page_title: Gregory van der Wiel
section_title: Ajax
hierarchical_section_title: Gregory van der Wiel / Club career / Ajax
caption_attribution_description: AFC Ajax players
context_page_description: Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel is a Dutch footballer who plays as a right-back.
  Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system. In 2010, he was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for "Young Player of the Year" in the Netherlands. He has also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Fenerbahçe, Cagliari and Toronto FC.
  Van der Wiel made his debut for the Netherlands national team in February 2009 and participated in the Netherlands' runners-up performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Dutch teammate John Heitinga has labeled him the spiritual successor of Michael Reiziger for the Netherlands.
context_section_description: Van der Wiel started his playing career at RKSV DCG in Amsterdam. At age seven, the young defender was scouted by AFC Ajax and brought to the Ajax Academy at "De Toekomst". In 2002, Ajax sent the player away to HFC Haarlem due to the player having a "mentality problem". Talking about his period at Haarlem, Van der Wiel has said, "When I was there I realized how spoiled I was. At Ajax everything was always well organized. We received a new kit every season and were picked up with minivans and brought to the club. At Haarlem I arrived in a totally different world. The accommodation was much worse, we played in five-year-old outfits, and had to find our own way to the trainings. The atmosphere was better though, much more relaxed than at Ajax. The period at Haarlem was good for my social development. It was a wake-up call for me." In 2005, Ajax approached him once again and brought him back to the Academy. His second stint at the club proved to be a much more successful experience, resulting in him signing his first professional contract, effectively starting from July 2006. Following the departure of youth captain Donovan Slijngard, Van der Wiel was made captain of Jong Ajax.
  Van der Wiel made his professional debut for Ajax on 11 March 2007 in a 4–1 away win against Twente, coming on as a substitute for Jaap Stam. He would play three more matches that season. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Van der Wiel signed a four–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2011.
  For the 2007–08 season, Van der Wiel switched shirt number from 35 to 25 for the new season. He then participated in the 1–0 victory over PSV in the battle for the Johan Cruyff Shield, resulting in winning his first career trophy. In a 1–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the first round of the UEFA Cup on 20 September 2007, his performance was praised by manager Henk ten Cate. However, Ajax lost in the second leg after losing 3–2 through away goal on 4 October 2007. Van der Wiel then received a handful of first team appearances until he suffered a knee injury during a 2–2 draw klassieker against arch-rivals Feyenoord on 11 November 2007. His knee injury kept him out for the most of the 2007–08 season. At the end of the 2007–08 season, van Der Wiel went on to make a total of 11 appearances for the side.
  In the 2008–09 season, Van der Wiel managed to recovered from a knee injury ahead of the new season and hope to succeed John Heitinga, who departed for La Liga side Atlético Madrid over the summer. He made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 loss against Willem II in the opening match of the season. Van der Wiel then set up two goals for Luis Suárez and Jan Vertonghen, who later scored again, in a 3–0 win over Vitesse on 28 September 2008. In a follow–up match against Heerenveen on 5 October 2008, Van der Wiel was sent-off for a second bookable offence in a 5–2 loss. Since returning from injury, he regained his first place at the club, playing in the right-back position. At one point, he played in the midfield position due to midfielder crisis. His performance resulted in him signing a contract extension with the club on 28 January 2009, lasting until 2013. He then scored his first goal for the club on 1 March 2009 in a 2–0 win over Utrecht. However, he was sent-off in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup in a 2–1 loss against Marseille. After serving a two-match suspension, Van der Wiel scored on his return in a 3–0 win over NAC Breda on 22 March 2009. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Van der Wiel went on to make a total of 43 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions. For his performance in the 2008–09 season, he was awarded AFC Ajax's Talent of the Year.
  Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Van der Wiel switched shirt number from 15 to 2. After an injury scare in which he managed to recover from, Van der Wiel started the 2009–10 season well under new Ajax manager Martin Jol, scoring his third league goal on 8 August 2009. The goal came in a 4–1 victory over RKC Waalwijk and was Van der Wiel's first 
caption: Van der Wiel (second from top right) with Ajax teammates in 2010
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