DutchFootballerMidfielderSportsman

Ricky van Haaren

Ricky van Haaren is a Dutch former professional footballer who primarily played as a midfielder for clubs including Feyenoord, VVV-Venlo, ADO Den Haag, and Dinamo București.

1. Overview

Ricky van Haaren (ˈrɪki vɑn ˈɦaːrə(n)Dutch; born 21 June 1991) is a Dutch former footballer who primarily played as a midfielder. He began his youth career with SBV Excelsior and Feyenoord, and went on to play professionally for several clubs, including Feyenoord, VVV-Venlo, ADO Den Haag, FC Dordrecht, FC Dinamo București, and Quick Boys.

2. Early life and youth career

Ricky van Haaren's early life and formative years in football saw him develop through significant Dutch youth academies, leading to early professional contracts.

2.1. Birth and background

Ricky van Haaren was born on 21 June 1991, in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

2.2. Youth career development

Van Haaren began his youth career at SBV Excelsior. During the 2005-06 season, he was invited to join the Feyenoord Academy at Sportcomplex Varkenoord. At Varkenoord, he quickly developed from a reserve player into a youth international. On 28 November 2007, Van Haaren signed a three-year contract with Feyenoord. Peter Bosz, Feyenoord's technical director at the time, explained that the club wanted to prevent him from joining another club and reward him for his consistent performance. Before making his official debut for Feyenoord's first team, Van Haaren renewed his contract until 2012 on 16 February 2010. The new technical director, Leo Beenhakker, stated that he had "big plans" for the young midfielder. One week after renewing his contract, Van Haaren trained with the first team squad for the first time.

3. Professional club career

Ricky van Haaren's professional career saw him play for several clubs across the Netherlands and a brief spell in Romania, marked by various transfers and loan moves.

3.1. Feyenoord (2010-2012)

Van Haaren made his official debut for Feyenoord's first team on 2 May 2010. He entered the match as a substitute, replacing Bart Schenkeveld in the 61st minute during the Eredivisie home game against SC Heerenveen, which Feyenoord won 6-2. Van Haaren was the fourth player from Feyenoord's U19 squad to make his first team debut that season, following Stefan de Vrij, Luc Castaignos, and Bart Schenkeveld.

3.2. VVV-Venlo (2012-2013)

In June 2012, Van Haaren departed Feyenoord on a free transfer and signed a two-year contract with VVV-Venlo. He spent one season with the club.

3.3. ADO Den Haag (2013-2015)

Following VVV-Venlo's relegation from the Eredivisie, Van Haaren signed with ADO Den Haag, allowing him to continue playing in the top-tier Dutch league. He made an immediate impact, scoring two goals on his debut in a 4-2 away defeat against his former club, Feyenoord.

3.3.1. FC Dordrecht (2014-2015) (Loan)

On 5 August 2014, Van Haaren was sent on loan to FC Dordrecht for the remainder of the 2014-2015 season.

3.4. Dinamo București (2015)

In June 2015, Van Haaren signed a two-season contract with Romanian club FC Dinamo București. However, his tenure was brief. In mid-August 2015, Dinamo București's coach, Mircea Rednic, publicly stated that it would be best for Van Haaren to leave the club, explaining that the player had not demonstrated anything of value so far. Rednic attributed mistakes in the current squad selection to the short summer preseason preparation time and emphasized that foreign players must demonstrate an "extra" quality beyond that of normal Romanian players to remain with the team. In December 2015, Van Haaren's contract with Dinamo București was terminated. During his time there, he played in only eight Liga I matches, starting in four of them.

3.5. Quick Boys (2020-2022)

After a period away from top-tier football, Van Haaren joined the Dutch third-tier club Quick Boys on 11 August 2020. He played for the club until 2022.

4. Career statistics

The following table summarizes Ricky van Haaren's professional playing statistics across different leagues and competitions.

Club performanceLeagueCupContinentalTotal
SeasonClubLeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
NetherlandsLeagueKNVB CupEuropeTotal
2009-10FeyenoordEredivisie1000-10
2010-111200000120
2011-128110-91
2012-13VVV-Venlo31010-320
2013-14ADO Den Haag27100-271
2014-15FC Dordrecht21121-232
TotalNetherlands100341101054
2015-16Dinamo BucureștiLiga I8010-90
TotalRomania80100090
Career total108351101144


Statistics accurate as of last match played on 11 December 2015.

5. Personal life

Ricky van Haaren has a younger brother, Danny van Haaren, who is also a professional footballer.