Lorenzo Ebecilio (born 24 September 1991) is a Dutch 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 plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Dutch

Derde Klasse The ('Third Class') is the eighth tier of football in the Netherlands Football is the most popular sport in the Netherlands. Association football, Football was introduced to the Netherlands by Pim Mulier in the 19th century when in 1879, a ...

team Always Forward Hoorn. An

Ajax academy The Ajax Youth Academy (Dutch: ''Ajax Jeugdopleiding'') is a football youth academy based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from where the organization manages a total of 13 youth teams (ages 7–18). The academy is the primary youth clinic of Dutch foo ...

product, he debuted for

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 ...

in the

2010–11 Eredivisie The 2010–11 Eredivisie is the 55th season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began on 6 August 2010 with the first matches of the season and ended on 29 May 2011 with the last matches of the European competition and relegation pl ...

. During the first two seasons, despite his young age, he established himself as a regular starter and contributed significantly for two championships. However, his playing time dropped significantly in his third season, so in January 2013 Ebecilio leaves Ajax. He starts his journey abroad in Eastern Europe, first in Ukraine with Metalurh Donetsk, next with Azerbeijani club Gabala, before establishing himself in Russia where he spent almost three years playing with

Mordovia Saransk FC Mordovia Saransk () was a Russian association football club from Saransk, Republic of Mordovia. In its current state it was formed in 2005, through the merge of Biokhimik-Mordovia and Lisma-Mordovia. History The club was founded in 1961. In ...

and Anzhi Makhachkala. During the winter-break of the 2016–17 season Ebecilio left Russia and joined Cypriot side APOEL. Ebecilio spent two seasons with the Cypriot side, where he was a key player, scoring 11 times in 58 appearances. In June 2018, Ebecilio signed a two-year contract with Serbian club

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

. From July 2019 until February 2020, he played for

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

club

Jubilo Iwata ''Jubilo'' is a 1919 American comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and written by Robert F. Hill. The film stars Will Rogers, Josie Sedgwick, Charles K. French, Willard Louis, and James Mason. The film was released on December 7, 1919, ...

. Internationally, Ebecilio represented the Netherlands at U17, U19 and U21 levels.

Club career

Early years

Ebecilio started his career with VV de Blokkers, an amateur club from Hoorn. He would later play in the youth teams of HVV Hollandia and AZ. Ebecilio Eriksen

On 27 October 2005, several months following the death of his father, the fourteen-year-old Ebecilio had a heart attack and had to have a

defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). Defibrillation delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''count ...

surgically implanted. He was forced to leave AZ due to these health concerns, and the player returned to HVV Hollandia. He no longer has any problems related to his heart following the surgery. Ajax subsequently offered him a place in their youth academy.

Ajax

At Ajax, Ebecilio played for

Jong Ajax Jong Ajax (; ), also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2, is a Dutch association football team. It is based in Amsterdam and competes in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. Jong Ajax is the only reserve team to have won a title in Dutch professional foot ...

under manager

Frank de Boer Franciscus de Boer (; born 15 May 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer and current manager. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, three Super Cups, o ...

. On 12 December 2010, six days after the departure of

Martin Jol Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol (born 16 January 1956) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. He played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany and England, as well as earning three caps wi ...

and the installation of De Boer as caretaker manager, Ebecilio made his debut in the first team of Ajax, being in the starting line-up in an away victory over

Vitesse Arnhem SBV Vitesse Arnhem (''Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse Arnhem, Eng: Professional Football Foundation Vitesse Arnhem''), widely known as Vitesse () or internationally known as Vitesse Arnhem, is a Dutch professional association football, footba ...

. The player also appeared in the starting line-up in the last game of 2010, in a 1–0 victory over former club AZ, playing the full 90 minutes. He was named man-of-the-match in the game against his former club. 2011 began much like 2010 had ended, with the player being in the starting line-up for the league matches against

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

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 ...

NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eredivisi ...

, and

De Graafschap Vereniging Betaald Voetbal De Graafschap, simply known as De Graafschap () is a professional association football club based in Doetinchem, Netherlands. The team competes in the , the second level of the Dutch football league system. Founded o ...

. On 17 February 2011, Ebecilio made his European debut in the 3–0

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

away victory over

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

. Ebecilio participated in most of Ajax matches during the second half of the season, ultimately leading to the Dutch

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

championship. Ebecilio also appeared in the

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 ...

final 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 ...

. Ajax lost the final with 3–2, despite one goal of Ebecilio. On 4 March 2012, Ebecilio scored his first hat-trick for Ajax in a 4–1 win over

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; ), shortly as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or simply Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. The c ...

Metalurh Donetsk

The 2012–13 season saw Ebecilio receiving much less playing time. On 2 January 2013,

Marc Overmars Marc Overmars (; born 29 March 1973) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer and former director of football at Belgian First Division A, Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp F.C. He was previously director of football a ...

announced the transfer of Ebecilio to Ukrainian club Metalurh Donetsk on a three-year contract, for a sum of €500,000.

Loan to Gabala

On 5 June 2013, it was announced that Ebecilio had signed a one-year loan deal with

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

team Gabala. Ebecilio made his debut for Gabala on 2 August 2013, Gabala's first games of the 2013–14 season against

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

. His first goal for Gabala came in his fifth game, a 3–2 home victory over Inter Baku on 31 August 2013.

Loan to Mordovia Saransk

Following the end of his Gabala contract, Ebecilio followed Ibrahima Niasse and Yuri Semin to

, by joining the club on trial. On 24 July 2014, Ebecilio joined Mordovia Saransk on a season-long loan deal. During his league debut for Mordovia, on 2 August, Ebecilio fractured his

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

in a challenge with Chisamba Lungu, and was ruled out for around six months.

Anzhi Makhachkala

On 7 July 2015, Ebecilio signed for Anzhi Makhachkala on a three-year contract, linking up with Yuri Semin for a third season.

APOEL

On 26 January 2017, Ebecilio signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

champions

APOEL FC APOEL FC (; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a Cypriot professio ...

. He made his official debut on 20 February 2017, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute in APOEL's 3–0 home victory against

AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou () is a Cyprus, Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL Limassol also maintains a AEL Limassol B.C., men's and AEL Limassol B.C. (women), women's basketball teams, a wom ...

in the

2016–17 Cypriot First Division The 2016–17 Cypriot First Division was the 78th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. The season began on 20 August 2016 and ended on 21 May 2017. The fixtures were announced on 7 July 2016. APOEL were the defending champions. APOE ...

. He scored his first competitive goal for APOEL on 9 April 2017 in his team's 1–0 league win against arch rivals Omonia.

Red Star Belgrade

On 29 June 2018, Ebecilio signed a two-year deal with

with an option for a one-year extension. One of the main reasons the club signed him was because a replacement was needed for Guélor Kanga, who had left the club six-months ago. Ebecilio made his debut in the first leg match of the UEFA Champions League First qualifying round against Spartaks Jūrmala, replacing Nemanja Milić at the half-time. Ebecilio made his

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...

debut in 3–0 victory over Dinamo Vranje on 20 July 2018, when he also assisted Dejan Joveljić for his second goal of the match. Ebecilio scored his first goal for Red Star against Lithuanian club Sūduva on 24 July 2018, in the first leg match of the Champions League

second qualifying round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

Júbilo Iwata

On 27 July 2019, Ebecilio signed for

club

Júbilo Iwata is a Japanese professional association football, football team based in Iwata, Shizuoka, Iwata, located in Shizuoka Prefecture. The club competes in J2 League following relegation from J1 League in 2024 J1 League, 2024. Etymology The team's ...

. In February 2020, he terminated his contract with Júbilo Iwata.

Achyronas Liopetriou

After being without a club for nearly two years, in July 2022 Ebecilio signed for

Achyronas Liopetriou Achyronas Liopetriou was a Cypriot football club based in Liopetri. Founded in 1956, the club played in the Cypriot Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions. On 23 June 2022, the club merged with Onisilos Sotira 2014 to form Achyronas-Onisilos ...

in the

Cypriot Second Division The Cypriot Second Division () is the second highest association football, football division of the Cypriot football league system. Administered by the Cyprus Football Association, it is contested by 16 teams, with the top three teams being Prom ...

. He left the club in October 2022.

Makedonikos Neapolis

In October 2022 Ebecilio signed for

Super League Greece 2 The Super League Greece 2 () is the second division of professional Association football, football in Greece, serving as a feeder league to the top level Super League Greece, Super League 1. Made up of 20 teams in two groups, it is usually played ...

club Makedonikos Neapolis.

DHSC

In January 2023 Ebecilio signed for the Dutch Fourth Division side

DHSC DHSC may refer to: * Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom * Department of Health and Social Care (Isle of Man) * DHSC (football club) of Utrecht, Netherlands * Doctor of Health Science The Doctor of Health Science (DHSc or D ...

International career

Born in the Netherlands, Ebecilio is of Surinamese descent. Ebecilio has represented Netherlands U-17 and Netherlands U-19. He represented the Netherlands in the

2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship The final tournament of the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the 26th UEFA European Under-17 Championship, UEFA's premier association football, football tournament for players under the age of 17. The tournament was held in Turkey from ...

and the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. On 9 February 2011, Ebecilio made his debut for Netherlands U-21 in a match against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Personal life

He is the older brother of

Kyle Ebecilio Kyle Stephen Joel Ebecilio (born 17 February 1994) is a Dutch Association football, footballer who plays for Vierde Divisie club :nl:SC Kruisland, Kruisland. Ebecilio, who plays as a Association football, midfielder, has featured for Arsenal F.C ...

. Ebecilio's uncle is also Dutch professional footballer

Roland Alberg Roland Romario Alberg (; born 6 August 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Suriname national team. Club career Netherland and Turkey After coming through the AZ Alkmaar youth ...

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Ajax *

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 ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, 2011–12 APOEL *

: 2016–17, 2017–18 Red Star Belgrade *

: 2018–19

References

External links

APOEL official profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebecilio, Lorenzo 1991 births Living people Footballers from Hoorn Dutch sportspeople of Surinamese descent Dutch men's footballers Netherlands men's youth international footballers Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football wingers AFC Ajax players Eredivisie players FC Metalurh Donetsk players Ukrainian Premier League players Gabala SC players FC Mordovia Saransk players FC Anzhi Makhachkala players Russian Premier League players APOEL FC players Cypriot First Division players Red Star Belgrade footballers Serbian SuperLiga players Júbilo Iwata players J1 League players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine Expatriate men's footballers in Azerbaijan Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Azerbaijan Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Russia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Serbia HVV Hollandia players Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate men's footballers in Japan 21st-century Dutch sportsmen