1. Eljero George Rinaldo Elia was born on 13 February 1987 and is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.
49 Facts About Eljero Elia
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Eljero Elia turned professional at ADO Den Haag and then played for Twente before moving abroad to represent Hamburger SV, Juventus and Werder Bremen.
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Eljero Elia later moved to cross-city rivals TONEGIDO and played in their youth department.
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In 1996, at age nine, Eljero Elia moved to the youth system of ADO Den Haag.
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Eljero Elia was disappointed because he had been sent away from Ajax.
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Eljero Elia scored two goals in two matches between 16 December and 23 December 2006 against Willem II and NAC Breda.
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Since joining the club, Eljero Elia became involved in the first team, having found his playing time, coming from the substitute bench before he soon won his place in the starting eleven.
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Eljero Elia then scored three goals in the first three league matches of the season against Roda JC, NEC Nijmegen and FC Volendam.
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Eljero Elia's performance led the club began open talks with Elia over a new contract.
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Eljero Elia later added three more goals in the league, coming against FC Groningen, Roda JC and AZ Alkmaar.
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However, Eljero Elia suffered a setback when he suffered a patella problems while training and was sidelined for a week.
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Since joining Hamburger SV, Eljero Elia quickly established himself in the first team, where he rotated in playing either the midfield or striker positions.
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However, Eljero Elia suffered ankle injury that saw him miss two matches.
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However, Eljero Elia was absent for the next three matches after being dropped from the squad by manager Armin Veh.
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Amid the transfer speculation, Eljero Elia made five appearances for the club.
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However, Eljero Elia received criticism for his performance by the club's supporters and local newspaper Weser Kurier.
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Eljero Elia earned redemption from the club's supporters, who didn't want him in the first team.
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Eljero Elia then scored two goals in two matches between 24 November 2013 and 30 November 2013, coming against 1.
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Eljero Elia then played a contribution for the club when he set up two goals in two matches between 30 March 2014 and 5 April 2014, coming against Hannover 96 and Schalke 04 respectively.
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Eljero Elia, himself, said he was keen to join the club permanently.
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On 6 August 2015, Eljero Elia signed a two-year deal with Dutch side Feyenoord under the management of former Arsenal player Giovanni van Bronckhorst instead of joining Southampton.
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However, Eljero Elia suffered a shoulder injury while training and was out for two months.
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Eljero Elia was linked with a move to Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir.
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On 13 June 2017, Eljero Elia joined Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir on a three-year contract.
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However, Eljero Elia suffered a shoulder injury and had an operation that saw him out for two months.
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Eljero Elia then scored three goals in three matches between 18 March 2018 and 6 April 2018 against Besiktas, Alanyaspor and Yeni Malatyaspor.
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Eljero Elia followed up by assisting three times in the next three matches.
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On 19 August 2020, Eljero Elia signed a two-year contract with Utrecht, after coming over from Istanbul Basaksehir on a free transfer.
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Eljero Elia was previously linked with a move to clubs in Italy and Argentina before deciding to return to his homeland.
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However, Eljero Elia received criticism for not living up to expectation since joining the club.
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On 11 January 2021, the club announced that Eljero Elia had suffered a hamstring injury and as a result would be sidelined the following weeks.
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Eljero Elia began practicing with his former club ADO Den Haag during the autumn of 2021, who were competing in the second-tier Eerste Divisie.
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Eljero Elia officially announced his retirement from playing in late 2022.
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Eljero Elia went on to make ten appearances and scoring six times for the U19 national team.
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Eljero Elia developed rapidly and at the beginning of 2006, he was selected for Netherlands U21 the first time.
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Eljero Elia later made two more appearances for Netherlands U21 by the end of the year.
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Eljero Elia went on to make seven appearances and scoring two times for Netherlands U21.
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Eljero Elia went on to make five appearances and scoring two times for Netherlands U20.
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In May 2009, Eljero Elia was included in the Netherlands' senior squad for the friendly matches against Iceland and Norway by coach Bert van Marwijk.
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Once again, Eljero Elia was selected for the senior team's friendly with England.
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Eljero Elia followed up by making three straight starts in the next three matches.
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In May 2010, Eljero Elia was included in the preliminary squad for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa despite facing uncertainties over his injury that he sustained while at Hamburger SV.
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On 27 May 2010, Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk announced that Eljero Elia would be part of the 23-man final squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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In May 2018, Eljero Elia was called up to the Netherlands for the first time in almost two years.
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Eljero Elia's first name is an homage to his sister's favourite jazz singer, Al Jarreau.
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In November 2012, Eljero Elia became a second-time father when his second daughter was born.
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In June 2015, Eljero Elia announced his marriage to his long term girlfriend, Sanne.
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On 7 March 2016, Eljero Elia was brought in for questioning and arrested for his alleged involvement in a brawl in Rotterdam city centre the week before.
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Eljero Elia made headlines when he had a severe infection due to a poorly applied tattoo, due to feeling uncomfortable wearing the shirt, leading Hamburg's neighbours Werder Bremen have since banned their players from getting tattoos.