Gregory van der Wiel

Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel (born 3 February 1988) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right-back.

Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system.

In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC Haarlem due to the player having a "mentality problem".

Talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said, "When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was always well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans and brought to the club. At Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five-year-old outfits, and had to find our own way to the trainings. The atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development. It was a wake-up call for me."

In 2005, Ajax approached him once again and brought him back to the Academy.

His second stint at the club proved to be a much more successful experience, resulting in him signing his first professional contract, effectively starting from July 2006.

Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard, Van der Wiel was made captain of Jong Ajax.

At the end of the 2006–07 season, Van der Wiel signed a four–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2011.

Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against Twente, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam.

He would play three more matches that season.

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Van der Wiel participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV in the battle for the Johan Cruyff Shield, resulting in winning his first career trophy.

In a 1–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the first round of the UEFA Cup on 20 September 2007, his performance was praised by manager Henk ten Cate.

A knee injury kept him out for the most of the 2007–08 season.

In the 2008–09 season, Van der Wiel managed to recovered from the knee injury ahead of the new season and hoped to succeed John Heitinga, who departed for La Liga side Atlético Madrid over the summer.

After returning from injury, Van der Wiel regained his first place at the club, playing in the right-back position.

At one point, he played in the midfield position due to midfielder crisis.

For his performance in the 2008–09 season, he was awarded AFC Ajax's Talent of the Year.

Van der Wiel made his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2009 and participated in the Netherlands' runners-up performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Dutch teammate John Heitinga has labelled him the spiritual successor of Michael Reiziger for the Netherlands.

Van der Wiel started his playing career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam.

At age seven, the young defender was scouted by AFC Ajax and brought to the Ajax Academy at "De Toekomst".

His performances resulted in him signing a contract extension with the club on 28 January 2009, lasting until 2013.

He then scored his first goal for the club on 1 March 2009 in a 2–0 win over Utrecht.

Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Van der Wiel switched shirt number from 15 to 2.

His performance attracted interests from Premier League side Manchester City.

Van der Wiel played as a right–back in both legs of the 2009–10 KNVBCup final, as the club beat Feyenoord 4–2 to win the tournament.

For his performances during the season, he was awarded the Johan Cruijff Award for "Young Player of the Year."

In 2010, he was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands.

He also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Fenerbahçe, Cagliari and Toronto FC.

On 24 January 2010, he scored his fourth goal of the season in a 1–0 win over AZ.

He, once again, helped the club keep six clean sheets between 3 February 2010 and 7 March 2010.

Following the 2010 World Cup, Van der Wiel was in talks to transfer to Louis van Gaal's Bayern Munich.

However, Ajax was not able to agree to a deal.

The 2010–11 season was another successful season for Van der Wiel, as he maintained his first-team position under new manager Frank de Boer.

Despite some setbacks, Van der Wiel continued to regain his first team place at right-back.

After being linked with a move to Manchester City and Barcelona in the January transfer window, he ended the transfer speculation by declaring his intention to stay at the club.

In the final of the KNVB Cup against FC Twente, he started the match in the right–back and played 91 minutes before being substituted, as the club lost 3–2.

During the 2011–12 season, Van der Wiel suffered a groin injury on two occasions, which affected his season.

He returned to training after two months sidelined.

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Van der Wiel continued to be linked a move away from Ajax, and he made it clear he was not keen on signing a new contract with Ajax in January 2012.