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Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for previously the Netherlands national team. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season and one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA. A product of the AFC Ajax Academy, he previously played for Ajax, with whom he won four trophies and was awarded the Johan Cruyff Trophy in 2004. He was sold to Real Madrid for EUR27 million in 2007, winning La Liga in his first season with the club and later being sold to Internazionale for EUR15 million. At Inter, he won Serie A, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, and two Coppa Italia. After being sold to Galatasaray for EUR7.5 million in 2013, he helped the club win the Süper Lig in his first season, following with the capture of the Turkish Super Cup, after a 1-0 win against rivals Fenerbahçe.
Sneijder previously represented various youth squads for the Netherlands. He was a regular player for the Dutch national team, making his debut in April 2003 at the age of 18, and representing his country at the 2006, 2010 (where the Netherlands were defeated 1-0 in the final) and 2014 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships. Individually, he was awarded the 2010 Bronze Boot, the 2010 Silver Ball, and included in the team of the tournament for Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, as well as named man of the match for six out of eleven games played by the Oranje at these two tournaments. With 133 caps, he is the most capped Dutch player of all time. He announced his international retirement in March 2018.
Sneijder was the second of three Dutchmen to sign for Real Madrid during the 2007-08 season, joining Royston Drenthe and Arjen Robben. He also was given the number 23, which had been previously worn by David Beckham for four seasons at Real. In his first La Liga match for Real, he scored the winner in the Madrid Derby against Atlético Madrid. On the second matchday, he scored two goals against Villarreal CF, one coming from a direct free-kick. Sneijder capped a fine first season in Spain by hitting a stunning free-kick in the last game of the season against Levante UD at the Santiago Bernabéu, taking his goal tally to nine in the La Liga season, a season which also saw Real retain their league title.
On 3 August 2008, Sneijder was stretchered off in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium, against Arsenal with a suspected cruciate ligament injury after a collision with Abou Diaby. Sneijder had an MRI which confirmed the extent of the injury to be not as bad as first feared. It was expected that he would be out for at least three months. He managed, however, to recover in time and was included in the starting XI for the Champions League clash against Juventus in Turin.
On 27 August 2009, Sneijder was bought by Internazionale from Real Madrid for a reported fee of EUR15 million. He was given the number 10 shirt and made his debut a day after he signed the contract, making an immediate impact by being on the winning side in the Milan Derby (4-0) against Milan. On 3 October 2009, he scored his first goal in the 92nd minute against Udinese in a 2-1 win. His second goal was scored on 24 October 2009 against Catania, directly from a free kick, and he scored his first Champions League goal for Inter in a dramatic 2-1 group stage win against Dynamo Kyiv in the 89th minute. His next goal was also scored off a hard-swerving free kick in a Coppa Italia game against Livorno.
On 9 January 2010, he scored two stunning free kicks against Siena in the game which Inter won 4-3. On 24 January, he received a straight red card in the Milan derby. On 6 April, Sneijder scored a free kick against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League quarter-final in the sixth minute, to give Inter a 2-0 aggregate win. On 20 April, he scored Inter's equalising goal during their Champions League semi-final first leg against defending champions Barcelona. He leveled the game by firing in right-footed from a Diego Milito pass. Inter went on to win the game 3-1 and the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Sneijder was given the nickname "The Sniper" by the media for his ability to deliver perfect passes and score from impressive distances.
After reportedly falling out of favour with Inter due to contract renewal issues, Sneijder agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Turkish giants Galatasaray on 20 January 2013 for a fee of EUR7.5 million. Thousands of Galatasaray fans welcomed the Dutch international at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport as soon as Sneijder's exact arrival time was announced by the club on their official website. Sneijder signed the official contract on 21 January at the Türk Telekom Arena, home of Galatasaray. During the press conference, regarding the questions about Gala legend Gheorghe Hagi, Sneijder said, "He was a legend, and I want to become a legend." Later, he appeared on the club's official TV station Galatasaray TV, where he answered several questions about his transfer to Galatasaray and personal life. He also sent out a message addressing the Galatasaray fans: "Thank you for the support. I'm really proud, and I will make you guys even more proud. I'm happy to be here, and I can't wait to play my first game for you guys."
On 27 January, Sneijder made his debut, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 win against rivals Besiktas. Sneijder received a warm reception when he replaced Umut Bulut. He scored his first goal on 25 February in a 4-2 home win against Orduspor, where he produced a finesse shot from the edge of the box, turning the game back on for the home side as Galatasaray were down by two goals. On 9 April 2013, Sneijder scored Galatasaray's second goal in a 3-2 win over his former club Real Madrid in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. On 5 May 2013, Galatasaray beat Sivasspor 2-1 to win the 2012-13 Süper Lig, this gave Sneijder a league title in a fourth different country.
After using the number 14 shirt in his debut season with Galatasaray, Sneijder was given the number 10 shirt previously worn by Felipe Melo for the 2013-14 Süper Lig season following a squad number reshuffle. On 1 December 2013, when Galatasaray drew with Kasimpasa Spor Kulübü, Galatasaray manager Roberto Mancini, in response to the question "where is Sneijder?" asked by reporters during a post-match interview answered, "Sneijder has left and I do not know where he has gone," while Galatasaray's official website had earlier informed the media on the reason for Sneijder's absence.
On 11 December 2013, Sneijder scored a late winning goal against Juventus F.C. in a 1-0 UEFA Champions League win to qualify Galatasaray for the knockout phase. On 2 February 2014, Sneijder scored a hat-trick in Süper Lig encounter against Bursaspor in a 6-0 win.
During Galatasaray's 2014-15 UEFA Champions League campaign, where they were knocked out at the group stage, Sneijder scored one goal-a late free kick against Arsenal F.C. at home-and made one assist. Sneijder began the season scoring the only goal for his team in the 35th Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu, where Galatasaray visited Real Madrid on 18 August. The game ended with a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid. On matchday 3 of the 2015-16 Süper Lig in which Galatasaray visited Konyaspor, Sneijder scored two goals in the second half and led his team to a 1-4 away win, despite his side being down to ten men after Lionel Carole's 67th-minute red card, receiving prior to Sneijder's double. On 3 October, Sneijder signed a three-year contract extension with Galatasaray. He immediately received a EUR1.3 million signing bonus, and his basic salaries in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons would be EUR3.2 million, plus various bonuses. On 14 July 2017, Sneijder and Galatasaray terminated his contract resulting in him becoming a free agent. Sneijder was reported to have released himself from the contract by buying himself out of the remaining period for EUR4.5 million.
