Biography
Who is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar?
Early life and youth career
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar: Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar was born on August 12, 1983, in Voor-Drempt, a village in the Achterhoek region of the Netherlands. He moved to Hummelo when he was six weeks old, living with his parents Dirk-Jan and Maud, alongside his brothers Niek and Jelle. At the age of five, he joined the local football team VV H. En K. With his brothers. He later joined De Graafschap and signed his first youth contract in April 1994 at the age of 10. During his early years at De Graafschap, he played in various positions such as left wing, attacking midfield, left back, and goalkeeper before transitioning to a striker.
Club career and PSV
In his first season at PSV Eindhoven, Klaas-Jan established himself as a productive goalscorer for their A1 youth teams, scoring 26 goals in 23 games under coach Willy van der Kuijlen. In his second season, he was added to the senior squad under coach Guus Hiddink. He made his first team debut on November 23, 2002, in an away win over Roosendaal as a second-half substitute. This remained his only appearance for the senior PSV squad during that stint.
Heerenveen and Ajax
After his loan at AGOVV, Klaas-Jan turned down a new contract with PSV and signed with Heerenveen. He scored on his Eredivisie debut against AZ Alkmaar and finished his first season with 17 goals in 31 matches, helping the club qualify for the UEFA Cup. In January 2006, he transferred to Ajax for a fee of 9 million euros. He made an immediate impact, finishing his first partial season as the Eredivisie top scorer with 33 league goals and winning the KNVB Cup.
International and later career
Klaas-Jan was a key part of the Dutch side that won the 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship, where he finished as the tournament's leading goalscorer and received the player of the tournament award. He remains the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-21 national team with 18 goals in 23 appearances. Over his career, he played for several well-known international clubs including Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Schalke 04, where he became a top goalscorer in the Bundesliga.
Birthday and age
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was born on August 12, 1983, which makes Klaas-Jan 43 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Klaas-Jan shares the date with 25 other famous people.
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