Personal Information
Date of Birth | February 21, 1993 |
Nationality | Dutch |
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Role | Attacking Midfielder |
Past Team(s) |
Davy Klaassen: A Brief Biography
Davy Klaassen is a Dutch professional footballer, born on 21st February 1993 in Hilversum, Netherlands. He can operate from various positions and the coaches deploy him as attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, left winger for his versatility. The right-footed player currently plies his trade for the Bundesliga club SV Werder Bremen.
Background
At the age of 4, Klaassen started playing football at the local amateur club, HVV de Zebra's Hilversum, before joining HSV Wasmeer in 2003. At the age of 11, his incipient talent caught the attention of Ajax and Klassen moved to the youth academy of the fabled Dutch club in 2004.In 2011-12, he helped Ajax A1 Youth to win Nike Eredivisie League title and appeared eight times for Ajax Under-19 side in the NextGen Series.
Klaassen made his first-team debut as an 85th-minute substitute in a Championship League group tie against Olympique Lyon in November 2011. Five days later, he celebrated his league debut scoring a goal within 42 seconds of coming on the pitch against NEC Nijmegen.
After only six league matches in first two seasons, Klaassen steered his performance to next level showing his effectiveness and creativity in the midfield.
Klaassen represented Dutch side at various age categories-Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21.
Debut
Klaassen earned his maiden international cap 18 minutes from the time in an International Friendly match against France in March 2014 at Paris. But the midfielder was left out of the squad and missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He had to wait for a year before making another appearance for his national side in an international friendly match against Spain in March 2015. Playing as attacking midfielder, he scored a goal.
Rise to Glory
Klaassen enjoyed a sumptuous 2016-17 season netting 20 times in all competitions. He inspired Ajax to the 2017 Europa League final. His nine assists helped Ajax to finish the domestic league at the second spot.
Low Points
The presence of Wesley Sneijder in the Dutch midfield restricted Klaassen’s career in the national team to flourish. Also, injuries have spoiled his chance on several occasions as the Dutch international missed vital ties.
Club Career
Klaassen appeared in 182 matches scoring 57 goals in his six-year stint at Ajax. He won three Eredivisie, one Super Cup with the Amsterdam side. He was adjudged ‘Dutch Football Talent of the Year’ for scoring 13 goals in all competitions in the 2013-14 season.Klassen was bestowed with the captaincy charge ahead of the 2015-16 season.
Klaassen penned a five-year contract with Everton in July 2017. But he got limited chances at the English side and was in talks with Serie A side, Napoli, for more first-team exposure.
However, the loan clause did not work out due to Klaassen’s image rights which affected his inclusion in the national team.