 Knopper playing forDen Haag in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1977-08-29)29 August 1977 (age 48) | ||
| Place of birth | Rijswijk, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1988 | RVC Rijswijk | ||
| 1988–1993 | Feyenoord | ||
| 1993–1997 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2004 | Ajax | 67 | (19) |
| 2002–2003 | →Aris (loan) | 21 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | →Heerenveen (loan) | 32 | (9) |
| 2004–2006 | Vitesse | 47 | (8) |
| 2006–2010 | ADO Den Haag | 85 | (17) |
| 2010–2011 | PSM Makassar | 18 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Haaglandia | 15 | (3) |
| Total | 285 | (60) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2014 | ADO Den Haag (U18) | ||
| 2014–2015 | ADO Den Haag (U15) | ||
| 2015–2016 | ADO Den Haag (U17) | ||
| 2015–2016 | Netherlands U16 (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2018 | Ajax (U16/U15) | ||
| 2018–2020 | Ajax (U-18) | ||
| 2020 | ADO Den Haag (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Richard Knopper (born 29 August 1977) is a Dutch former professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder.
Born inRijswijk, Knopper began his career withFeyenoord but, still in his youth, moved to rivalsAjax, making his official debut in November 1997 againstSparta Rotterdam. In 1999, he was voted by club supporters asMost Talented Player, receiving theMarco van Basten Trophy;the following year he scored 15Eredivisie goals as a midfielder, but his team could only finish fifth.
A regular underJan Wouters, Knopper saw his playing time reduce whenCo Adriaanse took over as head coach in 2000. He was sidelined with injury for almost the entireseason, playing only eight matches that year and appearing slightly more in the following, which would be his last.
In May 2002, Knopper had a trial withPremier League sideSunderland and played in that predicament in thetestimonial match forNiall Quinn with theRepublic of Ireland on the 14th.[1] From 2002 to 2004, he went out on two loans, first with Greece'sAris and then withHeerenveen, slightly reviving his career with the latter; upon his Ajax release in summer 2004, he spent two additional campaigns withVitesse, appearing regularly.
After some problems with Vitesse managerAad de Mos, Knopper was forced to leave and joinedADO Den Haag. In July 2007 a three-year contract was agreed, with the player netting again in double figures (ten) in2008–09, crucial to help in a narrow escape from relegation; in the 2010 summer, aged 33, he was released.
In January 2011, Knopper moved toLiga Primer Indonesia clubPSM Makassar, leaving after a couple of months and signing with lowlyHaaglandia back in his country, where he ended his career.[2]
In January 2012, Knopper was hired as an account manager at his former clubADO Den Haag. From the end of May 2013, Knopper was also coaching the club's U-18 squad.[3] In February 2014, he left the position as account manager, but continued coaching the U-18 squad.[4]
From the 2014–15 season, Knopper took charge of ADO's U-15 squad[5] and in the 2015–16 season, of the U-17 squad.[6] At the end of August 2015, Knopper was also hired as assistant coach for theDutch U-16 national team.[7]
Knopper left both the position at ADO and at the national team, in the summer 2016.
In May 2016, it was confirmed that Knopper would joinAjax ahead of the upcoming season, where he would alternate between coaching the U16 and U15 teams.[8] In April 2017, he signed a one-year contract extension with Ajax.[9] Ahead of the 2018–19 season, he was promoted to U-17 manager.[10] He left Ajax in the summer 2020.
On 13 May 2020,ADO Den Haag confirmed that Knopper would return to the club from 1 July 2020 on a two-year deal as a first team assistant coach under head coachAleksandar Ranković.[11] After Ranković was fired on 8 November 2020, Knopper also left the club.[12]
On 12 October 2021, Knopper returned to ADO, however, this time as a forward coach for the women's team,ADO Den Haag Vrouwen.[13]