Tonny Vilhena
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Tonny Emílio Trindade de Vilhena (, ; born 3 January 1995) 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
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...
club
Alanyaspor Alanyaspor Kulübü, known as Corendon Alanyaspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Alanya in Antalya Province. Formed in 1948, the club colours are orange and green. Home matches are play ...
on loan from
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...
. He has represented the Netherlands national team.


Club career


Feyenoord

Vilhena began playing football with the "big boys in the neighbourhood", leading him to join VDL Maassluis, where his relatives used to play for He then became a product of the
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 ...
's youth academy, joining the club in 2003. After being linked a move away from the club, Vilhena signed his first professional contract with Feyenoord, starting 1 July 2011. After nine years in the club's youth ranks, he moved up to join parent-club
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 ...
in January 2012. Vilhena made his debut for the
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
-based club on 22 January 2012 versus
VVV Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following ...
, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute, losing 2–1. He then made his first start for the side, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win 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 ...
on 19 March 2012. After the match, manager
Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Koeman scor ...
praised his performance, saying: "If you play so sovereignly, show so much daring and keep it physically ninety minutes long as B-junior then that is very good. It is also nice to have another left leg in the midfield." Vilhena found his first team appearances, mostly from the substitute bench for the rest of the 2011–12 season. At the end of the season, he made six appearances in all competitions. Following this, Vilhena signed a contract extension with Feyenoord. At the start of the 2012–13 season, Vilhena made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss against
Dynamo Kyiv The Football Club 'Dynamo Kyiv', also known as Dynamo Kyiv, or simply Dynamo, ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society ...
in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third round and was ultimately eliminated from tournament following a 1–0 loss in the second leg. Having started out on the substitute bench, he soon became a first team regular for the side. Vilhena scored his first goal for Feyenoord 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 ...
on 25 November 2012 against
AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...
, a game that finished 2–0. After long months of speculation, he would sign a contract extension with the club on 3 December 2012, keeping him until 2016. It was later confirmed on 16 January 2013. In the quarter–finals of the KNVB Cup against
SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian language, West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch professional association football, football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherla ...
, he came on as an 85th-minute substitute and successfully converted his penalty to help the club win 7–6 in a shootout following a 2–2 draw. On 3 February 2013, in Feyenoord's 3–1 win against Willem II, Vilhena became the youngest player for the club to ever score at least two goals in a single Eredivisie-match. He accomplished this feat at the age of 18 years and 31 days. This was followed up by scoring his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against AZ Alkmaar. His performance was praised by
Cor Pot Cornelis "Cor" Pot (born 8 June 1951) is a Dutch football manager and player. He is currently the assistant manager of the Curaçao national football team. Playing career Pot started his career as a midfielder with the academy of Sparta in Ro ...
, saying: "It remains to be seen whether Vilhena can really reach the top. We shouldn't get too excited about that. But he is of course excellent as a left midfielder or shadow striker. Tonny will mainly have to stay on the ground with both feet". At the end of the 2012–13 season, Vilhena made thirty–one appearances and scored four times in all competitions, having helped the club finish in third place. At the start of the 2013–14 season, Vilhena played in both legs of the UEFA Europa League Qualification Round against Kuban Krasnodar, losing 3–1 on aggregate. He then contributed two assists in two consecutive matches against
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 ...
and
NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion ...
before scoring his first goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against
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 ...
on 22 September 2013. Since the start of the 2013–14 season, Vilhena continued to be a first team regular for Manager Koeman despite facing threats from
Otman Bakkal Otman Bakkal (born 27 February 1985) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder. He began his career at PSV Eindhoven, PSV, and was loaned to FC Den Bosc ...
. On 19 January 2014, he scored his third goal of the season and set up the club's first goal of a 5–2 win against Utrecht. Vilhena later scored four more goals later in the season, including a brace against
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 ...
, in a win that secured the club a Champions League qualifying spot. Despite missing two matches during the 2013–14 season, he featured in a then career-high 32 league games including 29 starts in the
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 ...
. At the start of the 2014–15 season, Vilhena continued to start in the first team, playing in the centre–back position and helped the club beat
Zorya Luhansk FC Zorya Luhansk ( ) is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk was based in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. However, due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, the team currently plays its games at Slavutych-Arena in Zaporizhzhia. The modern club as a ...
5–4 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League Play–Offs to reach the group stage. However, he found his first team opportunities limited due to poor performance and was placed on the substitute bench. Amid to his first team opportunities, Vilhena made a start in a number of matches as a cover for the absence of players, and to fight for his first team place. In November 2014, he also stated of interest over a new contract. Vilhena was also shortlisted for the Golden Boy but did not win. His lack of first team opportunities led to transfer speculation on whether he would be loaned out to get first team football but eventually stayed at Feyenoord following an intervention from
Fred Rutten Fredericus Jacobus Rutten (; born 5 December 1962) is a Dutch football coach and former player. As a player, he spent his entire career with Twente during the years 1979 to 1992. Following his playing career, Rutten also managed Twente, before m ...
. Despite this, Vilhena continued to have his playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench for the rest of the 2014–15 season. Despite this, he went on to make thirty–one appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2015–16 season, Vilhena started the season well when he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 win against FC Utrecht in the opening game of the season. Over the summer transfer window, Vilhena continued to be linked a move away from Feyenoord, as
Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...
wanted to sign him but he stayed at the club. Vilhena, however, continued to have his playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench. Amid to first team football, he was shortlisted for the Golden Boy once again but did not win. By December, Vilhena soon found his way back to the first team plan under the management of
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Giovanni Christiaan "Gio" van Bronckhorst (born 5 February 1975) is a Dutch Association football, football manager and former player who last managed Süper Lig club Beşiktaş J.K., Beşiktaş. Originally a midfielder, he moved to left-back lat ...
. He scored two consecutive goals in two matches between 17 December 2015 and 20 December 2015 against Willem II and
NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion ...
. Vilhena later scored three more goals later in the 2015–16 season, scoring against AZ Alkmaar, FC Utrecht and
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
. He then started in the KNVB Cup Final against FC Utrecht and helped the side win 2–1 to win the tournament. Vilhena then helped Feyenoord finish third place in the league after beating Willem II 1–0 on 1 May 2016. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make thirty–three appearances and scored six times in all competitions. Following this, it was announced by
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 ...
that Vilhena will not be part of the team due to his high wage demands. However a month later the club announced Vilhena had agreed to a new two-year deal, running until mid-2018. At the start of the 2016–17 season, Vilhena started the whole game in the centre–midfield position, as they lost 1–0 against
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
in the
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 ...
. In a follow–up match against Groningen in the opening game of the season, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–1 win. Since the start of the 2016–17 season, Vilhena continued to regain his first team place, playing in the midfield positions. On 15 September 2016, he scored his second goal of the season in a 1–0 win against
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in the UEFA Europa League. A week later, against
TOP Oss TOP Oss (), is a professional association football club based in the town of Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands, that competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of the Dutch football league system. Founded in 1928 as T.O.P., a Dutch abbrevia ...
in the first round of the KNVB Cup, Vilhena captained the side for the first time in his career as they won 4–1 to progress to the next round. He started in every match since the start of the 2016–17 season until missing one match against
Go Ahead Eagles The Go Ahead Eagles are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer in the province of Overijssel. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in th ...
on 6 November 2016 for personal reasons. He scored on 4 and 11 December 2016 against
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 ...
and AZ Alkmaar respectively. On 19 March 2017, Vilhena scored his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 win against
SC Heerenveen Sportclub Heerenveen (; West Frisian language, West Frisian: Sportklub It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch professional association football, football club from Heerenveen. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top level of football in the Netherla ...
. However, he was suspended for two matches after an incident involving
Mathias Pogba Mathias Fassou Pogba (born 19 August 1990) is a Guinean former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward. His twin brother Florentin Pogba, Florentin and younger brother Paul Pogba, Paul ...
during a 1–0 loss against
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 ...
on 5 March 2017. Initially suspended for four matches, Vilhena's suspension was reduced to two matches. Despite being suspended on two occasions later in the 2016–17 season, he continued to regain his first team place for the side, as he helped the side win the league for the first time since 1999. Following the tournament win, Vilhena dedicated the league title win to his late mother. He also extended it a further two years in the final year of his initial contract, committing to the club until 2020. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Vilhena made thirty–seven appearances and scoring five times in all competitions. At the start of the 2017–18 season, Vilhena started the season well when he helped Feyenoord beat Vitesse in the
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 ...
4–2 on penalties following a 1–1 draw throughout the 120 minutes. Three weeks later on 27 August 2017, Vilhena scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–0 win against Willem II. Since the start of the 2017–18 season, Vilhena continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, playing in the midfield position. He made his 150th appearance for the club on 23 September 2017, in a 2–0 loss against
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 ...
. This was followed up by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against AZ Alkmaar. Vilhena then scored three more goals later in the year, including a brace against Sparta Rotterdam on 17 December 2017. He scored two goals in two consecutive matches between 28 January 2018 and 31 January 2018 against
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...
and PSV Eindhoven. Vilhena later scored two consecutive goals on two occasions later in the 2017–18 season. On 22 April 2018, he played as Feyenoord won the 2018 KNVB Cup Final 3–0 against
AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...
. Despite being a first team regular for the side, his performance received criticism, with commentator Arman Avsaroglu saying, "I think he is less than last season. Then he was one of the drivers. Feyenoord leaned on him. That role is also his strength and I miss that this season", while
Voetbal International ''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running. History and profile ''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM. It l ...
's Iwan van Duren said: "The boy has not yet become a man and this should be the time for this season. In that respect, Sofyan Amrabat manifests itself more." During the 2017–18 season Vilhena made 44 appearances and scored 13 goals in all competitions. At the start of the 2018–19 season, Vilhena started the season well when he helped Feyenoord beat
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
in the
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 ...
6–5 on penalties following a 0–0 draw throughout the 120 minutes. Vilhena scored his first goal of the season on 2 September 2018 in a 4–2 win against NAC Breda. He continued as a regular in the starting eleven, playing in the midfield position. He scored three goals in the six December matches, and three more later in the season, scoring against
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. ...
,
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 ...
and SC Heerenveen. Despite missing two matches during the 2018–19 season, Vilhena made 35 appearances and scored seven times in all competitions in what would be his last season for Feyenoord. Six months after leaving Feyenoord, Vilhena was given a farewell send-off during a match against PSV Eindhoven on 15 December 2019.


FC Krasnodar

On 20 June 2019, Russian club
FC Krasnodar FC Krasnodar is a Russian professional football club based in Krasnodar that plays in the Russian Premier League. They are the league's reigning champions. The club was founded in 2008. In 2009, the club was promoted to the Russian First Divis ...
announced that Vilhena signed a long-term contract with the club. It came after when he wanted to leave Feyenoord when the 2018–19 season was concluded, as well as, the playing style in Russia rather than the money. Upon joining the club, Vilhena chose to wear number 52 shirt to dedicate to his mother. He made his FC Krasnodar debut in the opening game of the season, and started the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against
Akhmat Grozny Republican Football Club Akhmat (; ), commonly known as Akhmat Grozny, and formerly as Terek Grozny from 1958 to 2017, is a Russian professional football club based in Grozny that plays in the Russian Premier League. History The club was foun ...
. In a follow–up match against
FC Ufa FC Ufa (, ) is a Football in Russia, Russian football club based in Ufa that plays in the Russian First League. History During the summer of 2010, Rustem Khamitov, the second President of the Bashkortostan, Republic of Bashkortostan, began consi ...
, Vilhena scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–2 win against
FC Ufa FC Ufa (, ) is a Football in Russia, Russian football club based in Ufa that plays in the Russian First League. History During the summer of 2010, Rustem Khamitov, the second President of the Bashkortostan, Republic of Bashkortostan, began consi ...
. This was followed up by setting up the club's second goal of the game, in a 3–0 win against
PFC Sochi Football Club Sochi (), is a Russian professional football club based in Sochi. The club is playing its home matches at the 47,000-capacity Fisht Stadium. History FC Sochi was founded on 4 July 2018 after the relocation of FC Dynamo Saint Pete ...
. Since making his debut for FC Krasnodar, he quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. Vilhena then played an important role in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Third Round against
FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...
, scoring and then setting up the club's third goal of the game, in a 3–2 win to send the club through to the next round. After serving a one match ban due to picking up five yellow cards, he returned to the starting line–up against
Arsenal Tula FC Arsenal Tula () is a Russian professional football club from Tula playing in the second-tier Russian First League. Originally founded in 1923, FC Arsenal Tula was promoted to the Russian Premier League in 2014 for the first time in its histo ...
on 29 September 2019, only to be sent–off in the last minute, in a 2–0 win. After serving a one match suspension, Vilhena returned to the starting line–up against
Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (), is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first institution created from the All-Union Dynamo Sports Club. Dynamo Mosco ...
on 20 October 2019, in a 1–1 draw. In a follow–up match against
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...
in the
UEFA 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 ...
match, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win. A month later on 24 November 2019, Vilhena scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Arsenal Tula. His performance later earned him December's Player of the Month. However, he suffered an injury that kept him out for the months. He returned to the starting line–up on 1 July 2020 in a 1–1 draw against
FC Rostov FC Rostov () is a Russian professionalism in association football, professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don. The club competes in the Russian Premier League, playing their home matches at the Rostov Arena. History Soviet era (1930-199 ...
. However, Vilhena's return was short–lived when he was sidelined with suspension and his own injury concern. Despite the season being suspended because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Vilhena made 30 appearances and scored four times in all competitions.


Espanyol

On 17 January 2022, Krasnodar announced that Vilhena joined Spanish club
Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...
on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy. On 12 July 2022, Krasnodar announced that option to buy was activated and Vilhena's rights transferred to Espanyol.


Loan to Salernitana

On 10 August 2022, Vilhena moved to
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
side
Salernitana Unione Sportiva Salernitana 1919 is an Italian professional football club based in Salerno, Campania. The original club was founded in 1919 and has been reconstituted three times in the course of its history, most recently in 2011. The current ...
on loan for one year, with a buyout clause.


Panathinaikos

On 7 July 2023, Vilhena signed a four-year contract with
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...
of the Greek Super League


International career

Vilhena is of partial Angolan descent which made him eligible to play for either
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 ...
or
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
national teams per
FIFA eligibility rules In association football, the FIFA eligibility rules are the eligibility criteria established by FIFA (International Association Football Federation), the sport's governing body, to facilitate the selection of representative teams for internationa ...
. Vilhena opted to debut for Netherlands at the senior level.


Youth career

Vilhena has represented the Netherlands up to Under-21 level. In November 2009, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U15 for the first time in his career. He was placed as captain on his Netherlands U15 debut against Turkey U15 on 8 December 2009 and scored his first goal for the U15 side, winning 4–1. Vilhena went on to make five appearances for the U15 side. In September 2010, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U16 squad for the first time in his career. He made his U16 debut on 26 October 2010 in a 2–1 win against France U16. Four days later on 30 October 2010, Vilhena scored his first Netherlands U16 goal, in a 1–0 win against Norway U16. He then scored in a follow–up match, winning 2–0 against Portugal U16 on 4 February 2011. Vilhena captained the Netherlands U16 for the first time in his career, winning 4–1 win against Israel U16 two days later. He went on to make six appearances and scoring two times for the U16 side. In March 2011, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U17 squad for the first time in his career. He made his Netherlands U17 debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Austria U17 on 24 March 2011. Vilhena was part of the Netherlands under-17 national team which won
European Championship A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
in 2011. Vilhena then scored his first goal of the tournament, in a 1–0 win against Romania U17 on 6 May 2011. He won the
2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship The 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the tenth edition of UEFA's European Under-17 Football Championship. Serbia hosted the tournament between the 3 and 15 May. 6 Teams also qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Players born aft ...
with the Netherlands U-17 team and was also the tournament's joint top scorer with 3 goals. A month later, Vilhena was called up to
FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...
for the U17 squad. He started three times in the tournament, as the Netherlands U17 were eliminated in the group stage. Vilhena scored his fourth goal for the U17 side, in a 4–1 win against Latvia U17 on 28 October 2011. He then scored a brace in two consecutive matches between 22 March 2012 and 24 March 2012 against Albania U17 and Republic of Ireland U17. Vilhena was called up to the
UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competition, having ...
once again and helped the U17 side win the tournament after scoring the fifth and final penalty in the penalty shootout against Germany U17. Following the conclusion of the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, he made twenty–four appearances and scoring eight times in the tournament. In August 2012, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U19 squad for the first time in his career. He made his Netherlands U19 debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Greece U19 on 7 September 2012. Vilhena then scored his first goal for the U19 side, in a 5–0 win against Malta U19 9 October 2012. He went on to make three appearances and scoring once for the U19 side. In January 2013, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U21 squad for the first time. He scored a goal in his debut for the Netherlands U-21 side, in a 3–2 win against Croatia U21. Three months later, Vilhena was called up to the Netherlands U21 squad for the
UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. He only made appearance for the U21 side in the tournament, as they were eliminated in the group stage. Following the tournament, Vilhena scored three more times for the U21 side later in the year. He captained Netherlands U21 for the first time in his career on 11 October 2015 in a 3–1 loss against Slovakia U21. Vilhena made his last appearance for the U21 side on 2 September 2016 against Belarus U21, setting up the equalising goal to finish a 2–2 draw. Following this, he went on to make twenty–three appearances and scoring four times for the Netherlands U21.


Senior career

On 6 March 2013, Vilhena was called up for the preliminary squad of the Netherlands national team for the first time, only aged 18. However, he appeared as an unused substitute for a match against
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
and
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
.
Willem van Hanegem Willem "Wim" van Hanegem (; born 20 February 1944) is a Dutch former Association football, football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as ...
stated that it would be disappointing if Vilhena and
Jean-Paul Boëtius Jean-Paul Patrick Boëtius (born 22 March 1994) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as an Midfielder#Attacking Midfielder, attacking midfielder and a Midfielder#Winger, winger for club SV Darmstadt 98, Darmstadt 98. A ...
were not included in the Netherlands squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
in Brazil, which he successfully predicted. After spending three years away from the national team, he was included in the squad for the first time. Vilhena made his Netherlands senior team debut on 4 June 2016, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win against
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. He did not make his first start for the national side until 31 May 2017, a 2–1 win against
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. Vilhena then made three more starts later in the year, as the Netherlands failed to qualify for the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
in Russia.


Personal life

Born in
Maassluis Maassluis () is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covered of which was water. It received town rights in 1811. History Maassluis was founded circa 1340 as a se ...
, Netherlands to an Angolan father and a Dutch mother, Vilhena has a brother and a sister. Early in his football career, he was initially known as "Tonny Trindade de Vilhena" before changing it to "Tonny Vilhena" in May 2012. Vilhena spoke his fondness of his father, saying: "I didn't expect everything to go so fast in a year. But at the age of eight I already played with boys of about sixteen in my spare time. He is always behind me, but could also be very hard on me. Sometimes he had to pull my ears, for example if I thought I had played a good game. My father sometimes said that I had not been so good at all" His father now represented him as his agent, but their working relationship ended in June 2019. Vilhena's factor to staying at Feyenoord instead of moving to Sampdoria was due to his mother's illness in August 2015. But this was denied by the family. On 31 October 2016, it was reported that his mother died after a long illness aged 52 and he missed two matches as a result. Two years later, he spoke about his mother's death, saying: "To be honest, sometimes I still have moments when I don't realize it. Life goes on, so you don't stop and think about what happened. Sometimes I still think about it, even though it's been two years." Vilhena is married to model, Lana Slier, and together, they have a son, who was born in Russia.


Career statistics


Club


Honours

Feyenoord *
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 ...
: 2016–17 *
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 ...
: 2015–16, 2017–18Feyenoord wint KNVB-beker mede dankzij prachtgoal Van Persie
- AD
*
Johan Cruijff 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 football ...
:
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 ...
,
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 ...
Panathinaikos *
Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
: 2023–24 Netherlands U17 *
UEFA European Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual Association football, football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain national under-17 football team, ...
:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...


References


External links

*
Voetbal International profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vilhena, Tonny 1995 births Living people Men's association football midfielders Dutch men's footballers Feyenoord players FC Krasnodar players RCD Espanyol footballers US Salernitana 1919 players Panathinaikos F.C. players Alanyaspor footballers Eredivisie players Russian Premier League players La Liga players Serie A players Super League Greece players Süper Lig players Footballers from Maassluis Netherlands men's youth international footballers Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Netherlands men's international footballers Dutch people of Angolan descent Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Russia Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Turkey 21st-century Dutch sportsmen