Roundabouts (or carousels) are traditional attractions, often seen at fairs. This one was photographed at the famous Nottingham Goose Fair, England, in 1983

A fair (archaic: fayre) is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may last as long as ten weeks. Activities at fairs vary widely. Some trade fairs are important regular business events where either products are traded between businesspeople, as at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where publishers sell book rights in other markets to other publishers, or where products are showcased to largely consumer attendees, as for example in agricultural districts where they present opportunities to display and demonstrate the latest machinery on the market to farmers.

Fairs are also known by many different names around the world, such as agricultural show, fête, county fair, exhibition or state fair, festival, market and show. Flea markets and auto shows are sometimes incorporated into a fair.

Fayre[link]

A boy at the fish pond, the Rockton World's Fair, harvest festival, Canada, 2010

Fayre is an archaic spelling of fair, used mostly from the 15th to the 17th century. This spelling is now confusingly used for both fair and fare, the latter in the sense of 'food and drink'. In itself, the word means a gathering of stalls and amusements for public entertainment. The alternate spelling is an old-fashioned affectation and is used in order to remind revellers and participants of medieval fayres and markets. It is mainly used for fairs that are essentially leisure rather than business events like trade fairs and rides.

Fairgrounds[link]

The fair is an ancient tradition, and many communities have long had dedicated fairgrounds; others hold them in a variety of public places, including streets and town squares, or even in large private gardens. Fairs are often held in conjunction with a significant event, such as the anniversary of a local historical event, a seasonal event such as harvest time, or with a holiday such as Christmas.

History[link]

In Roman times, fairs were holidays on which there was an intermission of labour and pleadings. In the Middle Ages many fairs developed as temporary markets, and were especially important for long-distance and international trade, as wholesale traders travelled, sometimes for many days, for pre-arranged fairs where they could be sure to meet those they needed to buy from or sell to. They were usually tied to a special Christian religious occasion (particularly the anniversary dedication of a church). Tradesmen would bring and sell their wares, even in the churchyards. Such fairs might then continue annually, usually on the feast day of the patron saint to whom the church was dedicated. This custom was kept up until the reign of Henry VI, by which time there were a great many fairs kept on these patronal festivals, for example at Westminster on St. Peter's day, at Smithfield on St. Bartholomew's (the famous Bartholomew Fair, celebrated in Ben Jonson's play of the same name) and at Durham on St. Cuthbert's day. The Kumbh Mela, held every twelve years, at Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain is one of the largest fairs in India, where over 60 million people gathered in January 2001, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.^[1][2][3] In the United States, fairs draw in as many as 150 million people each summer.^[4] One example of the American county fair being featured in a famous piece of literature is in E. B. White's Charlotte's Web.^[4] Children's competitions at an American fair range from breeding small animals to robotics, while the organization 4-H has become a traditional association.^[4]

Pie-powder courts[link]

Because of the great numbers of people attracted by fairs they were often the scenes of riots and disturbances, so the privilege of holding a fair was granted by royal charter. At first they were only allowed in towns and places of strength, or where there was some bishop, sheriff or governor who could keep order. In time, various benefits became attached to certain fairs, such as granting people the protection of a holiday, and allowing them freedom from arrests in certain circumstances. The officials were authorised to do justice to those that came to their fair; eventually even the smallest fair would have had a court to adjudicate on offences and disputes arising within the fairground, which was called a pye powder court (from Old French pieds pouldrés, literally "dusty feet", meaning an itinerant trader, from Medieval Latin pedes pulverosi).

Free fairs[link]

Fairs go long into the night, and use lights to attract people

Some fairs were free; others charged tolls and impositions. At free fairs, traders, whether natives of the kingdom or foreigners, were allowed to enter the kingdom, and were under royal protection while travelling to and returning from the fair. The traders, their agents, and their goods were exempt from all duties and impositions, tolls and servitudes; merchants going to or coming from the fair could not be arrested, or have their goods stopped.

Such fairs (especially those of the Mediterranean region and some inland regions, particularly Germany), were extremely important in the commerce of Europe. The most famous were those of:

• The Asia's Largest Cattle fair " Sonepur Mela "
• The Champagne fairs in Champagne and Brie regions of France in the Middle Ages
• The Frankfurt Book Fair remains the most important fair in international publishing, as it has been since at least the 17th century.
• Archangel in Arkhangelsk Oblast), Russia
• Banská Bystrica, Slovakia (Radvanský jarmok)
• Beauclaire, Languedoc, (France)
• Munich, Oktoberfest, (Germany)
• Frankfurt, Frankfurt Book Fair, (Germany)
• Guibray, Normandy, (France)
• Havana (Cuba)
• Plovdiv, (Bulgaria)
• Poznań (Poznań International Fair), (Poland)
• Leipzig (Leipzig Trade Fair), (Germany)
• Lyon, (France)
• Milan, Fiera di Senigaglia
• Rome, Porta Portese
• Novi, in the Milanese region of northern Italy
• Riga, (Latvia)
• St. Germain, at Paris, (France)
• Sweden and Uppsala, the Disting
• Portobelo, (Panama)
• Veracruz, (Mexico)

See also[link]

• Sonepur Fair
• Art fair
• Fairground (disambiguation)
• Street fair
• World's fair

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Fair.

• A vivid description of Bartholomew Fair (in 1825) from Hone's Every Day Book

Bastian Schweinsteiger

Personal information
Full name	Bastian Schweinsteiger[1]
Date of birth	(1984-08-01) 1 August 1984 (age 27)
Place of birth	Kolbermoor, West Germany
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Bayern Munich
Number	31
Youth career
1990–1992	FV Oberaudorf
1992–1998	TSV 1860 Rosenheim
1998–2002	Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Bayern Munich II	34	(2)
2002–	Bayern Munich	271	(29)
National team‡
2004	Germany U-21	7	(2)
2004–	Germany	90	(23)
Honours Bayern Munich Winner Bundesliga 2003 Winner DFB-Pokal 2003 Winner DFB Liga-Pokal 2004 Winner Bundesliga 2005 Winner DFB-Pokal 2005 Winner Bundesliga 2006 Winner DFB-Pokal 2006 Runner-up DFB Liga-Pokal 2006 Winner DFB Liga-Pokal 2007 Winner Bundesliga 2008 Winner DFB-Pokal 2008 Winner Bundesliga 2010 Winner DFB-Pokal 2010 Runner-up UEFA Champions League 2010 Winner DFL-Supercup 2010 Runner-up DFB-Pokal 2012 Runner-up UEFA Champions League 2012  Germany Third FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 Third FIFA World Cup 2006 Runner-up European Championship 2008 Third FIFA World Cup 2010
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:31, 5 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:16, 7 October 2011 (UTC)

Bastian Schweinsteiger (pronounced [ˈbasti̯an ˈʃvaɪnʃtaɪɡɐ] ( listen)) (born 1 August 1984 in Kolbermoor, West Germany) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role.

Schweinsteiger has won many awards in his club and international careers, including five Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, and two League Cups.^[3] As of January 2011, he is the Bayern Munich vice-captain to long-time teammate Philipp Lahm.^[4]

Career[link]

Club career[link]

Schweinsteiger signed with Bayern Munich as a youth team player on 1 July 1998^[2] and rose through the club's youth sides. A talented youth ski racer, he had to decide between pursuing a professional career in skiing or one in football. Having won the German youth championship in July 2002, Schweinsteiger quickly earned a place in the reserves, producing a string of solid third division displays. He initially earned a reputation for being a rebel off the pitch, making headlines for the wrong reasons but has since settled down.^[5]

A left midfielder who can also play on the right, he has excellent dribbling skills and is a specialist at set pieces. Schweinsteiger also has a hard shot and often scores from outside the penalty area. He can play as a defensive midfielder or just behind the strikers. During his first appearances in the titular eleven, he played left-back. After just two training sessions with the first team, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld gave Schweinsteiger his debut as a late substitute in a UEFA Champions League game against RC Lens in November 2002, and the youngster made an immediate impact, creating a goal for Markus Feulner within minutes. He signed a professional contract the following month and went on to appear in 14 Bundesliga games in 2002–03, helping Bayern to a league and cup double. The next season he played 26 Bundesliga games. He scored his first Bayern goal against VfL Wolfsburg in September 2003.

Surprisingly sent back to Bayern's reserve team by new coach Felix Magath at the beginning of the 2005–06 season despite his international exploits of the summer in the Confederations Cup, Schweinsteiger swiftly returned to play a role in the double-winning campaign and scored in Bayern's Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat at Chelsea.

Over the next three seasons, up until the end of 2007–08, Schweinsteiger made 135 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup), scoring 10 goals in the process.

On 15 August 2008, Schweinsteiger scored the first Bundesliga goal of the 2008–09 season. In December 2010, he extended his contract with Bayern until 2016.

On 25 April 2012, Schweinsteiger scored from the last and match-clinching penalty kick against Real Madrid to send Bayern to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. However, in the final of 19 May 2012, Schweinsteiger hit the post against Chelsea after a touch from the Chelsea F.C goalkeeper, Petr Čech.

International career[link]

Euro 2004[link]

Bastian Schweinsteiger made his international debut in 2004 in a friendly against Hungary.^[6] Right after taking part in the U-21's disappointing run at the 2004 European Championships, he was called-up for Euro 2004. Bayern's number 31 earned rave reviews for his performances in Portugal, showing combative skills and even setting up the opening goal for former Bayern teammate Michael Ballack in Germany's 2–1 loss against the Czech Republic.

World Cup 2006[link]

He scored his first two international goals on 8 June 2005 against Russia and scored his first goal in a competitive match against Tunisia on 18 June 2005 at the Confederations Cup in Germany.^[7] He was called-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil and shot into prominence at the tournament with his two brilliant long-range strikes in the third place match against Portugal, which won him the Man of the Match award.^[8] The match ended 3–1 with the 22-year-old nearly claiming a hat-trick but his deflected free kick was credited as an own-goal to Armando Petit.

At the age of 22, he had already played 41 matches for the German national team, a record for any German player at the time. This record was soon broken, however, by Lukas Podolski who was capped 44 times at the age of 22. At the same age, Lothar Matthäus (the German all-time record holder with 150 caps) had only played 13 times for the German national team. To this day Germany have never lost a game when he has scored.

Euro 2008[link]

During Euro 2008 qualifiers, he scored two goals en route to a record 13–0 win over San Marino in San Marino. He scored the third goal in Germany's 4–1 win over Slovakia in Bratislava.

Schweinsteiger lost his place in the starting eleven when manager Joachim Löw moved striker Lukas Podolski to his usual position on the left wing to accommodate the strike partnership of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gómez, and he made two substitute appearances in the group stages. In the second match against Croatia, he was shown a straight red card for reacting to a challenge from Jerko Leko as Germany succumbed to a 2–1 shock defeat. After serving his suspension by missing the game against Austria, he returned to the starting lineup in the quarterfinal against Portugal, as Löw reverted back to the old 4–4–2 formation when Gómez was benched after failing to make an impression. Once again he was instrumental in Germany's 3–2 win, scoring one goal and setting up the other two. He also scored his country's first goal in the 3–2 semifinal victory against Turkey. He captained the team for the first time in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates.

World Cup 2010[link]

Schweinsteiger featured often in 2010 World Cup qualifying, playing 9 of the 10 games and contributing 3 goals. He started in Germany's third pre-warm up game vs. Bosnia on 3 June 2010, and scored 2 penalties in a 3–1 victory in the space of four minutes, but in the 87th minute he was substituted off for Bayern Munich teammate Toni Kroos.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Schweinsteiger was charged with replacing the injured Michael Ballack at the center of midfield. He performed admirably in this role, adding valuable leadership and international experience to a very young German side. He was vital to both the German attack and defense, as was apparent when he was named the Man of the Match after the quarterfinal match against Argentina, where he provided two assists while also managing to contain Lionel Messi. Germany subsequently lost to Spain in the semifinals. Germany was able to rally for a 3–2 victory over Uruguay in the third place match, and, with Philipp Lahm resting on the bench because of illness, Schweinsteiger served as captain.

Overall, Schweinsteiger recorded three assists in seven matches in South Africa, which tied him for the most assists in the finals with Dirk Kuyt, Kaká, Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil.^[9] In recognition of his excellent play throughout the tournament, he was chosen as one of ten finalists for the prestigious Golden Ball, awarded to the most outstanding player of the tournament. As of 4 April 2011, Schweinsteiger has been capped 88 times and has scored 22 goals for the Germany national football team since making his debut in 2004. He has also been to four major tournaments with the German squad: UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal, FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria-Switzerland, and FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa.^[10]

Euro 2012[link]

In Germany's qualification in Group A he established himself as first choice as defensive midfielder. He played 5 matches - once against each opponent: Belgium, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Austria and Turkey - and helped Germany win ten out of ten games scoring once and providing one assist.

Playing Style[link]

Schweinsteiger began his career as a winger and a utility player. With the arrival of Louis van Gaal to Bayern, he began playing in centre midfield to accommodate wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry. Bastian Schweinsteiger has excellent dribbling skills, ball control, precise passing and good tackling capability, plus he is a set piece taker. Schweinsteiger is also a superb reader of the game and has scored spectacularly due to his good positioning. He also has the ability to shoot at target from distance, as in the third-place match against Portugal during the 2006 World Cup where he scored two goals from long range and almost a third from a set piece. He has since thrived in his new role and uses his passing and tackling to great effect in initiating attacks and dictating play.

Career statistics[link]

Club performance[link]

As of 19 May 2012 (2012 -05-19)^[update]

• 1.^ Statistics includes DFL-Supercup.

National team[link]

International goals[link]

Bastian Schweinsteiger: International Goals^[6]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 June 2005	Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany	Russia	1 – 1	2–2	Friendly
2.	8 June 2005	Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany	Russia	2 – 1	2–2	Friendly
3.	18 June 2005	Rhein-Energie Stadion, Cologne, Germany	Tunisia	2 – 0	3–0	FIFA Confederations Cup 2005
4.	29 June 2005	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany	Mexico	2 – 1	4–3	FIFA Confederations Cup 2005
5.	22 March 2006	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany	United States	1 – 0	4–1	Friendly
6.	30 May 2006	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Japan	2 – 2	2–2	Friendly
7.	2 June 2006	Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany	Colombia	2 – 0	3–0	Friendly
8.	8 July 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Portugal	1 – 0	3–1	FIFA World Cup 2006
9.	8 July 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Portugal	3 – 0	3–1	FIFA World Cup 2006
10.	6 September 2006	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	0 – 2	0–13	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
11.	6 September 2006	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	0 – 7	0–13	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
12.	7 October 2006	Ostseestadion, Rostock, Germany	Georgia	1 – 0	2–0	Friendly
13.	11 October 2006	Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia	Slovakia	0 – 3	1–4	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
14.	19 June 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Portugal	1 – 0	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
15.	25 June 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Turkey	1 – 1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2008
16.	20 August 2008	Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany	Belgium	1 – 0	2–0	Friendly
17.	6 September 2008	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0 – 4	0–6	FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
18.	28 March 2009	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany	Liechtenstein	3 – 0	4–0	FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
19.	12 August 2009	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	0 – 1	0–2	FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifying
20.	3 June 2010	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2 – 1	3–1	Friendly
21.	3 June 2010	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3 – 1	3–1	Friendly
22.	10 August 2011	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany	Brazil	1 – 0	3–2	Friendly
23.	7 October 2011	Turk Telekom Arena, Turkey	Turkey	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Bayern Munich Junior Team

• Under 17 Bundesliga (1): 2001
• Under 19 Bundesliga (1): 2002

Bayern Munich II

• Regionalliga Süd (1): 2004

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga (5): 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFB-Pokal (5): 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10
• DFB-Ligapokal (2): 2004, 2007
• DFB-Supercup (1): 2010
• UEFA Champions League Runner-up: 2009–10 2011-12

International[link]

Germany

• FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place: 2005
• FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2006 & 2010
• UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2008

Individual[link]

• FIFA World Cup All Star Team: 2010
• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (2): 2006, 2010^[11]

Personal life[link]

Schweinsteiger has a Dutch great-grandfather.^[12][13] He lives with his girlfriend Sarah Brandner in Munich. His fans nicknamed him "Schweini" or "Basti" to distinguish him from his elder brother, Tobias, a professional footballer who also plays for Bayern, albeit in the reserve team.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bastian Schweinsteiger

• Official website (German)
• Bastian Schweinsteiger at FCBayern.de
• Bastian Schweinsteiger at fussballdaten.de (German)

Germany squads v t e Germany squad – 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship 1 Wiese 2 Volz 3 Gemiti 4 Fathi 5 Franz 6 Hitzlsperger 7 Görlitz 8 Balitsch 9 Auer 10 Podolski 11 Hanke 12 Ochs 13 Schweinsteiger 14 Odonkor 15 Feulner 16 Preuß 17 Madlung 18 Riether 19 Azaouagh 20 Tiffert 21 Huth 22 Rensing Coach: Stielike v t e Germany squad – UEFA Euro 2004 1 Kahn (c) 2 Hinkel 3 Friedrich 4 Wörns 5 Nowotny 6 Baumann 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Hamann 9 Bobic 10 Kurányi 11 Klose 12 Lehmann 13 Ballack 14 Brdarić 15 Kehl 16 Jeremies 17 Ziege 18 Ernst 19 Schneider 20 Podolski 21 Lahm 22 Frings 23 Hildebrand Coach: Völler v t e Germany squad – 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Kahn (c) 2 Hinkel 3 Friedrich 4 Huth 5 Owomoyela 6 Engelhardt 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Frings 9 Hanke 10 Deisler 11 Brdarić 12 Lehmann 13 Ballack 14 Asamoah 15 Ernst 16 Hitzlsperger 17 Mertesacker 18 Borowski 19 Schneider 20 Podolski 21 Schulz 22 Kurányi 23 Hildebrand Coach: Klinsmann v t e Germany squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Lehmann 2 Jansen 3 Friedrich 4 Huth 5 Kehl 6 Nowotny 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Frings 9 Hanke 10 Neuville 11 Klose 12 Kahn 13 Ballack (c) 14 Asamoah 15 Hitzlsperger 16 Lahm 17 Mertesacker 18 Borowski 19 Schneider 20 Podolski 21 Metzelder 22 Odonkor 23 Hildebrand Coach: Klinsmann v t e Germany squad – UEFA Euro 2008 Runners-up 1 Lehmann 2 Jansen 3 Friedrich 4 Fritz 5 Westermann 6 Rolfes 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Frings 9 Gómez 10 Neuville 11 Klose 12 Enke 13 Ballack (c) 14 Trochowski 15 Hitzlsperger 16 Lahm 17 Mertesacker 18 Borowski 19 Odonkor 20 Podolski 21 Metzelder 22 Kurányi 23 Adler Coach: Löw v t e Germany squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1 Neuer 2 Jansen 3 Friedrich 4 Aogo 5 Tasci 6 Khedira 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Özil 9 Kießling 10 Podolski 11 Klose 12 Wiese 13 Müller 14 Badstuber 15 Trochowski 16 Lahm (c) 17 Mertesacker 18 Kroos 19 Cacau 20 Boateng 21 Marin 22 Butt 23 Gómez Coach: Löw v t e Germany squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Neuer 2 Gündoğan 3 Schmelzer 4 Höwedes 5 Hummels 6 Khedira 7 Schweinsteiger 8 Özil 9 Schürrle 10 Podolski 11 Klose 12 Wiese 13 Müller 14 Badstuber 15 L. Bender 16 Lahm (c) 17 Mertesacker 18 Kroos 19 Götze 20 Boateng 21 Reus 22 Zieler 23 Gómez Coach: Löw

Khalid Boulahrouz

Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-12-28) 28 December 1981 (age 30)
Place of birth	Maassluis, Netherlands
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	VfB Stuttgart
Number	21
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2004	RKC Waalwijk	57	(4)
2004–2006	Hamburger SV	52	(1)
2006–2008	Chelsea	13	(0)
2007–2008	→ Sevilla (loan)	6	(0)
2008–2012	VfB Stuttgart	64	(2)
National team‡
2004–	Netherlands	35	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Khalid Boulahrouz (born 28 December 1981, in Maassluis, Netherlands) is a Dutch footballer of Berber Moroccan Rif descent, who plays for the Netherlands and VfB Stuttgart. His nickname is "Khalid the Cannibal" for his ability to "eat up" the opposition.^[2] He is noted for his tackling and versatility in the back.^[3]

Personal life[link]

Boulahrouz was born into a Rifi Berber Moroccan family living in the Netherlands. 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.^[4]

While Boulahrouz was in Switzerland preparing for the Euro 2008 quarter finals against Russia, his wife Sabia gave birth to a prematurely born daughter Anissa who died in a Lausanne hospital.^[5] He opted to play against Russia a few days later, during which the Dutch team wore black armbands in his daughter's memory.^[6]

A second daughter, Amaya, was born in March 2010.^[7]

Club career[link]

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

RKC[link]

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.^[4] He began his professional career in the Dutch Eredivisie for RKC on 9 March 2002, against Heerenveen.

Hamburger SV[link]

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.^[2] 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.^[8]

Chelsea[link]

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).^[9] 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,^[10] 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."^[10]

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 against Spurs, manager Mourinho paired Terry with Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien.

Sevilla[link]

Boulahrouz joined Spanish club Sevilla on a year long loan for the 2007–08 season.^[11] 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[link]

On 21 July 2008, Boulahrouz moved to VfB Stuttgart for a fee of around €5 million.^[12][13] 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.^[14] His goal came in the 69th minute of a 2–0 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

In May 2012 VfB Stuttgart announced that the expiring contract of Khalid Boulahrouz won't be extended.^[15]

International career[link]

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. 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[link]

Boulahrouz was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[18] He also played in the semi-final against Uruguay in place of Gregory van der Wiel.

Quotes about Boulahrouz[link]

• "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." — Edwin van der Sar^[2]
• "He can become my successor" — Jaap Stam^[4]