Andy van der Meyde

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Born
1979 (46 years old)
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Arnhem, Netherlands

Position
Right Winger

Status

Ethnicity

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Height
178 cm

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Sport

Soccer

Team
_Retired Soccer

2nd Team

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_No League Soccer

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Description

Andy van der Meijde, anglicised to van der Meyde (Dutch pronunciation: ; born 30 September 1979) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.

After making a name for himself at Ajax, he went on to represent Inter Milan and Everton, his spell at the latter club being cut short due to several problems, both on and off the pitch.

A full international between 2002 and 2004, he won 17 caps and scored one goal for the Dutch national team. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2004.

On 19 May 2002, Van der Meyde was handed his debut for Dick Advocaat's Dutch national team against the United States, which he marked with a goal in a 2–0 win. He helped the country reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2004, featuring in four games – all starts – and assisting Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 1–1 group stage draw to Germany, but being overlooked for the last-four match against Portugal.

After the tournament, following Marco van Basten's appointment as national team manager and the emergence of youngsters as Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart, Van der Meyde failed to receive another callup, finishing his international career with 17 caps.

Van der Meyde was married, a relationship from which he had two daughters.

In November 2012, following the publication of his biography Geen genade (English: No Mercy), Van der Meyde gave a series of media interviews, including with The Times in England, in which he admitted to a long term series of personal problems: after a difficult first year in Milan he spent a long time on the bench in his second year, and began drinking. Offered the chance to join AS Monaco at the end of the season his wife, who liked to keep animals, rejected the prospect of living in an apartment, so he moved to Everton. Injured upon arriving, he played regularly for a period after regaining fitness, before getting injured against Manchester United; in rehabilitation for six months, after his newly born daughter was hospitalised for an equal period, he again turned to alcohol.

In his second year at Everton, Van der Meyde's wife and daughters returned to the Netherlands to enable his youngest child to have access to hospital treatment and to maintain close ties with family members. Van der Meyde began an affair, which his wife discovered after she paid a private detective to follow his activities; this resultantly lead to his divorce, and also a break-up with his girlfriend.

After his contract with Everton was terminated at the end of the fourth season due to recurring injuries, personal problems, and falling out with manager David Moyes, Van der Meyde remained as a resident of Liverpool for a year. Moving in with a friend he began a downward spiral of drink, excessive gambling and drug taking, including cocaine.

Realising his now depressive state, Van der Meyde agreed with his agent to return to Amsterdam, who negotiated a training agreement with former club Ajax. This allowed him to turn around his life, and regain contact with his ex-wife and daughters.

On 24 May 2014, Van der Meyde refereed the Lingerie World Cup, which the Netherlands won on home soil.

Trophies

Milestones

Former Youth Teams