Nigel de Jong is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie A club Milan 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 17. He scored his first goal of his senior career on 18 February 2003 in a 1â1 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League. He became a first team regular the following season, in which Ajax won the Eredivisie title. On 26 January 2006, De Jong signed a four and a half year contract at German Bundesliga club Hamburg, the transfer fee approximately âŦ1 million. In March 2006 De Jong scored the winning goal in Bayern Munich's first ever defeat at the Allianz Arena. On 21 January 2009, De Jong was signed to Manchester City on a four-and-a-half year contract, for an estimated fee of ÂŖ18 million. He was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports in a 2â1 win over Chelsea on 5 December 2009. De Jong scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 2â1 victory against West Ham United on 1 May 2011. On 31 August 2012, De Jong joined Italian Serie A side Milan for ÂŖ3.5 million rising to ÂŖ5 million depending on appearances, signing a three-year deal.
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