Leroy Fer

Leroy Johan Fer (born 5 January 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Feyenoord and the Netherlands national football team.

Leroy Fer
Fer playing for Swansea City in 2017
Personal information
Full name Leroy Johan Fer[1]
Date of birth (1990-01-05) 5 January 1990
Place of birth Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Feyenoord
Number 8
Youth career
0000–1999 DWO
1999–2007 Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2011 Feyenoord 105 (14)
2011–2013 Twente 58 (13)
2013–2014 Norwich City 30 (3)
2014–2016 Queens Park Rangers 48 (8)
2016 → Swansea City (loan) 11 (0)
2016–2019 Swansea City 79 (8)
2019– Feyenoord 28 (2)
National team‡
2005–2006 Netherlands U16 7 (1)
2006–2007 Netherlands U17[3] 17 (4)
2007–2009 Netherlands U19[4] 15 (2)
2009–2013 Netherlands U21 31 (6)
2010– Netherlands 11 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 October 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 November 2014

Fer has various nicknames. In his youth, he was nicknamed "De Uitsmijter" ("The Bouncer") by Feyenoord youth coach Jean-Paul van Gastel for his strong physical appearance. Other nicknames are "Lerra"[5] and "Ferovic".[6] Cor Pot, coach of the Netherlands under-21 national team, compared Fer with Patrick Vieira. According to Pot, both players show many similarities, on and off the field.[7]

Early life

Fer was born and raised in Zoetermeer, South Holland. He is the first child of parents from Curaçao. His paternal grandfather was of Surinamese descent.[8] Fer's maternal grandfather was a football player in Curaçao, while his father, Lesley Fer, was a baseball player.[9] Fer has one younger brother, Leegreg, who played for the Feyenoord under-17 team,[10] and his cousin Patrick van Aanholt is a footballer for Crystal Palace.

Fer was raised Catholic: "In Zoetermeer we went to church every day. God gave me my football talent. I thank Him for that every day." On his right lower arm, he has a tattoo of the Christian cross with the text "In God I trust".[11]

Club career

Youth career

Fer started his youth career at the local Zoetermeer club DWO. In his first full season, Fer's team won friendly matches against youth teams from professional sides, like Sparta Rotterdam and Feyenoord. However, Fer stayed at DWO until age nine. Together with youth friend Kaj Ramsteijn, Fer accepted the invitation to join the Feyenoord youth academy.[10]

Breakthrough (2007–2009)

Fer had his breakthrough in Feyenoord's first team in the season 2007–08. On 2 December 2007, he made his official debut for Feyenoord under the management of Bert van Marwijk. At age 17, Fer replaced Nuri Şahin in the 84th minute in the Eredivisie home match against Heracles Almelo (6–0).[12] Four days later, on 6 December 2007, Fer signed his first professional contract with Feyenoord, keeping him at De Kuip until summer 2012.[13] Fer was active in 13 Eredivsie matches in his first season, mainly coming in as a substitute. Due to injuries in Feyenoord's first team squad, Fer made his first appearance in the starting line-up in the Eredivisie away match against Ajax (3–0) on 3 February 2008. Fer started on the right back position, which he continued to do so for four matches in a row.[14] On 30 March 2008, Fer scored his first Eredivisie goal in the away match against NAC Breda (3–1).[15]

In the 2008–09 season, Fer slowly became a first team regular. New Feyenoord coach Gertjan Verbeek often positioned Fer on the central attacking midfielder position behind striker Roy Makaay. On 18 September 2008, Fer made his official European debut, as he was named in the starting line-up in the UEFA Cup home match against Kalmar FF.[16] Feyenoord lost the match 0–1, but in the return match in Sweden, Fer scored the winning goal in the 1–2 victory, securing a place in the group stage. During the season, various European top clubs showed interest in the Feyenoord talent, including Juventus, but Feyenoord refused any cooperation.[17]

Recognition (2009–2011)
Fer training with Feyenoord in 2010

For the 2009–10 season, Fer lost his status as talent and grew out to be an important player. While he wandered through various playing positions in the previous seasons, from right back to striker, Fer was now constantly placed on the defensive midfielder position by new Feyenoord coach Mario Been. On 20 October 2009, Feyenoord's new technical director, Leo Beenhakker, criticized Feyenoord's first team squad, but at the same time praised Fer for his importance within the team.[18] Three days later, Feyenoord captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst even claimed Fer to be "unmissable" for the squad in Feyenoord TV,[19] while Netherlands national team head coach Bert van Marwijk admitted he was following Fer's development closely and was getting very optimistic about him for a possible call-up.[20]

For the 2010–11 season, Fer's importance for Feyenoord was illustrated after being named the vice-captain of the squad.[21]

Twente

Fer joined fellow Eredivisie club Twente at the end of August 2011 in a deal reported to be worth €5 million.[22] Fer played 71 times for the club, scoring 21 goals over the next two seasons.[23]

On 28 January 2013, it was announced that English side Everton of the Premier League had agreed a deal, reportedly worth £8.6 million, to sign Fer.[24] However, the deal fell through when a medical revealed the player had a long-term knee injury and Everton wanted to negotiate a payment by appearances fee.[24][25][26]

Norwich City

On 13 July 2013, Norwich City confirmed the signing of Fer on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region on £4.4 million.[27] He made his debut for Norwich against Hull City. He scored his first goal for the club against Bury in the League Cup on 27 August 2013.[28] He was awarded Man of the Match for an exceptional performance in a 1–0 home victory over Southampton on 31 August. Fer continued his fine early form, and was awarded Norwich's Player of the Month award and his fourth consecutive Man of the Match award after a 3–1 home defeat to Chelsea on 6 October.

Fer was involved in controversy in a 0–0 draw against Cardiff City on 26 October 2013. Teammate Alexander Tettey went down injured late in the match and Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall sportingly put the ball out of play so Tettey could get treatment. However, during the distraction, Ricky van Wolfswinkel took a quick throw-in to Fer, who rolled the ball into the net. Despite the goal not technically being in violation of any rules, the referee disallowed the goal as he "had not blown his whistle"; players technically do not have to wait for the whistle to be blown to take a throw-in.[29] Cardiff manager Malky Mackay criticised Fer's lack of sportsmanship. Fer confirmed on Match of the Day that the shot was completely intentional and had not expected such a reaction from the Cardiff players, who surrounded him and started shoving him around. Marshall also started to threaten Van Wolfswinkel.

Fer scored the third goal in Norwich's 3–1 home win over West Ham United on 9 November 2013, and drew plaudits from the likes of Jamie Redknapp for his performance. Redknapp also stated his belief that Fer could become one of the stars of the league if he consistently plays as he did.[30]

Fer scored again in a 2–1 defeat against Newcastle United on 23 November, a late header that only proved to be a consolation for the Canaries. He scored his third league goal for the club against West Bromwich Albion in a 2–0 victory on 7 December, and celebrated by imitating a flying canary. He also assisted Gary Hooper with a through ball that cut straight through the West Brom defence. He was named Man of the Match by Sky Sports for his performance.[31] He was voted Norwich's player of the month for November via the club's official Facebook and Twitter pages. He was sent off against Crystal Palace on 1 January 2014 in the 82nd minute in a match which ended 1–1.

Queens Park Rangers

Following Norwich's relegation to the Championship, Fer moved to newly promoted Premier League team Queens Park Rangers, signing a three-year deal for a reported fee of £8 million.[32] Fer made his debut for the Hoops away against Tottenham Hotspur.[33] The next league match was Fer's home debut when Sunderland were welcomed to Loftus Road, where Fer was named Man of the Match for his performance in QPR's first league win and clean sheet of the season.[34] Fer scored his first QPR goal against Leicester City, smashing in a close-range effort in a 3–2 home win.[35] Seven days later, Fer was again on the score sheet, scoring his second goal with the opener for QPR in a 2–0 win over Burnley at home.[36] On 2 May 2015, Fer scored an equaliser against Liverpool at Anfield, only for the home side to score a late winner.[37]

Swansea City (loan)

On 1 February 2016, Fer joined Premier League side Swansea City on loan for the remainder of the season after failing to make an impact under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.[38]

Swansea City

Fer made his move to South Wales permanent on 5 July 2016.[39] He began his Premier League season with a winning goal in a 0–1 away victory at Burnley.[40] The club confirmed on 18 May 2019 that he will be released upon expiry of his contract.[41]

Return to Feyenoord

On 25 July 2019, Fer returned to Feyenoord[42] after he had already been training with the club since 8 July.[43]

International career

Despite playing for the Netherlands on various youth levels, Fer was in doubt which country to represent, as he was eligible to play for both the Netherlands and Netherlands Antilles. In October 2008, Fer claimed he had not made a decision yet: "Personally I want to mean something for my island. That's why I'm still in doubt. My brain says it's better to choose for the Netherlands. Then you're assured of a big tournament every two years. But my heart is thinking of Curaçao. It would be fantastic to play a World Cup with Netherlands Antilles, it would give the islands an enormous boost. My roots are stronger than my urge to a career, I'm striving for a higher cause. I don't know yet, but my feelings to play for Netherlands Antilles are very strong."[44] However, on 26 August 2009, Fer announced he made the final decision and chose to represent the Netherlands at international level.[45]

He was selected for the Netherlands' 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first World Cup goal in the group match against Chile on 23 June 2014, after coming on as a substitute.[46]

Youth teams

Fer went through all the Netherlands youth teams, but had most success with the Netherlands under-17 team, when the team qualified for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

Netherlands U17 (2006–2007)

Fer was named captain of the Netherlands under-17 team for the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, held in Belgium.[9] After a solid run through the qualifying rounds, without losing a single match, the team ended up in the group stage with host Belgium, Iceland and England. After a disappointing draw against Belgium (2–2), the team came out victorious in the match against Iceland (3–0), but finished on a third place in the group after losing the final match against England (2–4). The Netherlands failed to qualify for the knock-out stage and missed out on a spot for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[3]

Netherlands U19 (2007–2009)

Shortly after the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Fer was selected for the Netherlands under-19 team. The team underachieved and failed to qualify for the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Czech Republic and the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Ukraine.[4]

Netherlands U21 (2009–2013)

Fer made his unofficial debut for the Netherlands under-21 team on 31 March 2009. A temporary replacement team for the Netherlands, called the Netherlands B, played a friendly match against Italy, which ended in a 1–1 draw. On 11 August 2009, the Netherlands began their 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign with a friendly match against England. Fer was part of the starting line-up in a match which ended 0–0.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 8 March 2020[47]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Feyenoord 2007–08 Eredivisie 13100—00131
2008–09 34610—6[lower-alpha 1]0416
2009–10 31261—00373
2010–11 23310—2[lower-alpha 1]1264
2011–12 4200—0042
Total 1051481—8112116
Twente 2011–12 Eredivisie 28821—9[lower-alpha 1]13910
2012–13 30500—8[lower-alpha 1]63811
Total 581321—1777721
Norwich City 2013–14 Premier League 2930031—324
2014–15 Championship 100000—10
Total 3030031—334
Queens Park Rangers 2014–15 Premier League 2961010—316
2015–16 Championship 1920000—192
Total 4881010—508
Swansea City (loan) 2015–16 Premier League 110———110
Swansea City 2016–17 3461020—376
2017–18 2013032—263
2018–19 Championship 2512000—271
Total 9086052—10110
Feyenoord 2019–20[lower-alpha 2] Eredivisie 23231—8[lower-alpha 1]2345
Career total 3544820393331041664
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  2. Season aborted due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.

International
As of 5 September 2015[47][48]
National team Year Major competition Friendlies Total
TournamentAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Netherlands U21
20092011 U-21 Euro qualifiers501060
2010300030
20112013 U-21 Euro qualifiers414182
2012322052
20132013 U-21 Euro422062
Total19591286
Netherlands 2010—001010
20122014 WC qualifiers100010
2013200020
20142014 World Cup113041
Euro 2016 qualifiers200020
Total6150111

International goals
Score and result list Netherlands' goal tally first.[47]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.23 June 2014Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil Chile
1–0
2–0
2014 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Club

Feyenoord

International

Niderland U21

Individual
  • Rotterdam Talent of the Year: 2008[50]

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 25. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. "Leroy Fer". Elf Voetbal (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  3. "uefa.com – UEFA European U-17 C'ship". UEFA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  4. "uefa.com – UEFA European U-19 C'ship". UEFA. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  5. RTV Rijnmond (11 September 2009). Rap Feyenoorders (Television production). Rotterdam.
  6. "Uitsmijter houdt punten in De Kuip" [Bouncer keeps points in De Kuip]. De Pers (in Dutch). 15 March 2008. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  7. "Fer, nieuwe Vieira in de Kuip" [Fer, new Vieira in de Kuip]. AD (in Dutch). 8 September 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  8. "Inventarisatie Suriprof middenvelders". natiosuriname.com.
  9. "Daley Blind en Leroy Fer: leiders van Onder 17" [Daley Blind and Leroy Fer: leaders of Under 17] (in Dutch). KNVB. 1 May 2005. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  10. "Leroy Fer". Kameraadjes (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  11. "Verbeek was voor ons erg belangrijk" [Verbeek was very important for us]. FR-Fans.nl (in Dutch). 20 March 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  12. "Swingend en glibberend voorbij Heracles: 6–0" [Swinging and slipping past Heracles: 6–0]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 2 December 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  13. "Leroy Fer tekent contract bij Feyenoord" [Leroy Fer signs contract with Feyenoord]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 6 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  14. "Kansloos in klassieker: 3–0" [No chance in classic: 3–0]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 3 February 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  15. "Kostbare nederlaag in Breda: 3–1" [Costly defeat in Breda: 3–1]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 30 March 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  16. "Teleurstellende rentree op Europees podium" [Disappointing comeback on European stage]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 18 September 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  17. "Juventus aast op Huntelaar, Fer en Zeegelaar" [Juventus wants Huntelaar, Fer and Zeegelaar]. VoetbalPrimeur (in Dutch). 24 September 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  18. "Beenhakker: Geraamte huidig Feyenoord is broos" [Beenhakker: Current Feyenoord frame is fragile]. AD (in Dutch). 20 October 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  19. "Video: Van Bronckhorst spreekt zich uit" [Video: Van Bronckhorst speaks out]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 23 October 2009. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  20. "Van Marwijk: Invallen tegen AC Milan is niet genoeg" [Van Marwijk: Substitute against AC Milan is not enough]. AD (in Dutch). 23 October 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  21. "Fer uitgegroeid tot één van de leiders bij Feyenoord" [Fer matured into one of the leaders at Feyenoord]. Feyenoord.nl (in Dutch). 16 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  22. FC Twente buys Leroy Fer from Feyenoord as transfer deadline nears, Dutch News, 31 August 2011. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  23. Leroy Fer Archived 28 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine, FC Twente. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  24. Everton encounter transfer hitch after discovering FC Twente striker Leroy Fer has long-term knee injury, The Daily Telegraph, 29 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  25. Leroy Fer's £8.6m Everton move collapses after medical tests, The Guardian, 30 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  26. "Leroy Fer: Everton pull out of £8.6m deal with FC Twente". BBC Sport. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  27. Norwich City sign Leroy Fer from FC Twente, BBC sport website, 13 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  28. "Norwich 6 – 3 Bury". BBC. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  29. "Norwich 0–0 Cardiff". Sky Sports. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  30. "Norwich ace Leroy Fer wins plaudits after comeback win over West Ham". Sky Sports News. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  31. "Premier League: Goals from Gary Hooper and Leroy Fer help Norwich beat West Brom". Sky Sports News. 7 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  32. "QPR sign Fer from Norwich". 20 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  33. "Tottenham Hotspur 4–0 Queens Park Rangers". 24 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  34. "Queens Park Rangers 1–0 Sunderland". 30 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  35. Hafez, Shamoon (29 November 2014). "Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  36. "Premier League: QPR out of relegation zone after 2–0 home win over Burnley". 6 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  37. "Liverpool 2–1 Queens Park Rangers". BBC Sport. 2 May 2015.
  38. "TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY: Fer joins Swans on loan". Swansea City A.F.C. 1 February 2016.
  39. "Leroy links up with Swans". Swansea City A.F.C. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  40. "Burnley 0–1 Swansea City". 13 August 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  41. Coleman, Tom (18 May 2019). "The full Swansea City retained list as captain Leroy Fer and other big names leave the club". Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  42. "Feyenoord legt Leroy Fer voor één jaar vast". 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  43. "Leroy Fer traint bij Feyenoord". 7 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  44. "Leroy Fer twijfelt sterk tussen Oranje en de Antillen" [Leroy Fer in strong doubt between Oranje and the Antilles]. FR-Fanatic.com (in Dutch). 22 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  45. "Fer houdt van de Antillen maar kiest voor Oranje" [Fer loves the Antilles but chooses Oranje]. Voetbalzone.nl (in Dutch). 24 September 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  46. Change to local timeChange to your time. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™: Netherlands-Chile". FIFA. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  47. "L. FER". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  48. "Leror Fer". Soccerbase. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  49. http://en.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/competitions/Regulations/01/55/65/06/1556506_DOWNLOAD.pdf
  50. "Feyenoorder Fer gekozen tot sporttalent 2008" [Feyenoorder Fer elected as sport talent 2008]. De Researcher (in Dutch). 19 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
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