De Ridder, Daniel

A promising young midfielder, Daniel possesses a tenacious willingness to take on defenders and the ability to play in most offensive positions. The Dutch prodigy plays for Ajax Amsterdam, the biggest club in the Netherlands and one of the most important in the world. De Ridder is particularly popular among the club's female fans for his pinup good looks.

The midfielder has an Israeli mother and a Dutch father. He seems like a good prospect to play international Dutch football but he has also hinted that he may prefer the Israeli national team colors.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 6, 1984

Career Highlights:
De Ridder was one of the outstanding players on the 2002-03 Young Ajax team. The right-sided attacker assisted them to the coveted Amstel Cup when he scored an overtime winner in a 4-2 final victory. In 2003-04 he was promoted to the Ajax 2 reserve team and rewarded the decision with such excellent form that Daniel was soon promoted to the senior side.

The youngster made his first-team debut on January 21, 2004 against Roda away from home. Coming on in the 75th minute, de Ridder made an astonishing move, slipping past two defenders and coming very close to scoring. Ajax were unable to reclaim the Dutch title, but De Ridder often started and scored his debut goal against Willem II on May 16, 2004 towards the end of the season.

De Ridder is participating in Ajax's 2004-05 Champions League quest. He made his first rather pedestrian performance in an embarrassing 0-4 loss in Munich on Septmeber 28, 2004. He was on better form as a substitute, against Maccabi Tel Aviv at home in a 3-0 win. Daniel scored his first Champions League goal against Tel Aviv on November 3 of that year. Coming on as a 70th minute sub, he scored eighteen minutes later but saw Ajax go down 1-2 in Israel.

Origin:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Career Dates:
2003-

Position:
Attacking midfielder

Physical description:
6"0

152 lbs.

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