Donovan Carlos Saverio Slijngard (born 28 August 1987), simply known as Donovan Slijngard (), 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

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

Club career

Ajax

Slijngard was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and came through the

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

youth ranks. In 2006, he was named AFC Ajax "Talent of the Future". He made his debut in professional football in the 2006–07 season where he played on loan for

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, Groningen (province), Groningen province. Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV-Rapiditas, GVAV, Groningen compete in the Eredivisie, the first t ...

, while still under contract with Ajax. He made his debut for the senior squad of Ajax in the play-off game against

FC Twente Football Club Twente (), sometimes known internationally as FC Twente Enschede, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from the city of Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub E ...

which finished 0–0. For the 2008–09 season, he was added to the first squad by manager

Marco van Basten Marcel "Marco" Van Basten (; born 31 October 1964) is a Dutch former football manager and player who played as a striker for Ajax and AC Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...

Sparta Rotterdam

After the 2008–09 season he left

on a free transfer and signed a three-year contract with the club where he had already played on loan during the previous season,

Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top flig ...

. Slijngard totally spent six seasons with the club after which he decided not to extend his expiring contract

Cambuur

On 28 August 2014, it was announced that Slijngard had joined

SC Cambuur SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutc ...

as an amateur. He will be in the running for a contract after he will be totally fit again.

Žalgiris Vilnius

On 11 July 2015, it was announced that Slijngard had joined

Žalgiris Vilnius Žalgiris is the Lithuanian-language calque of the Polish placename ''Grunwald'', notable for the Battle of Grunwald (). Žalgiris may also refer to: Kaunas, Lithuania * BC Žalgiris, basketball club from Kaunas founded in 1944 * Žalgiris Kaunas, ...

Later career

Slijngard returned to the Netherlands in 2021, joining amateur club

VV Noordwijk Voetbalvereniging Noordwijk is a Dutch football club founded in 1933, based in Noordwijk. It currently competes in the Tweede Divisie. History VV Noordwijk was founded on 4 March 1933. 1940s–1960s: Vierde, Derde, and Tweede Klasse During ...

. However, due to recurring injuries, he was forced to retire from football in September 2023.

Personal life

Born in the Netherlands, Slijngard is of Surinamese descent.

Honours

Žalgiris *

A Lyga The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF) (). History The first football league was established in Lithuania in 1924, and in various forms existed until 1939. ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

* Lithuanian Cup: 2015–16,

Lithuanian Supercup The Lithuanian Supercup () or LFF Supercup is an annual football match contested between the champions of the previous A Lyga season and the holders of the Lithuanian Football Cup. It is organised by and named after Lithuanian Football Federation a ...

: 2016,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, 2020 Individual *

AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. ...

Talent of the Future: 2006 *

Team of the Year:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

References

External links

Voetbal International profile

Donovan Slijngard Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slijngard, Donovan 1987 births Living people Dutch men's footballers Dutch sportspeople of Surinamese descent Footballers from Amsterdam Men's association football fullbacks AFC Ajax players FC Groningen players Sparta Rotterdam players SC Cambuur players FK Žalgiris players VV Noordwijk players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players Tweede Divisie players A Lyga players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Lithuania Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Lithuania