| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Willem Korsten | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-01-21)21 January 1975 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Boxtel, Netherlands | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Achilles '29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| N.E.C. | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | N.E.C. | 4 | (0) |
| 1993–1999 | Vitesse Arnhem | 75 | (12) |
| 1999 | →Leeds United (loan) | 7 | (2) |
| 1999–2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | (3) |
| 2002 | SCV'58 | 5 | (0) |
| 2011 | Achilles '29[1] | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 115 | (17) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:11, 30 June 2011 (CET) | |||
Willem Korsten (born 21 January 1975 inBoxtel)[2] is a former Dutch professionalfootballer who played as a leftwinger.
Korsten played in theNetherlands forN.E.C. andSBV Vitesse before earning a loan move toLeeds United in thePremier League. In this short amount of time Korsten showed he had the pace, skill and strength to cope with English football, scoring twice in games againstEverton[3] andDerby County.[4] Leeds decided to pursue a permanent transfer.[5] However,Tottenham Hotspur also made a bid in the region of £1.5 million for the player, which was accepted.[6]
Due to injury, Korsten did not make his debut for Tottenham until December 1999[6] and made only nine appearances in thePremier League in the1999–2000 season.[7]
Thefollowing season he made 14 league appearances,[7] scoring his first Tottenham goal in a 3–1 defeat againstLiverpool atAnfield in April 2001.[8] On the final day of the season, he scored two spectacular goals in a 3–1 win overchampionsManchester United atWhite Hart Lane.[9] The match proved to be his last as a professional footballer. In October 2001, due to persistent hip injuries, he was forced to retire at the age of 26.[10]
Korsten returned to his former club, N.E.C., as a coach for its football academy.[11] He played 5 games for Dutch lower amateur side SCV '58 fromVelp in their 2002–03 campaign but injuries forced him to quit the team early in the season.[12]
In May 2011 Korsten returned to the game as player forTopklasse sideAchilles '29.[13] After winning the district cup east, Korsten scored the only goal in the final of theKNVB Amateur Cup 2011 on 18 June.[14] He retired once again and joined the Achilles staff for the 2011/12 campaign as their assistant-manager.[15] Korsten resigned at Achilles in March 2012 and joined N.E.C. as an assistant-manager for the2012–13 season.[16][17]
