Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Biography

Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar was born on August 12, 1983, and is a retired Dutch professional footballer who played as a striker.

Players like

and Ruud van Nistelrooy were compared to Huntelaar, who was described as "prolific strikers" with a "wonderful first touch." In 2009, former Netherlands national team manager Louis van Gaal was cited as stating about the player, "In the penalty area, he is the best player in the world."

Everything you need to know about Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Biography

Huntelaar previously played for

,

, AGOVV Apeldoorn, Heerenveen, Ajax, Real Madrid, and Milan before joining Schalke 04 in August 2010. With 29 goals in the 2011–12 Bundesliga season, he was the league's top scorer. Huntelaar is Schalke's second-highest goal scorer, after Klaus Fischer.

He was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and Ajax "Player of the Year" in 2006, and he was a member of the Dutch U-21 team that won the tournament, scoring the most goals. The striker was also one of two strikers named to the UEFA Team of the Tournament. He is the all-time leading scorer for the Netherlands U-21 national team, with 18 goals in 23 appearances.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar information 

Sportmob's article on 

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography

 will start with some general information about Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's physical stats and football information.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar bio

• Full Name:

  Dirk Jan Klaas Huntelaar

• Nickname:

   Hunter

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar personal information

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Date of Birth:

   12 August 1983

• place of birth:

   Voor-Drempt, Netherlands

• Age in 2021:

  38

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Religion:

   Christianity

• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Nationality:

   Dutch

• Zodiac Sign:

    Leo

• Facebook:

  klaasjanhuntelaar

• Instagram:

  klaasjanhuntelaar

Twitter:

Physical Stats

• Foot:

  Right

• Hand:

  Right

• Height:

  186 cm

• Weight:

  80 kg

Family information

• Father’s Name:

   Dirk-Jan Huntelaar

• Mother’s Name:

   Maud Huntelaar

• Marital status:

   Married

• His wife:

  Maddy Schoolderman

• His children:

  Seb Huntelaar, Axel Huntelaar, Puck Huntelaar, Jim Huntelaar

Football Information

• Position:

  Striker

• Teams:

  PSV Eindhoven, De Graafschap (loan), AGOVV (loan), Heerenveen, Ajax, Real Madrid, Milan, Schalke 04

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Favorites

• Favorite food:

  Pannenkoeken

• Favorite drinks:

   Cafe-restaurant THT

• Favorite Superhero:

   Iron man

• Favorite sports:

   Soccer, football, swim

• Favorite Musician/Music:

   Alain Clark

• Favorite Footballers:

   Herman Jurgens, Leo Bosschart

• Favorite color:

   brown

• Favorite Digit:

  9

• Favorite Pet:

   Cat

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar early life 

In this part of our article on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography, we will review some facts about 

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar childhood

 and family facts, from his early days to the time he became famous. Football fans know about Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's abilities, but few consider his bio, which is quite interesting.

Huntelaar was born in the Dutch village of Voor-Drempt in the Achterhoek area, but his family relocated to Hummelo when he was six weeks old. He lived with his parents, Dirk-Jan and Maud Huntelaar, as well as his two brothers, Niek and Jelle. Huntelaar joined the local football team VV H with his two brothers. en K. at the age of five and played for six years. Go Ahead Eagles scouted him during this time as a promising talent, but the distance required to travel to the team's Deventer base prevented him from joining.

Soon after, De Graafschap noticed him and, at the age of 11, he signed his first youth contract on April 6, 1994.  In 1997–98, Huntelaar was the key scorer for De Graafschap's C-team, hitting 33 goals in 20 games at the age of 14. The next season, he was promoted to the B1 squad, and with 31 goals in the 1999–2000 season, he was named the B1 league's best scorer. His goal-scoring skills drew the attention of PSV Eindhoven, who signed him in June 2000.

Stay tuned to read more of

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography

.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar profile 

Huntelaar's seasons went off without a hitch, and Premier League clubs battled for his signature on contract extensions. The striker had an unstoppable first season at PSV, scoring 26 goals in 23 appearances for the club's south side.

The player was promoted to the club's first team as a result of his achievement, which also saw him become the league's top scorer. In 2002, he made his professional debut against

in a 3-0 triumph. The 19-year-old was then loaned out to several different clubs.

Huntelaar's comeback against De Graafschap, which ended in disappointment, was the first. He made amends with AGOVV (on loan) in the second division, where he was the league's top scorer at the end of the season. At the end of his loan with AGOVV, Huntelaar turned down the opportunity to sign another deal with his "loan lords," PSV, exhibiting an incredible consistency.

He instead joined

, a Frisian club, where he scored 17 goals in 31 games and helped his team qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2005-06. The following season, "The Hunter," who rarely loses form, was at the top of his game, and numerous clubs were interested in signing him, including Ajax, which spent 9 million Euros for the prolific goal scorer in 2006.

Stay tuned now in this section of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography because we want to share some information about his playing style.

Style of play

Huntelaar's runs are frequently used as a decoy to lure a defender behind him and create space for a teammate nearby. He only served one purpose in the end, to receive the ball so he could shoot on goal. In terms of producing a goal-scoring opportunity, Huntelaar was arguably the greatest choice.

Although speed was not one of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's most apparent characteristics, the aspects around his physique (strength, invasion, etc.) enabled him to be valuable in situations when possession was being regained or the ball was being retained.

Stay tuned to read more of

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar life story

.

Reception 

Huntelaar honed his footballing skills for 6 years at local team, where he put on eye-catching performances that drew scouts from De Graafschap to offer him his first contract at the age of 11.

Huntelaar established himself as a forward at De Graafschap after being tested in a variety of positions including defense, midfield, wings, and even goalkeeping! Huntelaar quickly gained a reputation as a goal-scoring machine after scoring 33 goals in 20 games for the club's youth team during the 1997-98 season.

Goal celebration

As a Striker, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has scored about 409 goals so far during his club career and national, and although he doesn't have a trademark goal celebration, we have seen him celebrate his goals very differently. One point to remember about the goals celebrations of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is that, along with his teammates, he always likes to celebrate his goals.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar outside football 

Although Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has said goodbye to football, he has not given up exercising. He also loves football and is interested in the swim. After about 18 years of professional sports, he prefers to spend most of his time with his family.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar personal life 

Now we want to read about 

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's life story

. are you ready?

Huntelaar has been in a relationship with Maddy Schoolderman since 2000. The lovebirds met as youngsters at Rietveld, where they have sown seeds of love that have grown into a full-fledged partnership.

They have four children together even though they have not yet married. Seb, their first child, is a boy. On April 9th, 2009, he was born. Their second child, Alex, was born on July 20, 2011, followed by a girl named Puck on August 6, 2013, and Jim on January 2, 2017. "I'm not a typical type," Huntelaar says of his decision not to get married yet. Even without a wedding, I feel like I'm already married."

Family, children, and relationships 

Huntelaar was born into a five-person family. Dirk-Jan Huntelaar is a football fanatic and the father of a great goal scorer. He has been a huge supporter of his son's work and works as his chauffeur in town. Maud Huntelaar, Huntelaar's mother, is the only family member that is uninterested in football.

Painting, culture, and animals are among her passions. Despite this, she supports her son's athletic endeavors. Niek and Jelle Huntelaar are Huntelaar's brothers. The eldest of the siblings is Niek. Jelle, Huntelaar's younger brother, is the polar opposite. People mistake the family's youngest member for Huntelaar due to his resemblance to the renowned scorer.

Philanthropy 

Humanitarian service is a very rewarding task in which the bulk of footballers work, but the public does not notice this humanitarian work either.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar hasn't done or said anything in the media yet, and we have to wait and see if he's going to do any humanitarian service.

Legal issues 

In 2016, he was arrested following a tense match between Schalke and Dortmund. His arrest was based on suspicions that he was involved in hurling stones at Dortmund fans after the game.

Stay tuned to read more of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Career statistics 

During his professional career, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has featured for ten teams already. We want to hear more about these 10 teams now in the Klaas-Jan Huntelaar biography.

Club 

The first team he played in was PSV Eindhoven and now we want to know about it.

PSV Eindhoven 

Huntelaar established himself as a prolific goalscorer for PSV Eindhoven's A1 young teams under coach Willy van der Kuijlen in his first season, netting 26 goals in 23 games to become the league's top scorer.

De Graafschap 

By the beginning of 2003, he had been loaned out to De Graafschap, where his uncle was the financial director. He made his senior debut for De Graafschap against Roosendaal on February 8, 2003, as a substitute for Hans van de Haar.

On February 16, 2003, he made his only start for De Graafschap, who were defeated 1–5 against his future club Heerenveen. On May 29, 2003, he made his final game for De Graafschap in a 2–1 loss to FC Zwolle, securing their relegation from the

.

AGOVV 

Huntelaar was moved out on loan again at the start of the 2003–04 season, this time to newly promoted Eerste Divisie side AGOVV Apeldoorn, coached by Jurrie Koolhof. He got off to a good start for AGOVV, scoring on his debut against

and then netting a hat-trick against Heracles Almelo in his second league game. In 35 league appearances, Huntelaar scored 26 goals.

Heerenveen 

Huntelaar passed refused the opportunity to sign a new deal with PSV at the end of his loan at AGOVV, and Frisian club Heerenveen came in to sign him.

Huntelaar made his Eredivisie debut for Heerenveen against

in the 2004–05 season, and by the winter break, he had 10 goals in 17 appearances. Huntelaar has scored 17 goals in 31 games before the end of the season, helping Heerenveen qualify for the 2005–06 UEFA Cup.

Ajax 

Huntelaar joined Ajax, the team he has followed since he was a child, in January 2006. Heerenveen received €9 million in addition to future incentives for the player, with PSV receiving 15% of the fee (€1.35 million). After the winter break, Huntelaar made his Ajax debut, netting his first goal against former club Heerenveen in a KNVB Cup encounter on February 5, 2006.

Huntelaar scored nine goals in seven games for Ajax in February, including his UEFA Champions League debut against Inter Milan of Serie A. Despite only joining Ajax in January, Huntelaar finished the season as the club's leading scorer with 16 league goals in 16 appearances.

In a testimonial match for

in July 2006, Huntelaar became the first player to score at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. He was selected vice-captain of Ajax in his first full season with the club in 2006–07. Huntelaar teamed up with new striking partner

in 2007–08. Huntelaar missed a penalty in the first leg against Slavia Prague, and Ajax was knocked out of the Champions League at the qualification stage.

Marco van Basten was named Ajax coach and Huntelaar was made permanent first team captain at the start of the 2008–09 season.

Real Madrid 

and Ajax agreed to sign Huntelaar in the January mid-season transfer window at the start of December 2008. Huntelaar joined Real Madrid in January 2009 for an initial fee of €20 million, with the possibility of an increase to €27 million.

Huntelaar made his La Liga debut against

on January 4, 2009, after returning from injury. Huntelaar and fellow new signing Lassana Diarra were supposed to be part of Madrid's Champions League roster for the 2008–09 season, although they had already played in the same season's UEFA Cup with previous clubs Ajax and Portsmouth, respectively.

A.C. Milan 

Huntelaar signed a four-year contract with Serie A club

on August 6, 2009, for €17.75 million. Huntelaar made his competitive league debut for Milan on August 29th, coming on as a substitute in a 0–4 loss to cross-town rivals Inter Milan in the Derby Della Madonnina. Huntelaar scored his first Milan goals in a 0–2 away win against

on November 29, 2009, after coming on in the 84th minute and scoring twice.

Schalke 04 

Huntelaar was recruited by Bundesliga club

for €12 million on August 31, 2010. He made his Schalke debut in a 1–3 home loss to regional rivals

on September 19, and he added two more in a Champions League group stage encounter against Lyon on November 24, 2010.

Schalke announced on December 23, 2012, that Huntelaar had signed a two-year contract extension until June 30, 2015. Huntelaar scored 16 goals in 35 games during the 2012–13 season. Huntelaar scored 14 goals in 21 games the next season.

Huntelaar was sent off following a sliding tackle on Hannover 96's Manuel Schmiedebach on January 31, 2015. He was given a six-match suspension by the German Football Association (DFB), which Schalke challenged. Huntelaar scored twice against the previous club Real Madrid in a 3–4 win at the Santiago Bernabéu on March 10, 2015. After spending over 1,000 minutes and 13 games without scoring in the league, he has not scored since November 2014. This has prompted some small criticism of his current season's performance from his fans and the team's coach.

Huntelaar only made 16 appearances in the Bundesliga (7 starts, 9 appearances from the bench) and 24 appearances in all competitions (10 starts, 14 appearances from the bench) during the 2016–17 season due to injuries and a drop in form, scoring only five goals, his lowest season goal tally at Schalke 04.

Return to Ajax 

On June 1, 2017, Ajax announced that Huntelaar has been re-signed. He won the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup, and the Johan Cruyff Shield with Ajax in 2019, and he also played in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, where his team reached the semi-finals.

Huntelaar announced his retirement on December 12, 2020, after the 2020–21 season.

Huntelaar scored twice in three minutes after coming on as a substitute on January 14, 2021, to give Ajax a 3–1 win over

.

Return to Schalke 04 

Schalke 04 confirmed Huntelaar's signing till the end of the season on January 19, 2021. At the age of 37 years and 234 days, he became Schalke's oldest Bundesliga striker with his goal in the 1–2 defeat to

on 3 April 2021.

International 

With four goals, including two in the final on 4 June 2006, Huntelaar became the tournament's top scorer, helping the Netherlands defeat Ukraine 3–0 and win their first-ever under-21 title. Huntelaar was named to the UEFA Team of the Tournament as one of two strikers. Huntelaar was promoted from the under-21 squad as a result, and he remains the Netherlands's all-time leading goalscorer with 18 goals in 22 appearances.

Huntelaar replaced Ruud van Nistelrooy as the first-choice striker for new Dutch national team coach

in the 2010 World Cup qualification match against Iceland in October 2008, scoring in a 2–0 win.

Huntelaar was included in the preliminary World Cup team in South Africa in 2010. On May 27, 2010, Van Marwijk confirmed that the player will be part of the competition's final team of 23 players. He came on in the 58th minute against Cameroon at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, replacing goalscorer

, and scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute, giving him 16 goals in 34 games for the Netherlands.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar honors 

Ajax

• Eredivisie:

  2018–19, 2020–21

• KNVB Cup:

  2005–06, 2006–07, 2018–19

• Johan Cruyff Shield:

  2006, 2007, 2019

Schalke 04

• DFB-Pokal:

  2010–11

• DFL-Supercup:

  2011

Netherlands Youth

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship:

  2006

Netherlands

• FIFA World Cup runner-up 2010;

  third place 2014

Individual

• Eerste Divisie top scorer:

  2003–04

• Eerste Divisie Player of the Year:

  2003–04

• Eredivisie top scorer:

  2005–06, 2007–08

• Eredivisie Talent of the Year:

  2005–06

• AFC Ajax Player of the Year:

  2006

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Boot:

  2006

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player:

  2006

• Bundesliga top goalscorer:

  2011–12

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season:

  2011–12

• UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying top goalscorer

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