Urby Emanuelson

Urby Vitorrio Diego Emanuelson (born 16 June 1986) is a Dutch professional footballer of Surinamese descent who plays for English team Sheffield Wednesday and the Netherlands national team. As a product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he spent most of his career at Ajax playing as a left wing-back, before being played more as a left midfielder or left winger by manager Martin Jol. After his move to Milan, his then-manager Massimiliano Allegri played Emanuelson also as an attacking midfielder, midfielder and right winger.

Ajax

Emanuelson with Ajax in 2006

Emanuelson is a product of Ajax's youth system, joining them from Voorland SC. He made his debut during the 2004–05 season on 10 April 2005 in a 4–2 home win over AZ. As of the 2005–06 season, he became first-choice left back and he won his first career trophies, starting with the 2005 Johan Cruyff Shield and the 2005–06 KNVB Cup. As a result, his efforts he was named "Amsterdam talent of the year 2006". Both the Johan Cruyff Shield and KNVB Cup were successfully defended in the 2006–07 season, with the former won for the third consecutive year at the start of the 2007–08 season.

In his last season at Ajax, Emanuelson primarily played as a left midfielder because of his weak defending abilities. He flourished in his new role on the left wing, frequently making runs and assisting from the flanks while scoring goals himself.

In the 2009–10 season, Emanuelson won the KNVB Cup for the third time in his career.

Milan

On 23 January 2011, Italian Serie A club Milan announced the signing of Emanuelson on a three-and-a-half-year contract for a transfer fee of around €1.7 million. After the 2010–11 season, the fee increased by €750,000, making a total fee of around €2.5 million.

Emanuelson made his debut for the club on 26 January 2011 in a Coppa Italia match against Sampdoria, providing an assist for Alexandre Pato. Milan won the match 2–1. He played his first game in Serie A after entering as a substitute against Catania. Emanuelson scored his first goal for Milan in a Coppa Italia match against Palermo, the equalizer in a 2–2 draw. He helped Milan win their first Scudetto in seven years at the end of the season, acting mostly as a substitute. He also won the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana.

Emanuelson scored his first Serie A goal for Milan in an away match against Cesena on 19 February 2012. He scored his second Serie A goal for Milan in an away game against Parma on 17 March 2012.

Fulham (loan)

Emanuelson signed for English Premier League side Fulham on loan until the end of the 2012–13 season on 31 January 2013. He made his Fulham debut on 2 February against Manchester United at Craven Cottage, coming on for Giorgos Karagounis. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 3–0 win over Swansea City on the final day of the season.

Roma

On 11 July 2014, Emanuelson signed a one-year deal with Roma with the option for the club to extend his contract for another two seasons.

Verona

On 3 January 2016, Emanuelson joined Hellas Verona on a free transfer.

Sheffield Wednesday

After being released by Verona in the summer 2016, Emanuelson joined English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on 6 September on a free transfer.

Emanuelson in action for the Netherlands.

Emanuelson was a member of the Dutch squad playing at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005, held in Netherlands. The Dutch were eliminated in the quarter-final against Nigeria. He also was a member of the Dutch squad that won the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2006 and was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament as a left back. The last major tournament he played was the 2008 Summer Olympics where the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Argentina.

On 16 August 2006, Emanuelson made his debut for the Netherlands senior team in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. Despite playing for the Netherlands occasionally during the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008, he was not selected in the final squad that would participate in the tournament itself.

Emanuelson comes from a football playing family. His father Errol Emanuelson was a professional footballer who played for S.V. Robinhood in Suriname and Sint-Niklaas in Belgium before settling in Amsterdam. His older brother Julian Emanuelson, also a product of the Ajax Youth Academy, played professionally for HFC Haarlem, and for Lustenau in Austria. His sister Sharifa Emanuelson, a former basketball player, and his cousin Roché Emanuelson has played for various clubs in the SVB Hoofdklasse and for the Suriname national team. His maternal cousin is Basel midfielder Jean-Paul Boëtius.

International

Emanuelson (far left, with Wesley Sneijder, Maarten Stekelenburg, Zdeněk Grygera, and John Heitinga) played for Ajax from 2004–2011

Club

• KNVB Cup (3): 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10
• Johan Cruyff Shield (3): 2005, 2006, 2007

• Serie A (1): 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2011

International

• UEFA U-21 Championship Gold medal: 2006

Individual

• AFC Ajax Talent of the Year: 2006 (joint)