Jordy Clasie

1.1. Youth career

At the age of 11, in the summer of 2000, Clasie's talent caught the eye of scouts from Feyenoord during a tournament, leading to his move to their youth academy. Despite interest from Ajax, which would have offered an easier commute and a more renowned pathway, Clasie felt a strong connection to Feyenoord from the outset, considering it "my club." He commuted daily from Haarlem to Rotterdam by train or with his father, who was dedicated to his son's professional football aspirations. Clasie is known for being very family-oriented, having tattoos of his family members' names on his arm, alongside the phrase "You mean everything in my life."

During his time in the Feyenoord youth system, Clasie's relatively small physique led many adults to question his potential to become a top professional player. However, youth director Stanley Brard recognized his footballing ability and went to great lengths to support him, even designing a special training program for Clasie. His dedication paid off, and he was eventually promoted to the U-17 team. He played alongside many talented players, including Leroy Fer, Luc Castaignos, Stefan de Vrij, Erwin Mulder, Ricky van Haaren, and Shabir Isoufi. In the 2008-09 season, Clasie captained both the A1 and A2 youth teams, winning two Kampioen Schaal_{championship shields}^Dutch as the club's financial difficulties had led to many A-junior players being promoted to the senior team.

2.1. SBV Excelsior

In the summer of 2010, Clasie was loaned to Excelsior. He made his professional debut for Excelsior on 15 August 2010, starting in the Rotterdam derby against his parent club, Feyenoord, which Excelsior won 3-2. A week later, he scored his first professional goal against NEC Nijmegen. Clasie quickly established himself as a regular starter for Excelsior, making 32 appearances and scoring 2 goals during his loan spell.

2.2. Feyenoord

Clasie returned to Feyenoord in the summer of 2011 and was immediately integrated into the first-team squad for the 2011-12 Feyenoord season. The incoming coach, Ronald Koeman, promptly handed the young midfielder a place in the starting lineup. He made his debut for Feyenoord in a friendly match against Málaga CF on 31 July 2011. Due to his impressive play and tenacious style, he quickly became one of the most popular players among the club's supporters. He scored his first official goal for Feyenoord against FC Groningen and, throughout the season, missed only one match, growing into one of the top midfielders in the Eredivisie. His performance earned him the Silver Boot award, placing him second in De Telegraaf's Eredivisie Player of the Year rankings, an award presented to him by Willem van Hanegem.

For the 2012-13 Feyenoord season, Clasie changed his jersey number from 16 to 6. He was appointed as the second captain, behind Stefan de Vrij, and wore the captain's armband when De Vrij was sidelined due to injury. Despite suffering from ankle, shoulder, and nose injuries throughout the season, he still managed to play 33 matches, the second-highest number of appearances for the team. On 6 July 2013, Clasie signed his fourth contract with Feyenoord, extending his stay until 2016.

In the 2013-14 Feyenoord season, Clasie initially struggled to find his form within an inconsistent team but gradually regained his peak performance. He officially took over the captaincy from 9 March against FC Groningen. His strong displays earned him high praise, placing second in both the Algemeen Dagblad and Voetbal International's Player of the Year rankings.

During the summer 2014 transfer window, FC Porto showed significant interest in acquiring Clasie, but a transfer fee could not be agreed upon. Clasie opted to remain with Feyenoord, especially after the club qualified for the group stage of the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League, marking their first appearance in a major European competition in six years. On 29 August 2014, he extended his contract until 2018, stating his desire to continue developing as a player and with the team. He grew into a true leader, both on and off the pitch, helping to stabilize the team after a difficult start to the season. Despite only a week of vacation after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he quickly regained form, earning "Player of the Week" honors from Voetbal International after matches against Cambuur and Ajax, and "Player of the Month" from Algemeen Dagblad in October and January. Although his form dipped towards the end of the season, coinciding with the team's struggles, he still finished second in the Player of the Year rankings for both Algemeen Dagblad and Voetbal International.

2.3. Southampton

On 15 July 2015, Clasie signed a five-year contract with Southampton for a fee reported to be in the region of 8.00 M GBP, or an estimated 15.00 M EUR including bonuses. Feyenoord reportedly received around 12.80 M EUR from the transfer, which was the third-highest transfer fee in the club's history, with Excelsior receiving 5% and the talent pool 18.33%. This move reunited him with Ronald Koeman, who had previously brought him into the Feyenoord first team. By the summer of 2017, the total transfer fee reached 15.00 M EUR, which was reported as a club record for Feyenoord.

In the summer of 2016, Claude Puel took over as manager of Southampton. Clasie scored his first goal for the club on 30 November 2016, in a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the EFL Cup. His creative play was crucial in Southampton's run to the League Cup final of 2017, where they finished as runners-up. He scored his first Premier League goal on 8 April 2017, securing a 1-0 victory away at West Bromwich Albion. However, he gradually began to lose playing time at Southampton.

2.4. Club Brugge

On 30 August 2017, Clasie joined Belgian club Club Brugge on a season-long loan for the 2017-18 season.

2.5. Feyenoord (loan)

After his loan spell in Belgium, Clasie strongly expressed a desire to return to Feyenoord in the summer of 2018. Although Southampton initially wished to keep him, they respected his wishes. Feyenoord also sought his return as a replacement for the departing Karim El Ahmadi. Consequently, on 25 July 2018, Clasie rejoined Feyenoord on loan for the duration of the 2018-19 season. He was assigned the number 8 jersey, previously worn by El Ahmadi, as his former number 6 was already taken.

2.6. AZ Alkmaar

On 22 July 2019, Clasie signed a two-year contract with AZ, joining the club on a free transfer from Southampton. He expressed his strong desire to return to the Netherlands. He currently plays as a midfielder for AZ, wearing jersey number 20.

3.1. Netherlands U-21

In November 2010, just two months after making his professional debut for Excelsior, Clasie was selected for the Netherlands U-21 squad.

3.2. Netherlands national team

In February 2012, Bert van Marwijk, the coach of the senior national team, expressed interest in Clasie and included him on the stand-by list for UEFA Euro 2012. He made his senior international debut in 2012.

Clasie was part of Louis van Gaal's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Dutch team had a successful tournament, finishing third after defeating defending champions Spain and hosts Brazil. Clasie made two appearances in the tournament: he came on as a substitute for Nigel de Jong in the semi-finals against Argentina and started the third-place play-off match against Brazil, which the Netherlands won 3-0. Overall, he has accumulated 17 international caps for the Netherlands, without scoring a goal.

5.1. Club

5.2. International