John de Jong

For the linguist, see John H.A.L. de Jong. For the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, see John de Jongh.

Johannes Jacobus “John” de Jong (born 8 March 1977) is a Dutch retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

John de Jong

Personal information
Full name	Johannes Jacobus de Jong
Date of birth	(1977-03-08) 8 March 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	The Hague, Netherlands
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	VV Wilhelmus
	Den Haag
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1997	Den Haag	69	(19)
1998–2000	Utrecht	71	(16)
2000–2008	PSV	92	(18)
2002–2003	→ Heerenveen (loan)	26	(9)
Total		258	(62)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Best known for his lengthy spell with PSV, he had good passing abilities, also having his career cut short by injury, retiring at 30. He amassed Eredivisie totals of 189 games and 43 goals, over the course of ten seasons.

Club career

Born in The Hague (Den Haag), de Jong started his professional career with his hometown club ADO Den Haag, in the second division. In January 1998, his solid performances led to a move to the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht, where he continued to perform well.

For 2000–01, de Jong joined PSV Eindhoven. After a good run in his debut campaign (28 matches, three goals, national league conquered) and the second, he was loaned to SC Heerenveen for one season.

On 26 February 2008, after having only played 15 games in four years, all in 2004–05, de Jong retired from football due to an injury he sustained in training in 2005. He was unable to recover even after 35 months of rehabilitation, and subsequently expressed interest in staying at PSV in a non-footballing capacity.^[1]

Honours

PSV

• Eredivisie: 2000–01
• KNVB Cup: 2004–05
• Johan Cruyff Shield: 2000, 2001, 2003