Joris Mathijsen

Dutch association football player

In November 2008, Mathijsen signed a new contract extension, tying him to Hamburg until the summer of 2012. In mid June 2011, however, he signed a two year contract with Spanish La Liga side Málaga. In the summer of 2012, it became apparent that Málaga was willing to let Mathijsen transfer to another club, prompting several Dutch sides to show interest, including Feyenoord and Ajax; on 10 August, Mathijsen signed with the former.

On 17 November 2004, Mathijsen made his international debut for the Netherlands against Andorra in a 3–0 away win. Since his international debut, Mathijsen became a mainstay figure in the national team, especially after impressing with Hamburger SV. He was usually positioned as left central defender, because of his strong left foot. He was called up to the Dutch squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Initially in danger of losing his spot to Wilfred Bouma, he followed it up with a decent enough performance at the Euro 2008 and remained first choice. Mathijsen was ever present for Oranje during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. He played more minutes than any other player in the Dutch squad and played a key role in their record of having conceded the fewest goals in their qualifying group. Mathijsen was part of the Dutch team for the 2010 World Cup, managed by Bert van Marwijk. The player was in the starting line up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark, and started in all their matches on the way to the final.