Menno Willems
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 March 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands | ||
| Position(s) | Defender, midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Ajax | 2 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Vitesse | 12 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | → FC Den Bosch (loan) | 24 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 |
→ Grimsby Town (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2001–2002 | Grimsby Town | 40 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | HFC Haarlem | 47 | (3) |
| 2004–2005 | Sparta Rotterdam | 32 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Go Ahead Eagles | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 177 | (6) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Menno Willems (born 10 March 1977) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder.
He notably played for Vitesse, Ajax and Grimsby Town. He also played for FC Den Bosch, HFC Haarlem, Sparta Rotterdam and Go Ahead Eagles before being forced to retirement at the age of 30.
Career
Born in
He then spent a season playing with
After the end of his three-month loan deal Grimsby paid Vitesse £160,000 for Menno, and made him one of the most highly paid players at the club.[1] He played out the final few months of the 2000–01 season and was the only foreign loan star too sign a permanent deal. In the new season, slight injury problems coupled with performances of other players saw Willems fall out of favour at the club under new manager Paul Groves. In May 2002, Willems left the club on a free transfer.
He soon returned to the Netherlands, playing for HFC Haarlem for two seasons, before playing out the next two seasons with Sparta Rotterdam and Go Ahead Eagles.
Willems called time on his professional football career at the end of the 2005–06 season. Because of wear and tear to the cartilage in his knee, he was advised to end his football career.
Personal life
Willems is related to fellow footballer and former Derby County midfielder Ron Willems.
In 2012 Willems was sent to prison in Belgium for fraud following the collapse of his
References
- ^ "Menno's The Man For Lennie". Sky Sports. 2 March 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ Bontinck, Danny (15 May 2012). "Ex-prof Ajax twee jaar in de cel voor oplichting (Nederlands voetbal)". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 April 2021.
External links
- Menno Willems at Soccerbase
