 Drenthe withHércules in 2011 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Royston Ricky Drenthe[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1987-04-08)8 April 1987 (age 38) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left winger,left-back | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 1992–2000 | SC Neptunus | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | Feyenoord | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Excelsior | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Feyenoord | 29 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Real Madrid | 46 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | →Hércules (loan) | 17 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | →Everton (loan) | 21 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Alania Vladikavkaz | 6 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Reading | 23 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | →Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2015 | Kayseri Erciyesspor | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Baniyas | 18 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Sparta Rotterdam | 32 | (5) | |||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Kozakken Boys | 9 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Racing Murcia | 28 | (9) | |||||||||||
| 2022 | →Real Murcia (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2022 | Racing Mérida City | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2023 | Kozakken Boys | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||
| Total | 284 | (38) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Netherlands U18 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Netherlands U19 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Netherlands U21 | 17 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2008 | Netherlands B | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2010 | Netherlands | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Royston Ricky Drenthe (born 8 April 1987) is a Dutch former professionalfootballer. Although primarily aleft winger, he has also played as aleft-back.[2][3]
Drenthe started his professional career withEredivisie sideFeyenoord in 2005, having graduated from the club's youth academy. He made 37 appearances for the side before switching toLa Liga clubReal Madrid in 2007. During his five years inMadrid, he made 65 appearances for the club, spending time on loan atHércules andPremier League sideEverton, making 19 and 27 appearances for those clubs respectively. He then joinedRussian Premier League sideAlania Vladikavkaz in February 2013 on a free transfer, making six appearances in a brief spell at the club, before he joinedReading in June 2013. In January 2015, he joined Kayseri Erciyessor, before moving toUAE Pro League sideBaniyas Club in September 2015. After being released by Baniyas in July 2016, Drenthe announced his retirement from playing. He has since begun recording music under the nameRoya2Faces.[4] After two years, Drenthe came out of retirement to play forSparta Rotterdam in 2018.[5]
Drenthe made 17 appearances for theNetherlands under-21s between 2006 and 2008, and was a member of the team that won the2007 European Championship. He later made one appearance for theNetherlands B team and also featured once for thefull national team.
Born inRotterdam, Drenthe, who is ofSurinamese descent, joined local sideFeyenoord's youth system at the age of 13, playing mainly as awinger during his junior years. After disciplinary issues during a trip to Switzerland with the B-side, coachMarcel Bout wanted him to leave the club, but the issues were resolved after the intervention ofRob Baan, the club'sdirector of football.
Bout hardly used Drenthe in his subsequent lineups, and, at the end of the season, the 16-year-old was named as one of eleven players whose future at the club was questionable. He eventually moved to Feyenoordfeeder clubExcelsior.
Drenthe improved during the two years he played at Excelsior, with manager Marco van Lochem successfully playing him asleft back. After impressing his former side's coaching staff, he was asked to rejoin the club, which he accepted.
In the2005–06 season, Drenthe was promoted to Feyenoord's first team, managed by his former youth coachHenk Fräser. After scoring three goals againstAjax in theOtten Cup youth tournament he began training with the main squad, while still appearing for the reserves.[citation needed]
In the same week where he helped his club to a 5–1 win at Ajax with the second team, Drenthe was offered a professional contract at Feyenoord. ManagerErwin Koeman handed him hisEredivisie debut againstVitesse at theGelredome, and the player finished the season with three matches.
In2006–07, Feyenoord signed veteranBelgianPhilippe Léonard, whilePascal Bosschaart was also still part of the squad. After the former suffered an injury and the latter was transferred toADO Den Haag, Drenthe became first-choice as Feyenoord finished seventh in the league.
After winning the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with theNetherlands, Feyenoord accepted a€14 million bid byReal Madrid after Drenthe threatened to take his club to court if they did not want to let him go.[6][7][8]
Drenthe was presented as a Real Madrid player on 13 August 2007, alongside compatriotWesley Sneijder. He made his official debut as a midfielder in the second leg ofthe season'sSpanish Supercup againstSevilla, and scored the 1–1 equaliser from 40 yards out, with the ball hitting the crossbar and crossing the line. TheMerengues, however, lost 3–5 at home and 3–6 on aggregate.[citation needed]
Drenthe played regularly for Real Madrid inhis debut season, in both left-wing positions, but began appearing less after the development ofMarcelo, being dropped from the list of 18 by managerBernd Schuster in several games. At one time, after being left out for the match againstValencia, Drenthe stormed out of the training ground. He finished the campaign with 18 league appearances (plus four inthe season'sUEFA Champions League), scoring his first league goal againstReal Valladolid in a 7–0 home routing on 10 February 2008.[citation needed]
Despite rumours of him leaving the club on loan, Drenthe featured in 15 of Real Madrid's first 18 games of the2008–09 season. However, he also suffered from anxiety issues after being booed by the club's supporters during a 1–0 home win againstDeportivo de La Coruña and did not feature for the club for a period, although managerJuande Ramos offered the player his support and insisted he would help him.[9] The manager later revealed that the player asked not to be picked for the three games after the Deportivo fixture.[10]
On 31 August 2010, after having appeared rarely inhis third season, Drenthe was loaned toHércules in aseason-long move.[11] He made his debut on 11 September in a 2–0 away win againstBarcelona,[12] and scored his first goal for the club on 14 November, netting from a free kick againstReal Sociedad in a 2–1 home victory.[13] His performances with theAlicante team were subsequently praised by the Spanish press.[14] However, the player would soon fall out of favour with the club's board of directors and coaching staff after arriving one week after the winter break ended, citing a "loss of confidence in Hércules management", rather than what was previously perceived as "a protest over unpaid wages".[15]
On 3 April 2011, in his second game after his suspension, Drenthe scored twice to help Hércules to its first away win since September, a 3–1 against Real Sociedad.[16] He ended the season with 15 starts in 1,299 minutes of action, with his team being finally relegated.[citation needed]
On 31 August 2011, Drenthe joinedPremier League clubEverton on aseason-long loan deal.[17] He made his Premier League debut as a second-halfsubstitute in the 2–2 home draw againstAston Villa, on 10 September. Again from the bench, againstWigan Athletic, he scored in the 97th minute to round off a 3–1 home victory.[18][19]
Drenthe made his first start for Everton on 21 September 2011 in aLeague Cup match againstWest Bromwich Albion,assisting the winning goal forPhil Neville in the 13th minute ofextra time (2–1 home win).[20] On his full league debut, atFulham on 23 October, he found the net just three minutes into the game in an eventual 3–1 win.[21]
On 21 December 2011, after three weeks out of the game due to anankle injury, Drenthe assistedLeon Osman for the game's only goal at home againstSwansea City.[22] On 18 February 2012, in a match againstBlackpool forthe season'sFA Cup, he scored after just 49 seconds in a 2–0 home success.[23] Drenthe started in the next game for Everton, scoring a powerful low drive from 20 yards out for the first goal of the 1–1 away draw againstQueens Park Rangers.[24]
In March 2012, Drenthe was given a leave of absence on compassionate grounds and, upon returning, he reported late for training. This resulted in managerDavid Moyes omitting the player from Everton's FA Cup semi-final squad; he was also told to stay away from the club.[25] Former Everton GoalkeeperTim Howard confirmed that poor discipline and attitude around the club played its part in Drenthe being left out the squad.[26]
In a magazine interview published in April, he accused Barcelona'sLionel Messi of racially abusing him on more than one occasion, repeatedly addressing him as "negro".[27]
Drenthe left Real Madrid after his contract expired on 30 June 2012.[28] In December, he signed a deal with Russian clubAlania Vladikavkaz, which came into effect on 2 February of the following year.[29] Drenthe made his league debut for his new team on 9 March 2013, againstRostov. After the game, coachValery Gazzaev called him a "great professional and an example for the youth".[30] On 15 April, in only his fifth game for the club, he scored ahat-trick in a 3–1 home win over relegation competitorsMordovia Saransk.
Reading officially confirmed the signing of free agent Drenthe on a two-year contract with the option of a third, on 21 June 2013.[31] On 8 March 2014, Drenthe scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw away atBrighton & Hove Albion after he cut in from the right and fired a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Drenthe then scored his second goal for the club on 11 March in a 4–2 away win againstLeeds United with a free-kick just after half-time. In July 2014, Drenthe was told he could leave Reading after only one season with the club,[32] whilst being stripped of his squad number when the official squad numbers were announced on 14 July 2014.[33]
Drenthe joinedSheffield Wednesday on a six-month loan on 1 September 2014, halfway through transfer deadline day.[34] He made his Owls debut as a second-half substitute forChris Maguire in the 0–0 away draw againstBolton Wanderers on 13 September. His only Owls goal came in the 1–1 away draw atCharlton Athletic on 1 November.
On 23 January 2015, Drenthe joined TurkishSüper Lig sideKayseri Erciyesspor.[35]
Drenthe joinedUAE Pro League sideBaniyas Club in September 2015.[36] He was released in July 2016.[37]
Unable to find a club, Drenthe announced a hiatus from professional football, saying that he was 'no longer a footballer'.[38]
After training with the side for a few weeks, on 6 July 2018Sparta Rotterdam announced they had signed Drenthe to a one-year deal.[5] AfterSparta Rotterdam promoted to the Eredivisie during the Keukenkampioen 2018–2019 season, the club decided not to extend his contract.[39]
Drenthe then signed for Kozakken Boys.[40]
On 6 January 2021, Drenthe returned to Spain and signed withRacing Murcia.[41] On 30 January 2022, Drenthe was loaned toReal Murcia, playing in the same city but a tier above Racing.[42] In August 2022, he joined Racing Mérida City in the sixth-tierPrimera División Extremeña.[43]
At the end of 2022 he returned to Kozakken Boys on a try-out.[44]
On 17 November 2023, Drenthe announced his retirement from professional football.[45]
After his first full season at Feyenoord, Drenthe was called byDutch under-21 coachFoppe de Haan to be part of his squad for the2007 UEFA European Championship, which was held in the Netherlands. He was one of the most important players in the second consecutive title of the competition for theJong Oranje, being chosen byUEFA as Player of the Tournament.[46] The following year, herepresented the nation at the2008 Summer Olympics.[47]
On 14 November 2010, Drenthe was selected for the first time for theDutch senior team, as coachBert van Marwijk picked him as a late replacement for the injuredUrby Emanuelson. Three days later, he made his debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–0friendly win overTurkey.
Drenthe's younger brother,Giovanni, is also a footballer. Thestriker opted to representSuriname internationally.[48] His cousin,Georginio Wijnaldum, was another Feyenoord academy product.[49] He is also the cousin of the Suriname internationalTyrone Conraad.[50]
Drenthe dated SpanishPlayboy modelMalena Gracia.[51]
Drenthe recorded arap song with his friendU-Niq called "Tak Takie".[52]
In 2014, Drenthe opened a clothing store in Rotterdam withMichel Poldervaart.[53]
In December 2020, Drenthe declared bankruptcy after losing £3.2 million.[54]
Drenthe has eight children from different relationships. In 2023 he started working in the healthcare sector, as he explained 'My entire family has always been in care'.[55][56][57]
Drenthe was contracted by the Spanish sports programEl Chiringuito de Jugones ascommentator, on 1 March 2021.[58]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Feyenoord | 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2007–08 | La Liga | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 1 | 26 | 3 |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 46 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 65 | 4 | ||
| Hércules (loan) | 2010–11 | La Liga | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2011–12 | Premier League | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 27 | 4 | |
| Alania | 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 3 | ||
| Reading | 2013–14 | Championship | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Kayseri Erciyesspor | 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | |||
| Baniyas | 2015–16 | UAE Pro League | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| Sparta Rotterdam | 2018–19 | Eerste Divisie | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | |
| Kozakken Boys | 2019–20 | Tweede Divisie | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | Tweede Divisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||||
| Racing Murcia | 2020–21 | Tercera División | 15[f] | 8[g] | — | — | 2[h] | 1 | 17 | 9 | ||
| 2021–22 | Tercera División RFEF | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 9 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 30 | 10 | ||||
| Real Murcia | 2021–22 | Segunda División RFEF | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 261 | 35 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 305 | 39 | ||
Real Madrid
Netherlands U21
Individual
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| National | |
| Artists | |
