Top facts about Andy van der Meyde, Shandy Andy

Andy van der Meijde (born 30 September 1979) is a former professional footballer from the Netherlands who played as a winger.

Andy van der Meyde’s age

is 42.

After earning a name for himself at

, he moved on to play for Inter Milan and Everton, albeit his time at the latter was cut short owing to a number of issues both on and off the field.

Between 2002 and 2004, he was a full international for the Netherlands, earning 17 caps and scoring one goal. At UEFA Euro 2004, he represented his nation.

Despite only making 24 total appearances for Everton over the course of four seasons, van der Meyde, the Dutch winger was at the center of perhaps the single brightest moment of the David Moyes era — the Toffees’ 2009 victory over Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Andy van der Meyde retired in 2012, after which he was forced to reckon with his substance abuse and depression. Fortunately, after his playing days concluded, van der Meyde was able to get the help he needed and stabilize his life after football.

Top facts about Andy van der Meyde:

Between 2000 and 2003, Van der Meyde caused a stir at Ajax, the club that also trained him, after a loan spell at FC Twente. He won the national title, cup, and Johan Cruyff Scale before moving abroad.

However, he was unable to live up to it at Internazionale and Everton, due in part to personal issues. Van der Meyde had a brief contract with PSV before retiring in 2011. Meanwhile, he appeared in seventeen international matches for the Dutch national team and participated in Euro 2004.

No Mercy, his autobiography written after his professional career, was published in 2012. This became a best-seller, revealing how his addictions were ruining his playing career and personal life. Following this, Van der Meyde rose to prominence as a TV personality, appearing on a variety of reality shows.

Andy van der Meyde early life

Van der Meyde was born in Arnhem, Gelderland. Speaking about

Andy van der Meyde’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that he joined AFC Ajax as a youth, making his first-team debut at the age of 18 in a 1–0 victory against FC Twente on November 12, 1997. There is no information available regarding

Andy van der Meyde’s parents

.

He was loaned to Twente for a season in 1999 to acquire experience, where he was an unquestioned starter for a team that finished sixth in the Eredivisie.

Andy van der Meyde personal life

Van der Meyde was married and had two children from his marriage. Following the release of his memoir Geen genade (English: No Mercy) in November 2012, Van der Meyde conducted a series of media interviews, including one with The Times in England, in which he acknowledged to a lengthy history of personal issues:

After a rough first year at Milan, he spent most of his second year on the bench and started drinking. When he was offered the option to join

at the conclusion of the season, his wife, who loved to keep animals, turned down the offer, so he went to Everton.

After being injured upon arrival, he played consistently for a while after recovering fitness until being hurt against Manchester United; he spent six months in rehabilitation after his newly born daughter was hospitalized for the same amount of time, and he succumbed to drink once again.

Van der Meyde's wife and children returned to the Netherlands in his second year at Everton to allow his youngest kid to get medical care and keep tight links with family members.

Van der Meyde initiated an affair, which his wife discovered after hiring a private investigator to monitor his actions; as a consequence, he divorced his wife and broke up with his girlfriend.

An important

fact about Andy van der Meyde

is that he stayed at Liverpool for a year after his contract with Everton was cancelled at the conclusion of the fourth season owing to persistent injuries, personal difficulties, and a falling out with manager David Moyes.

He started a downhill spiral of alcohol, excessive gambling, and drug use, including cocaine, after moving in with a buddy.

A notable fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he opted to return to Amsterdam with his agent, who secured a training arrangement with previous club Ajax, after realizing his current melancholy condition. He was able to turn his life around and reconnect with his ex-wife and children as a result of this.

Van der Meyde was the referee for the Lingerie World Cup, which the Netherlands won on home soil on May 24, 2014.

Andy van der Meyde professional career

After several successful seasons with the Dutch giants, Andy van der Meyde spent two indifferent seasons with Inter Milan. Injuries and middling form kept him from regular playing time, as he started just 39 matches in all competitions for Inter, totaling four goals and four assists for the club.

He moved from Inter to Everton ahead of the 2005-06 season for a fee of £2 million. In his first season with the club, he made only ten appearances. His season was limited due to injury and a general inability to adjust to the English game.

Andy van der Meyde club career

Van der Meyde cemented himself as Ajax's first-choice in 2001–02. After a rocky start, Ronald Koeman was named head coach, and the player played a key role in the team's reconstruction, claiming the right-winger position for himself.

The season came to a close with the Amsterdam team winning the double, with him scoring five league goals.

A notable fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he scored a career-high 11 goals in 2002–03, while also guiding Ajax reach the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, scoring in a key 1–1 away draw against A.S. Roma to ensure the team's qualification.

Inter Milan

Van der Meyde, 24, was purchased from Inter Milan for £4 million during the 2003 off-season. He only made 14 Serie A appearances in his debut season, but he made somewhat more the next season.

An important

fact about Andy van der Meyde

is that he scored a fantastic goal against Arsenal in a 3–0 away triumph at Highbury in the Champions League group stage on September 17, 2003, as Inter were knocked out in the group stages.

Everton

After leaving Inter, there was substantial speculation that Van der Meyde might return to Ajax, with AS Monaco FC in France and

in England also expressing interest.

However, on August 31, 2005, he signed a £2 million deal with Everton, and in his first Merseyside derby against Liverpool on March 25, 2006, he earned a straight red card for a tackle on Xabi Alonso, resulting in a 1–3 away defeat.

Van der Meyde was once again the subject of intense speculation about his future in the summer of 2006, after failing to settle at Everton and making just ten appearances in his first season due to a mix of injuries and allegations of drunkenness. In June 2006, he reiterated his promise and categorically refuted any such charges.

"I want to remain, I have a strong desire to stay. It's wonderful to be here. Everything is in my favor. I'm enjoying my time in England and want to prove to everyone that I can play football. I'll do it next season if I have the opportunity."

An important fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he was brought to the hospital with respiratory issues in the early hours of August 7, 2006. His drink was said to have been tainted when he was at a Liverpool pub.

Everton penalized him for a violation of discipline, and to add insult to injury, his home was broken into five days later during a friendly with Athletic Bilbao, with his Ferrari, Mini Cooper, and dog among the goods taken.

The automobiles and dog were subsequently discovered, however the Ferrari's windshield had been damaged. The footballer accused manager David Moyes of uttering 'downright falsehoods' about his health in March 2007, but later apologized.

Van der Meyde played a complete 90 minutes at Coleraine, Northern Ireland, in July 2007. He went on to play many friendly matches in a bid to improve fitness ahead of the new domestic league season, possibly his most successful pre-season at the club.

He did, however, put additional doubt on his Everton future when he failed to show up for a planned training session.

A notable fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he was suspended on August 17, 2007, for a 'breach of club discipline' after failing to show up for training. He was penalized two weeks' salary and fined a total of £50,000.

Due to his personal situation, the player requested "understanding from the club and fans," as his five-month-old daughter Dolce had been unable to leave the hospital since her birth due to illness; as a result, he did not play for the first team for over a year, instead opting for reserve team football.

Van der Meyde made his comeback to first-team football on December 7, 2008, when he played five minutes for an Everton side beset by injuries in a 2–3 home loss to

.

He was brought in as a substitute in the FA Cup fourth round replay against Liverpool the following month, providing the assist for Dan Gosling's game-winning goal in the 118th minute; nevertheless, his contract ended in June 2009, and he was released.

PSV Eindhoven

A notable fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he was unattached for six months until signing a short-term contract with PSV Eindhoven in March 2010.

He made his debut for the club in a 3–0 friendly victory against VVV-Venlo on April 23, however he did not make an official appearance during his time with the club. Van der Meyde, who was 31 at the time, retired from professional football in late February 2011.

However, he returned to play in December, joining Topklasse amateurs WKE in Emmen for the remainder of the season.

Andy van der Meyde international career

Van der Meyde made his debut for Dick Advocaat's Dutch national team against the United States on May 19, 2002, scoring a goal in a 2–0 victory.

He played in four games – all starts – for the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2004, supporting Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 1–1 group stage draw with Germany, but he was left out of the last-four encounter against Portugal.

With the tournament, following the hiring of Marco van Basten as national team manager and the development of young players such as

,

, and Rafael van der Vaart, Van der Meyde was not called up again, ending his international career with 17 appearances.

Andy van der Meyde media career

Van der Meyde, who was known for his jokes with the public and opponents during his football career, became involved in the media after his playing career.

He could be seen, for example, at Sterren Dansen op het IJs, Your wife, my wife VIPS, Sterren Jumpen, and VTBL. During the World Cup in Brazil, Van der Meyde was also seen as the referee of Veronica's World Cup in Lingerie.

Van der Meyde rose to prominence with his own reality show, Andy & Melisa. It chronicled the ex-and footballer's his family's daily lives. Andy and Melisa's series was broadcast on both SBS6 and RTL 5.

Van der Meyde has also been a YouTube success with his own series Bij Andy in de car, in which famous football players, artists, and influencers join him for a good conversation since 2016. In 2019, he hired a manager (Danny Membre, owner of RUMAG) to help him with his business.

Following this, among other things, the series that was previously only broadcast online on FOX Sports was broadcast. The series was nominated for a Televizier-Ster Online video series award in 2020.

He also became the new King Toto and the face of the Dutch fast food chain New York Pizza. The rights to Andy in the car have been purchased for a year by the Dutch sports channel RTL 7.

Van der Meyde, along with former football players Glenn Helder, John de Wolf, and Sjaak Polak, toured the Netherlands with the theater show FC De Rebels in 2017.

Van der Meyde and his wife have been touring with their own theater show Andy & Melisa Live on Tour since the beginning of October 2018.

Some more facts about Andy van der Meyde:

An important fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he began his football career at Arnhem amateur club Vitesse 1892, where he played alongside Theo Janssen and others. Ajax scouted him in 1994, and he came to play in the youth academy.

On November 12, 1997, he made his first-team debut against FC Twente. On March 17, 1998, he made his European debut in the UEFA Cup against Spartak Moscow (1–0 loss).

Van der Meyde was loaned out to FC Twente for a season because the Amsterdam club felt he wasn't making enough progress. He made his debut for that club on August 15, 1999. On August 24, 1999, he scored his first official goal for Twente in a 9-0 win over SV Urk in a cup match.

This was also his first official goal as a professional football player. On December 4, 1999, he scored his first goal in the Eredivisie against MVV (2-0 win). He eventually played 32 games in the 1999/2000 season, scoring two goals.

Van der Meyde was able to rejoin Ajax 1 at the start of the 2000/2001 season thanks to Ajax's new head coach Co Adriaanse. He scored his first official goal for Ajax in a league match against Sparta on February 18, 2001. (9-0 win). That season, he appeared in 27 league games.

Van der Meyde went on to become a key player in a team that included

, Christian Chivu, Maxwell, Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong, and John Heitinga.

The double was won in 2002 by Ronald Koeman, Adriaanse's successor after his resignation in November 2001, and Ajax reached the Champions League quarterfinals in 2003, losing to AC Milan by a goal in the final minute. Van der Meyde scored Ajax's only European goal in the CL match against AS Roma (1-1). He scored 36 seconds after the game began.

Van der Meyde was sold by Ajax to Internazionale in the summer of 2003 for seven million euros. He now plays in the Italian Serie A. On August 31, 2003, he made his debut in a league game against Modena at home (2-0 win).

On November 22, 2003, he scored his first league goal at home against Reggina. Van der Meyde made his Internazionale debut in the Champions League against Arsenal on September 17, 2003. He also scored Inter's first European goal.

An important

fact about Andy van der Meyde

is that he and Internazionale won the Coppa Italia in 2005. However, he was never certain of a starting spot and thus failed to make it.

Despite this, he appeared in 53 games in two seasons. His transfer to Inter has been dubbed "the beginning of the end of his career."

Van der Meyde left Inter to join Everton in 2005. On October 29, 2005, he made his league debut against Birmingham City (1-0 win).

In four Premier League seasons, he played only 24 games in which he did not score. In February 2009, one of Van der Meyde's few highlights (on the football field) was the assist he provided to Dan Gosling, who scored the game-winning goal against arch-rival Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

During his time in England, Van der Meyde was mostly in the news for the wrong reasons, with reports of disciplinary monetary penalties and suspensions, hospitalization after a night out, (justified) accusations of alcoholism, and a home burglary.

After his contract expired in June 2009, he was no longer a member of the club. He prepared for this at his former club Ajax, where he stayed in shape with the youth team.

Van der Meyde signed a contract with PSV for the remainder of the 2009/2010 season on March 3, 2010. In this contract, PSV included a unilateral option that could be extended by two years.

Van der Meyde was signed outside of the transfer window, which was permitted due to his clubless status. Trainer Fred Rutten wanted him to accept Danko Lazovic's death. In March, he left for Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. Rutten previously worked as Van der Meyde assistant coach at FC Twente.

On May 25, 2010, PSV announced that it would not exercise the contract's two-year option with Van der Meijde. He has yet to appear in an official match for the PSV first team.

On February 25, 2011, he decided to retire as a professional because he couldn't find another suitable club. He continued to play amateur football for WKE and WSV.

Van der Meyde decided to pick up football again in 2015, and he began playing for ASV Alexandria from Apeldoorn in the 2015/2016 season.

Van der Meyde made his Dutch national team debut on May 19, 2002, after having previously played for all KNVB representative teams as an Ajax youth player. He scored the game's second goal in a 2-0 friendly win over the United States.

Van der Meyde started four of the five games he played in at Euro 2004. During that tournament, he provided an important assist to

in the group match against Germany, which resulted in a 1-1 tie.

Van der Meyde was not called up after the European Championship, in which the Netherlands reached the semi-finals. He appeared in seventeen international matches.

No Mercy, his autobiography, was released in November 2012. The book, written by then-VI journalist Thijs Slegers, describes how Van der Meyde desire for sex, alcohol, and drugs ruined both his professional football career and his personal life.

No Mercy was a best-seller, selling over a hundred thousand copies. In 2012, the book ranked ninth among the best-selling books in the Netherlands. It was announced in January 2013 that the book would be adapted into a film. The film will be directed by Robert Jan Westdijk.

A notable fact about Andy van der Meyde is that he has a total of five daughters. Van der Meyde once had the Ajax football club's name tattooed in Gothic letters on his calf. After signing a contract with title rival PSV in March 2010, this became a topic of discussion.

Van der Meyde, however, stated in a television interview with Omroep Brabant on March 4, 2010, that the tattoo in question was "long gone," and that this was already the case before he signed with Eindhoven.

During his time at Everton, he had his Ajax tattoo transformed into a koi carp. He later got the old Ajax logo tattooed on his leg after leaving PSV. He is currently training with Faldir Chahbari to become a kickboxer.

Andy van der Meyde social media

Regarding

Andy van der Meyde social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 341k followers. On the page, we can see various pictures of him with his fans and family.

Andy van der Meyde body measurements

Speaking about

Andy van der Meyde body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former player is 178cm and 79kg.

Andy van der Meyde net worth and salary

Andy Van der Meyde's net worth

is estimated to be around $4 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

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