Biography
Who is Ricky van Wolfswinkel?
Early Career and Vitesse
Ricky van Wolfswinkel began his football career in the youth ranks of Vitesse Arnhem. He became the top scorer in the national first division for the A-juniors and received an award from the Royal Dutch Football Association presented by Wesley Sneijder in 2007. On April 5, 2008, he made his debut for the Vitesse first team as a substitute against Sparta Rotterdam. During the 2008 to 2009 season, he scored his first Eredivisie goal against Sparta Rotterdam. In May 2009, he announced his departure from Vitesse to sign a contract with FC Utrecht.
After joining Utrecht, he scored his first league goal in a match against Feyenoord and netted a hat-trick against Celtic in the UEFA Europa League in August 2010. He also scored two penalties against Ajax in October 2010 to secure an away win.
Sporting CP and Norwich City
In June 2011, Ricky van Wolfswinkel moved to Sporting CP on a five-year contract. He scored his first goal for the club against Pacos de Ferreira and earned the SJPF Player of the Month award for September 2011. He finished the season with 25 goals, including a hat-trick against Braga. In his second season in Lisbon, he scored another 14 league goals in 30 games.
He agreed to join English club Norwich City for the 2013 to 2014 season on a four-year deal. He scored on his league debut against Everton in August 2013. He made 25 Premier League appearances during the season before the club was relegated to the Championship. He later spent time on loan at Saint Etienne in France and Real Betis in Spain.
Later Club Career
Ricky van Wolfswinkel returned to Vitesse in July 2016 for an undisclosed fee. He scored 20 goals during the league season and scored two goals in the final of the KNVB Beker against AZ on April 30, 2017, helping the club win the title for the first time in its history. In June 2017, he joined Swiss side Basel on a three-year deal. He scored 54 goals in 148 total games for Basel across the domestic league, Swiss Cup and European competitions.
In July 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Twente, returning to the Eredivisie. He finished his first season as the club leading scorer with 17 goals in 35 appearances. In March 2025, he signed a one-year contract extension through 2026 and scored his 100th Eredivisie goal in September 2025.
Birthday and age
Ricky van Wolfswinkel was born on January 27, 1989, which makes Ricky 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Ricky shares the date with 60 other famous people.
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