Nando Pijnaker
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Nando Zen Pijnaker (born 25 February 1999) is a New Zealand 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
centre 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 ...
for
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
club
Auckland FC Auckland Football Club, commonly known as Auckland FC, is a professional football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the A-League Men, the top flight of Australian soccer. Established on 14 March 2024, the club is under lic ...
and the
New Zealand national football team The New Zealand men's national football team () represents New Zealand in men's international Association football, football competitions. The team is governed by the governing body for football in New Zealand, New Zealand Football (NZF), whic ...
.


Early life

Pijnaker was born in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and migrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of three, settling in
Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...
. He attended and played football for Western Heights High School and also began playing for local club Ngongotaha, making his first-team debut at the age of 15.


Club career


Western Suburbs

In 2015 Pijnaker moved to Wellington to join the
Olé Football Academy The Olé Football Academy, commonly referred to as Olé, is a national association football centre based in the city of Porirua in the Wellington Region, New Zealand. Considered the premier football academy in New Zealand, Olé are currently repr ...
, then run by
Declan Edge Declan John Edge (born 18 September 1965) is a former professional footballer who is the current manager of Swedish club Torslanda IK. Born in Malaysia to English parents, Edge represented the New Zealand national team in the 1980s and 1990s. ...
, and played for affiliated club Western Suburbs in the
Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...
that features teams from the lower half of the
North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of New Zealand. Pijnaker was part of the team to win the
Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...
in 2017 and reach the final of the 2018 Chatham Cup.


Eastern Suburbs

Through the Olé Academy partnership, Pijnaker signed for Olé affiliate Eastern Suburbs, winning the ISPS Handa Premiership and qualifying for the
OFC Champions League The OFC Men's Champions League is the premier men's club football competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. Beginning as the Oceania Club Championship (1987–2006), it has been organised since 2007 ...
.


Torslanda IK

Following the conclusion of New Zealand's
2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 22nd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 a ...
campaign, Pijnaker joined his former coach
Declan Edge Declan John Edge (born 18 September 1965) is a former professional footballer who is the current manager of Swedish club Torslanda IK. Born in Malaysia to English parents, Edge represented the New Zealand national team in the 1980s and 1990s. ...
at Swedish Division 2 Norra Götaland side
Torslanda IK Torslanda IK is a local sports club in Torslanda, Gothenburg, Sweden. History Torslanda IK was founded in 1944 by Anders Tullock, Bengt Tullock and Erik Danielsson. In the 1950s the sports club created sections for football, table tennis, handb ...
, a club run in partnership with the Olé Academy. He made his debut on 15 June 2019, starting in a 3–2 loss to Stenungsunds IF.


Grasshopper

After a 10 day trial, Pijnaker signed in January 2020 with
Swiss Challenge League The Challenge League (known as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest tier of the Swiss football league system and lower of two professional leagues in the country. Ten teams play in the Challenge League; the wi ...
club
Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grassh ...
, joining international teammate
Max Mata Max Andrew Mata (born 10 July 2000) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Shrewsbury Town and the New Zealand national team. Club career New Zealand After shining in New Zealand as the youngest goalscorer in ...
. He made two appearances for the club.


Rio Ave

After the short stint at Grasshoper, Pijnaker signed a four-year deal with Portuguese
Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...
club Rio Ave on 30 August 2020. On 31 August 2021, Pijnaker was loaned out to
Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991, the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the for ...
club
FC Helsingør FC Helsingør is a Danish association football, football club from Helsingør. The club plays in the Danish 2nd Division, having been relegated after finishing 12th in the Danish 1st Division in the 2023–24 season. The club has finished their ...
for the rest of 2021.


Sligo Rovers

On 8 February 2022, Pijnaker joined
League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...
side
Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
on a season-long loan deal. On 21 December 2022, his transfer was made permanent. On 1 April 2024, Pijnaker suffered broken ribs in a collision with his own goalkeeper Ed McGinty in a 3–0 loss away to
St Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland, Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League ...
. On 1 September 2024, it was announced that Pijnaker had left the club to return closer to home.


Auckland FC

On 3 September 2024, Pijnaker joined the newly formed
A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...
side,
Auckland FC Auckland Football Club, commonly known as Auckland FC, is a professional football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the A-League Men, the top flight of Australian soccer. Established on 14 March 2024, the club is under lic ...
, becoming their 22nd signing ahead of their inaugural season in the
A-League Men A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...
. Pijnaker would score his debut goal against Sydney FC netting the match-winner in the 97th minute.


International career


U-20

Pijnaker was named in the New Zealand U-20 side for the
2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 22nd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 1977 a ...
. Pijnaker played in all four games, playing full 90 minutes in all but one of them.


National team

Pijnaker made his senior debut for
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
on 18 November 2019, coming on as a substitute in their 0–1 loss to
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
. On 25 June 2021, Pijnaker was called up to the New Zealand squad for the delayed
2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
.


Career statistics


Honours

Western Suburbs *
Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...
winners: 2017, 2019 * 2018 Chatham Cup runner-up: 2018 Eastern Suburbs *
New Zealand Football Championship The New Zealand Football Championship () was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in ...
champions: 2018–19 Auckland FC * A-League Premiership:
2024-25 A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pijnaker, Nando 1999 births Living people New Zealand men's association footballers New Zealand expatriate men's association footballers New Zealand men's youth international footballers New Zealand men's international footballers Dutch men's footballers Dutch emigrants to New Zealand Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic association footballers for New Zealand People from Brummen Men's association football defenders Western Suburbs FC players Eastern Suburbs AFC players Grasshopper Club Zurich players Torslanda IK players Rio Ave F.C. players FC Helsingør players Sligo Rovers F.C. players Auckland FC players New Zealand Football Championship players Swiss Challenge League players League of Ireland players New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Sweden New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Denmark New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Portugal New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Expatriate men's footballers in Sweden Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland New Zealand men's under-20 international footballers Footballers from Gelderland Sportspeople from Rotorua People educated at Western Heights High School 21st-century Dutch sportsmen 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen