 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Glenn Helder | ||
| Date of birth | (1968-10-28)28 October 1968 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Leiden, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft8+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Oranje Groen | |||
| UVS | |||
| Ajax Amsterdam | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1993 | Sparta Rotterdam | 93 | (9) |
| 1993–1995 | Vitesse Arnhem | 52 | (12) |
| 1995–1997 | Arsenal | 39 | (1) |
| 1996 | →Benfica (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 1997–1998 | NAC Breda | 3 | (0) |
| 1998 | Dalian Wanda FC | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | NAC Breda | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | MTK Hungária FC | 9 | (1) |
| 2000–2002 | RBC Roosendaal | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | TOP Oss | 10 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | DOTO | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 223 | (25) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995 | Netherlands | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Glenn Helder (born 28 October 1968) is a Dutch former professionalfootballer who played as a winger.
He notably played in thePremier League forArsenal, in theEredivisie forSparta Rotterdam,Vitesse Arnhem andNAC Breda. He also played inPortugal forBenfica, inChina withDalian Wanda FC and inHungary withMTK Hungária FC before finishing his career back in the Netherlands withRBC Roosendaal,TOP Oss andDOTO. He was capped four times by theNetherlands.
Since retirement, he has been a professionalPoker player, musician, welder and stand-up comedian.
Born inLeiden, Helder played forSparta Rotterdam andVitesse Arnhem of the Eredivisie before joiningArsenal on 14 February 1995. He made his debut forArsenal in a 1–0 home win againstNottingham Forest on 21 February 1995. Helder was the final signing made by Arsenal's then managerGeorge Graham, who left a week after Helder's arrival. Helder made 27 league appearances for Arsenal, plus 12 as a substitute, and scored a solo goal for the club in a 3–2 win overMiddlesbrough.[1][2] In late 1996, just after the appointment ofArsène Wenger as manager, Arsenal sent Helder on loan toBenfica where he sustained a serious injury. On his return, Helder found that he had been replaced byMarc Overmars, who signed for Arsenal in the summer of 1997. Helder was unable to break back into the first team.[2]
Helder then moved toNAC Breda in his nativeNetherlands and, after a short spell there, he went to play in China forDalian Wanda FC.[3] Soon afterwards he returned toBreda for a second spell at the club before moving on toMTK Hungária FC ofHungary. He then returned home to trial withFC Dordrecht, which proved to be unfruitful. Helder eventually signed forRBC Roosendaal in 2000 and two years later moved toTOP Oss. He retired one year later.[2] In July 2006, Helder made a surprise appearance for Arsenal inDennis Bergkamp's final game, a testimonial against Ajax.[2] Helder appears regularly inMasters footballing tournaments and soccer clinics.[4][5]
In his Dutch international footballing career, Helder earned four caps altogether for theOranje.[6]
In a 1999 interview, Helder stated that during his stay at NAC he tried to commit suicide because of problems resulting from compulsive gambling.[7] However, he continues to gamble, and is sometimes seen playingpoker on the EnglishFive television station, representing the Netherlands, most notably in thePartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup.[8]
After his retirement from professional football, Helder took up music, gaining recognition as a percussionist.[9] He also became a stand up comedian.[10]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
