Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑrkoː vɑŋ ˈɣɪŋkəl] ;[a] born 1 December 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defensive or attacking midfielder.

Marco van Ginkel
Van Ginkel playing for Chelsea in 2013
Personal information
Full name Marco Wulfert Cornelis van Ginkel[1]
Date of birth (1992-12-01) 1 December 1992 (age 32)[2]
Place of birth Amersfoort, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1999–2010 Vitesse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Vitesse 93 (18)
2013–2021 Chelsea 2 (0)
2014–2015AC Milan (loan) 17 (1)
2015–2016Stoke City (loan) 17 (0)
2016–2018PSV (loan) 56 (29)
2020–2021PSV (loan) 11 (1)
2021–2023 PSV 24 (1)
2023–2024 Vitesse 43 (9)
International career
2006–2007 Netherlands U15 4 (0)
2010–2011 Netherlands U19 4 (0)
2011–2014 Netherlands U21 23 (4)
2012–2017 Netherlands 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024

Van Ginkel began his career in the youth ranks of Vitesse, joining the Arnhem-based club as a six-year-old in 1999. After making his way through the various youth levels at the club, Van Ginkel debuted for the senior team in 2010 before sealing a transfer around £9 million to Chelsea in 2013.[3] He suffered a serious knee injury early into his Chelsea career which ruled him out for seven months. He then went on season-long loans to AC Milan in 2014–15, Stoke City in 2015–16 and PSV from 2016 until 2018 until joining Vitesse.

At international level, Van Ginkel represented the Netherlands at the under-19 and under-21 levels before making his senior team debut against Germany in November 2012.[4]

Club career

edit

Vitesse

edit
 
Van Ginkel playing for Vitesse in 2012

Van Ginkel made his debut for Vitesse on 9 April 2010, replacing Nicky Hofs in the 67th minute as the club fell to a 4–1 defeat to RKC Waalwijk in Eredivisie action.[5] He was just seventeen at the time of his senior club debut.[6] His first senior goal for the club came in his first appearance of the 2010–11 Eredivisie campaign, netting in the 43rd minute to bring the game to 2–2 before two second-half goals sent Ajax to a 4–2 win.[7] Van Ginkel scored Vitesse's second and fifth goals in a 5–2 defeat of Roda JC on 29 January 2011.[8]

In the KNVB Cup on 19 December 2012, Van Ginkel scored Vitesse's second goal in a memorable 10–1 win over third division side ADO '20.[9] On 23 February 2013, Van Ginkel notched a brace and Wilfried Bony netted a hat-trick as Vitesse defeated Heracles in a 5–3 win.[10] After a stellar campaign that saw Van Ginkel net eight Eredivisie goals and Vitesse finish in fourth, the club's highest position since finishing in third in 1998, he was voted as the Dutch Talent of the Year awarding his play as the best footballer in the league under 21.[11][12] Upon his prospected moved to Chelsea, he was regarded as being the next Frank Lampard by Vitesse manager Peter Bosz.[13]

Chelsea

edit

On 3 July 2013, English Premier League club Chelsea announced that they had reached an agreement with Vitesse for the transfer of Van Ginkel.[14] With the fee reported to be in the region of £8 million.[15] On 5 July, Chelsea confirmed that they had completed the signing of Van Ginkel, with the Dutch international midfielder signing a five-year contract with the club.[16] Speaking to the official Chelsea website upon his signing with the club, Van Ginkel described himself as "a box-to-box player" who "covers a lot of metres and can score a goal".[17]

2013–14 season

edit

On the opening day of the 2013–14 season, Van Ginkel made his competitive debut for Chelsea as a substitute against Hull City.[18] On 18 September 2013, he played his first UEFA Champions League game in a 2–1 home defeat by Basel. On 24 September, in a League Cup match against Swindon Town, Van Ginkel suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that kept him out of play for around seven months.[19]

Van Ginkel made his competitive return to football in Chelsea's under-21s' match away to Manchester United on 21 March 2014.[20]

Loan to AC Milan

edit

On 1 September 2014, AC Milan announced that Van Ginkel had joined the Serie A club on loan from Chelsea for the 2014–15 season. During his loan spell, Van Ginkel wore the number 21 jersey, formerly owned by some of the great names of the club such as Andrea Pirlo and Mauro Tassotti.[21]

Van Ginkel made his first appearance for Milan on the bench against Parma on 14 September 2014, but he did not make his debut until 23 September. On 23 September, he made his first start, as well as his debut, for Milan against Empoli. His debut, however, was cut short as he was taken off on a stretcher in the 34th minute after suffering an ankle injury.[22][23]

Following his injury, Van Ginkel made his way back on the bench on 19 October, as Milan faced Hellas Verona, but was an unused substitute. Van Ginkel would continue to be left on the bench without a single minute of game time, leading his agent, Karl Jansen, to speak out: "We aren't happy about that is clear. It [leaving Van Ginkel out] went against all logic. Marco didn't have to go to Italy, if he wasn't going to be used anyway. Milan agreed with that. A fit and in-form Van Ginkel plays his way into Milan's starting XI." After Jasen speaking out for Van Ginkel, rumors started around about the possibly of Van Ginkel returning to Chelsea, or going on loan for another team.[24]

On 30 November, Van Ginkel was finally deemed fit enough to start for Milan in a match against Udinese. He played nearly the entire game, being substituted off for Riccardo Montolivo in the 89th minute in a 2–0 Milan victory.[25] In the following game, on 7 December, Van Ginkel was again left on the bench as an unused substitute as Milan crashed into a 1–0 defeat against Genoa.[26]

Van Ginkel took a turn for the worst as he picked up an ankle injury during practice caused by teammate Sulley Muntari. The tackle from Muntari was described as "hard challenge, but it was not a violent challenge" by head coach Filippo Inzaghi; with the injury, Van Ginkel was ruled out for two months.[27]

Van Ginkel made his return to the bench on 18 January 2015, but it was not until 24 January that Van Ginkel made his return onto the pitch, playing against Lazio; he was substituted off in the 55th minute.[28] Van Ginkel played every minute in the league since 4 April,[29] and on 9 May, he scored the opener in a 2–1 home victory over Roma.[30]

Loan to Stoke City

edit

On 10 July 2015, Van Ginkel joined Stoke City on loan for the 2015–16 season as part of a deal that saw goalkeeper Asmir Begović move to Chelsea for £8 million.[31][32][33] Van Ginkel made his debut for Stoke on 9 August in a 1–0 defeat against Liverpool.[34] After starting the first six matches of the season his place in midfield was taken by Ibrahim Afellay.[35] Following the arrival of Giannelli Imbula on 1 February 2016, Stoke cancelled Van Ginkel's loan.[36]

Loans to PSV

edit

Following Stoke's decision to cancel Van Ginkel's loan, he joined PSV on loan for the remainder of the season and reuniting him with former Vitesse teammate Davy Pröpper. Van Ginkel was given the number 28 jersey upon arrival.[37] He made his PSV debut against Utrecht in the quarter-finals of the KNVB Cup, which ended in a 3–1 loss for PSV. He made his league debut on 7 February against Utrecht, three days after PSV's loss in the KNVB Cup. In his league debut, Van Ginkel scored his first goal for PSV as they won 2–0.[38] In the following match, Van Ginkel scored the third goal in a 3–0 win over NEC.[39] On 2 April, Van Ginkel scored a brace against AZ which ended in a 4–2 victory.[40] On 1 May, he scored another brace in a 6–2 win over Cambuur.[41] He won the Eredivisie title with PSV, playing a crucial part for the team by scoring eight goals during his spell.[42]

Although there was talk of a return to PSV on another loan in the summer, Van Ginkel confirmed that he would not be leaving the London side due to a knee injury.[43] After his recovery at Chelsea, however, Van Ginkel signed a new three-year contract on 31 December 2016 and rejoined PSV for a second loan spell.[44]

On 16 July 2017, Van Ginkel's loan spell at PSV was extended for the 2017–18 campaign.[45] Despite his age and being a loanee, Van Ginkel replaced Luuk de Jong as captain.[46]

On 15 April 2018, he played the full 90 minutes as PSV beat rivals Ajax 3–0 to clinch the 2017–18 Eredivisie title.[47] Three months later, Van Ginkel underwent surgery to reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament and treat damage in his knee, and was expected to be out for around eight months.[48]

Return to Chelsea

edit

After his loan ended with PSV and he returned to Chelsea, Van Ginkel remained out of action for the following two seasons.[49] On 26 June 2020, Van Ginkel signed a new one-year deal with Chelsea despite just four appearances for the first-team in seven years.[50]

On 6 October 2020, Van Ginkel returned to the Netherlands with PSV until the end of the 2020–21 season. This was his third spell with the club, having previously won two Eredivisie titles in 2016 and 2018, the second one of those as captain.[51] He made his move to PSV permanent on 18 June 2021.[52]

Return to Vitesse

edit

On 31 January 2023, Van Ginkel returned to his boyhood club Vitesse for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until June 2024 with the Arnhem-based team.[53]

International career

edit

Van Ginkel made his senior debut with the Netherlands national team against Germany on 14 November 2012, coming on as a late substitute in their 0–0 friendly at the Amsterdam Arena.[54] In May 2013, Van Ginkel was included in the Netherlands squad for the UEFA U21 Championship in Israel.[55] After being absent from the senior team for four years, Van Ginkel was recalled to the squad for a friendly against England on 29 March 2016, a 2–1 Dutch victory.

Style of play

edit

Van Ginkel primarily plays as a central midfielder but has been lauded for his ability to play in a multitude of positions including defensive midfield and across the attacking midfield.[citation needed] From his early playing days at Vitesse, he has primarily played in an attacking role, though he has matured in his ability to play in a deeper defensive role. Van Ginkel is recognized as a solid, well-rounded player who has all the tools of a future superstar. On the pitch he is widely known for his maturity on the ball, impressive ball control and an extensive range of passing. He is comfortable with both feet, makes intelligent runs into the box and has an exceptional long-range shot.[56]

Career statistics

edit

Club

edit
As of match played 21 December 2023[57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[b] League cup[c] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vitesse 2009–10 Eredivisie 4 0 0 0 4 0
2010–11 Eredivisie 26 5 2 0 28 5
2011–12 Eredivisie 30 5 4 1 4[d] 0 38 6
2012–13 Eredivisie 33 8 4 1 4[e] 3 41 12
Total 93 18 10 2 0 0 8 3 0 0 111 23
Chelsea 2013–14 Premier League 2 0 0 0 1 0 1[f] 0 4 0
2018–19 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
AC Milan (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 17 1 1 0 0 0 18 1
Stoke City (loan) 2015–16 Premier League 17 0 2 0 2 0 21 0
PSV (loan) 2015–16 Eredivisie 13 8 1 0 2[f] 0 16 8
2016–17 Eredivisie 15 7 0 0 0 0 15 7
2017–18 Eredivisie 28 14 3 2 2[e] 0 33 16
Total 56 29 4 2 4 0 64 31
PSV (loan) 2020–21 Eredivisie 11 1 0 0 1[e] 0 12 1
PSV 2021–22 Eredivisie 23 1 3 0 11[g] 1 1[h] 0 38 2
2022–23 Eredivisie 1 0 0 0 3[f] 0 4 0
Total 24 1 3 0 14 1 1 0 41 1
Vitesse 2022–23 Eredivisie 13 2 0 0 13 2
2023–24 Eredivisie 15 4 1 0 16 4
Total 28 6 1 0 29 6
Career total 248 56 21 4 3 0 28 3 1 0 301 63
  1. ^ Van in isolation: [vɑn].
  2. ^ Includes KNVB Cup, FA Cup, Coppa Italia
  3. ^ Includes Football League Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in Europa League play-offs
  5. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  6. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  7. ^ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League, one appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
  8. ^ Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield

International

edit
As of match played 14 November 2017[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Netherlands 2012 1 0
2013 1 0
2016 4 0
2017 2 0
Total 8 0

Honours

edit

PSV

Individual

Notes

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "UEFA Europa League 2021/2022: Booking List before Group stage Matchday 5" (PDF). UEFA. 17 November 2021. p. 2. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Marco van Ginkel: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Van Ginkel confirmed as Chelsea's latest recruit". UEFA. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Agent: Chelsea interested in Van Ginkel". ESPN FC. 11 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  5. ^ "RKC Waalwijk vs. Vitesse 4 – 1". US Soccerway. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Getting to know Chelsea target Marco van Ginkel". SB Nation. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Ajax vs. Vitesse 4–2". US Soccerway. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Vitesse vs. Roda JC 5–2". US Soccerway. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Vitesse vs. ADO '20 10–1". US Soccerway. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Heracles vs. Vitesse 3–5". US Soccerway. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  11. ^ "Chelsea set to secure Van Ginkel as Mourinho's first signing". Goal.com. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Marco van Ginkel wint Johan Cruijff Prijs" (in Dutch). Vitesse. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Vitesse praise Van Ginkel hunters Chelsea, new coach suggests player could be leaving soon". Sports Witness. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  14. ^ "Agreement reached for transfer of van Ginkel". Chelsea. 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  15. ^ "Chelsea set to complete deal for Marco van Ginkel". BBC Sport. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  16. ^ "van Ginkel signs". Chelsea F.C. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  17. ^ "First Words: Marco van Ginkel". Chelsea F.C. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  18. ^ Winter, Henry (18 August 2013). "Chelsea 2 Hull City 0: match report". The Telegraph. London.
  19. ^ "Chelsea's Marco van Ginkel expected to be out for six to nine months after tearing anterior cruciate ligament". The Telegraph. London. 26 September 2013.
  20. ^ Poole, Tim (21 March 2014). "Chelsea starlet Van Ginkel makes comeback". goal.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Done deal, Marco van Ginkel joins AC Milan". 31 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Empoli vs. Milan 2 – 2". 23 September 2014.
  23. ^ "Marco Van Ginkel taken off on a stretcher, Fernando Torres scores". 23 September 2014.
  24. ^ "Van Ginkel agent troubled by Milan treatment". 4 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Milan vs. Udinese 2 – 0". 30 November 2014.
  26. ^ "Genoa vs. Milan 1 – 0". 7 December 2014.
  27. ^ "More bad news for Marco van Ginkel". 15 December 2014.
  28. ^ "LAZIO VS. MILAN 3 – 1". 24 January 2015.
  29. ^ "PALERMO VS. MILAN 1 – 2". 4 April 2015.
  30. ^ "AC Milan boss Filippo Inzaghi was sent to the stands as his side beat Roma to record a first win in six games". BBC Sport. 9 May 2015.
  31. ^ "Van Ginkel moves to Stoke on loan". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  32. ^ "Marco van Ginkel: Stoke sign Chelsea midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  33. ^ "Chelsea offer Van Ginkel to Stoke in new Asmir Begovic bid". ESPN FC. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  34. ^ "BBC Sport – Stoke City 0–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 9 August 2015.
  35. ^ "West Ham 0, Stoke City 0: Marco van Ginkel curses missed opportunity – for himself and team". Stoke City. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  36. ^ "Mark Hughes – Marco van Ginkel did well … now we've got one of our own to develop". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 2 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  37. ^ "PSV hires Marco van Ginkel". PSV Eindhoven. 1 February 2016.
  38. ^ "Utrecht vs. PSV 0 – 2". Soccerway. 7 February 2016.
  39. ^ "NEC vs. PSV 0 – 3". Soccerway. 14 February 2016.
  40. ^ "AZ vs. PSV 2 – 4". Soccerway. 2 April 2016.
  41. ^ "PSV vs. Cambuur 6 – 2". Soccerway. 1 May 2016.
  42. ^ "Eredivisie 2015/2016 – Torschützenliste".
  43. ^ Twomey, Liam (10 August 2016). "Marco van Ginkel will not rejoin PSV Eindhoven because of knee injury". ESPN.
  44. ^ "Van Ginkel extends". Chelsea Official Site. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  45. ^ "Van Ginkel extends and agrees loan". Chelsea Official Site. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  46. ^ Europa League round-up: PSV embarrassed as Utrecht draw, 27 July 2017
  47. ^ "PSV Eindhoven 3–0 Ajax". BBC Sport. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  48. ^ "Marco van Ginkel: Chelsea midfielder out for eight months after knee surgery". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  49. ^ "Van Ginkel renews despite not playing for 2 years". BeSoccer. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Van Ginkel to remain at Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  51. ^ "Marco van Ginkel goes back to Dutch club". Chelsea F.C. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  52. ^ "VAN GINKEL JOINS PSV". Chelsea. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  53. ^ "Ook Marco van Ginkel komt thuis: contract tot 2024". Vitesse (in Dutch). 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  54. ^ "Stalemate between Netherlands and Germany". UEFA. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  55. ^ "Netherlands – Under-21". UEFA. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  56. ^ "Marco van Ginkel profile: Chelsea new boy can become 'a hybrid of Frank Lampard and vintage Michael Essien'". Mirror Football. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  57. ^ a b "M. van Ginkel". Soccerway. Global Sports Media. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  58. ^ "Marco van Ginkel". EU-Football. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  59. ^ "PSV verrast Ajax met twee goals vlak na rust en wint KNVB-beker". NOS. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  60. ^ "Super Cup". soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  61. ^ "Ajax - PSV". PSV.nl. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
edit