	Ajax		17	|	0	0	0	0	10	1	27	1
2003–04 Eredivisie	2003–04	32	|	0	0	0	0	5	0	37	2
2004–05 Eredivisie	2004–05	31	|	0	0	0	0	8	1	39	6
2005–06 Eredivisie	2005–06	16	|	0	0	0	0	7	3	23	5
!Total	96 !! 9 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 30 !! 5 !! 126 !! 14
rowspan="5"	Hamburg		12	1	|	0	0	0	3	0	15	1
2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga	2006–07	18	|	0	0	0	0	5	1	23	2
2007–08 Fußball-Bundesliga	2007–08	29	|	0	0	0	0	6	1	35	2
2008–09 Fußball-Bundesliga	2008–09	7	|	2	0	0	0	2	0	11	0
!Total	66 !! 3 !! 2 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 16 !! 2 !! 84 !! 5
rowspan="5"	Manchester City		16	0	|	0	0	0	0	0	16	0
2009–10 Premier League	2009–10	34	|	3	0	5	0	0	0	42	0
2010–11 Premier League	2010–11	32	|	4	0	0	0	5	0	41	1
2011–12 Premier League	2011–12	14	|	1	0	4	1	10	0	29	1
		!Total	! 96 !! 1 !! 8 !! 0 !! 9 !! 1 !! 15 !! 0 !! 128 !! 2
Career total	! 258 !! 13 !! 10 !! 0 !! 9 !! 0 !! 61 !! 7 !! 338 !! 21

Personal life[link]

De Jong is married to Winonah, with whom he has two children. His father is former Dutch international Jerry de Jong, who abandoned de Jong's mother when de Jong was about to move to the Ajax academy, leaving her with the responsibility to bring de Jong up in council housing.

He owns a specialist car dealership operating in Europe and the Middle East.

De Jong is addicted to the popular game Angry Birds and plays it in the dressing room before games.

Sponsorship[link]

In January 2012, Puma SE announced they had signed a long-term partnership with Netherlands international and Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong.

Honours[link]

Club[link]

;Ajax

Eredivisie: 2003–04

KNVB Cup: 2005–06

Johan Cruijff Shield: 2005

;Manchester City

FA Cup: 2010–11

International[link]

;Netherlands

'''2010 FIFA World Cup: Silver Medal

Individual[link]

Amsterdam Talent of the Year: 1

:: 2002

References[link]

External links[link]

}}

Category:1984 births Category:People from Amsterdam Category:Living people Category:Association football midfielders Category:Dutch footballers Category:Netherlands international footballers Category:Dutch expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:AFC Ajax players Category:Hamburger SV players Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Eredivisie players Category:Fußball-Bundesliga players Category:Premier League players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players

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name	Florent Raimy
fullname	Florent Raimy
height
birth date	February 07, 1986
birth place	Laon, France
currentclub	Mosta
clubnumber	5
position	Midfielder
years1	2004–2006 | clubs1 Sedan | caps1 | goals1
years2	2006 | clubs2 Virton | caps2 4 | goals2 0
years3	2007 | clubs3 Cincinnati Kings | caps3 11 | goals3 0
years4	2007–2008 | clubs4 FC Oberneuland | caps4 1 | goals4 0
years5	2008–2009 | clubs5 FCM Bacău | caps5 34 | goals5 2
years6	2009–2010 | clubs6 Marsaxlokk | caps6 28 | goals6 6
years7	2010-2010 | clubs7 Omonia Aradippou | caps7 5 | goals7 0
years8	2011–nov2011 | clubs8 Marsaxlokk | caps8 23 | goals8 2
years9	2012– | clubs9 Mosta | caps9 7 | goals9 1
nationalyears1	2005–
nationalteam1	Benin
nationalcaps1	1 | nationalgoals1 0
pcupdate	February 15, 2010
ntupdate	February 15, 2010 }}

Florent Raimy (born February 7, 1986 in Laon, France) is a Beninese professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Premier League side Mosta, where he plays as a midfielder.

International [link]

Raimy played in 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship . And also he got the medal of bronze during 2005 African Youth Championship.

Honours[link]

Marsaxlokk

Winner

2009/10: Maltese First Division, Maltese First Division knock-out

External links[link]

Florent Raimy at MaltaFootball.com

National Football Teams

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Beninese footballers Category:French footballers Category:French people of Beninese descent Category:Benin international footballers Category:Association football midfielders Category:CS Sedan Ardennes players Category:R.E. Virton players Category:Cincinnati Kings players Category:FCM Bacău players Category:Marsaxlokk F.C. players Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany Category:Beninese expatriates in Germany Category:Expatriate footballers in Romania Category:Beninese expatriates in France Category:Expatriate footballers in Malta Category:FC Oberneuland players Category:USL Second Division players Category:Mosta F.C. players

fr:Florent Raimy ro:Florent Raimy