Wesley Sneijder
Attacking Midfielder · Ajax · Netherlands
About Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder is the Netherlands' most capped international (134 caps) and the defining player of the 2010 Inter Milan treble — winning Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League, as well as reaching the World Cup final with Netherlands. In 2010, he came as close as any player to winning the Ballon d'Or without actually doing so — finishing 4th despite winning three trophies.
Wesley Sneijder's story
Utrecht's Playmaker
Sneijder was born in Utrecht and joined Ajax's academy. He graduated to the first team and immediately showed the technical quality that would define his career. Real Madrid signed him in 2007, where he spent two mixed seasons before José Mourinho took him to Inter Milan.
The 2010 Treble
Under José Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2009-10, Sneijder was the creative heartbeat of one of football's great club performances — winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League in a single season. In the final against Bayern Munich (GER), he scored and created. He then went to the World Cup and scored 5 goals as Netherlands reached the final. 2010 was the most complete year by a Dutch player since Johan Cruyff.
Netherlands' Most Capped
Sneijder's 134 international appearances made him the Netherlands' most capped player in history. He retired from international football in 2018, having never won a major international trophy despite reaching two World Cup finals (2010) and a semi-final (2014).
Did you know?
- 🥇 In 2010 he won the Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia with Inter, then scored 5 World Cup goals and reached the final with Netherlands — yet finished 4th in Ballon d'Or voting. Many consider it the greatest snub in the award's history.
- 🏆 He was part of Inter Milan's 2010 treble team under Mourinho — one of only four treble-winners in Italian football history and the last Italian club to win the Champions League.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married model Yolanthe Cabau in 2010, divorcing in 2019; they have one son, Jessey. He settled in the Netherlands after retirement.
- 🌟 José Mourinho said: "Sneijder is the player I most enjoyed managing. He understood everything tactically, he could score, he could create. And he had the belief to win the big games."
- ⚽ He scored 5 goals at the 2010 World Cup — including in the semi-final against Uruguay — as Netherlands reached the final for the third time in their history.
- 🎯 His long-range left-foot shooting accuracy — particularly in the Champions League — was considered the most technically precise by a midfield player in Europe during the 2009-10 season.
- 🤝 His midfield partnership with Esteban Cambiasso at Inter — with Sneijder providing creativity and Cambiasso providing structure — is considered one of the most complementary club midfield pairings of the Champions League era.
- 💔 Netherlands lost the 2010 World Cup final 1-0 to Spain — with Sneijder, Robben, and van Persie all performing well below their best in the most one-sided final in the tournament's history.
- 🇹🇷 His four years at Galatasaray — considered a career wind-down destination by many — produced 60 goals and 54 assists, making him one of the most productive foreign players in Süper Lig history.
Honours
- UEFA Champions League: Inter Milan (2010)
- Serie A x3: Inter Milan (2010,2011,2013)
- Süper Lig x4: Galatasaray (2013-2015)
- Eredivisie x2: Ajax (2004, 2006)
- Champions League Best Midfielder: 2010 — Inter Milan treble season
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