Alje Schut (born 18 February 1981) is a Dutch former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
defender for
FC Utrecht
Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...
,
Mamelodi Sundowns
Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premiership, the first tier of South African football league syste ...
and
Kozakken Boys.
Career
Born in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
, Schut began his career with his hometown club
FC Utrecht
Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...
, making his professional debut on 3 October 1999.
In 2004 he spent seven months injured following a bacterial infection in his knee.
In March 2005 he suffered another knee injury, ending his season. He was still suffering from that same injury in January 2006; at that time he was expected to return to fitness in April 2006.
He suffered further injuries, and only played 51 league matches between 2005 and March 2010.
On 10 May 2011, during a training session with his team, Schut collided with his Romanian teammate
Mihai Neșu, breaking Neșu's cervical vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
In August 2011, after spending thirteen seasons with FC Utrecht, Schut was the longest-serving player of any club in the
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
.
By October 2011, Schut was the club captain of FC Utrecht.
Personal life
In February 2015, Schut stated his desire to become a primary school teacher after retirement.
Honours
Utrecht
*
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Beker (; ), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organised by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside the N ...
:
2002–03,
2003–04
*
Johan Cruyff Shield
The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...
:
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
References
1981 births
Living people
Footballers from Utrecht (city)
Dutch men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
FC Utrecht players
Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. players
Kozakken Boys players
Eredivisie players
South African Premier Division players
Derde Divisie players
Netherlands men's youth international footballers
21st-century Dutch sportsmen
Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers
FC Utrecht non-playing staff
Dutch expatriate men's footballers
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in South Africa
Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa
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