Ruud Knol
Personal information
Date of birth (1981-03-13) 13 March 1981
Place of birth Zevenaar, Netherlands
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
0000–1994 OBW
1994–2000 Vitesse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2007 Vitesse 105 (9)
2007–2008 PAOK 23 (0)
2008–2011 Sparta Rotterdam 55 (8)
Total 183 (17)
Managerial career
2012–2013 Vitesse U17 (assistant)
2013–2014 Vitesse U14
2014–2016 Vitesse U15
2016–2017 Vitesse U16
2017–2019 Jong Vitesse (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ruud Knol (born 13 March 1981) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He most notably played as a centre-back for Vitesse between 2000 and 2007.

Club career

Knol was born in Zevenaar, in the province of Gelderland and started his career at OBW, where he was spotted by Vitesse scouts.[2] He made his professional debut for Vitesse on 8 September 2000, replacing Theo Janssen in the 80th minute of a 2–2 draw against Willem II.[3] He played six years for Vitesse and was called up once by then Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal for the Netherlands national team.[4] A serious injury threatened his career between 2002 and 2005 but he came back to play for Vitesse.

In December 2006, it was announced that Knol would be leaving Vitesse. His contract was set to expire, and was not renewed due to significant differences between the two parties. Furthermore, Knol expressed his desire for a fresh challenge. Some media speculated that his motivation was financial gain, which he denied.[5] Despite receiving interest from various clubs, including 1. FC Köln and Southampton, Knol remained without a team for an extended period.[6] Then, on 18 August, it was revealed that Knol had signed a two-year contract with Greek club PAOK.[7] After one season in Greece, he returned to the Netherlands to play for Sparta Rotterdam.[8]

Starting from the preseason of the 2011–12 season, Knol maintained his fitness at Vitesse while waiting for an attractive offer from abroad. Vitesse's coach, John van den Brom, had previously indicated that Knol was not in consideration for a contract with Vitesse.[9] As a result, Knol made every effort to find a new club. However, after an unsuccessful trial at Coventry City and other attempts, he decided to retire from professional football.[10]

Coaching career

In July 2012, Knol returned to his former club, Vitesse, initially taking on the role of assistant coach for the under-17 team. However, in July 2013, he assumed the position of head coach for the under-14 team. On 16 January 2017, Vitesse announced that Theo Janssen would immediately become the coach of Vitesse O16. In response, Knol transitioned to the role of assistant coach for the reserve team, known as Jong Vitesse.[11][12]

Jong Vitesse's stay in the Tweede Divisie was short-lived, lasting only one year. The team, under the leadership of John Lammers and Knol, finished seventeenth, which led to their relegation to the Derde Divisie.[13] During the 2019–20 season, Knol worked as an analyst at De Graafschap.[14]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[15]
Club Season League KNVB Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Vitesse 2000–01 Eredivisie 140001[lower-alpha 1]0—150
2001–02 Eredivisie 24330——273
2002–03 Eredivisie 2000——20
2003–04 Eredivisie 12200—4[lower-alpha 2]1163
2004–05 Eredivisie 3010——40
2005–06 Eredivisie 27100—6[lower-alpha 3]0331
2006–07 Eredivisie 23300—6[lower-alpha 3]1294
Total 1059401016212611
PAOK 2007–08 Super League 23000——230
Sparta Rotterdam 2008–09 Eredivisie 26520——285
2009–10 Eredivisie 12020—4[lower-alpha 2]0180
2010–11 Eerste Divisie 17310——183
Total 55850—40648
Career total 18317901020221319
  1. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
  3. 1 2 Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs

References

  1. ↑ "R. Knol: Profiel". Voetbal International. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Ruud Knol: 'Waarom ben ik niet geschikt voor de Top Drie?'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 13 September 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Willem II – Vitesse 2:2 (Eredivisie 2000/2001, 4. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Van der Vaart alsnog in Oranje". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 6 October 2001. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "'Schandalig dat ik als geldwolf word neergezet'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "'Knol weigert contract bij Southampton'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 11 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ruud Knol zet handtekening bij PAOK". Trouw (in Dutch). 21 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ruud Knol naar Sparta Rotterdam". Sparta Rotterdam (Press release) (in Dutch). 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008.
  9. ↑ Dam, Erik van (22 July 2011). "Vitesse laat werkloze ex-verdediger zonder bijbedoelingen meetrainen". Voetbalzone (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Wereldreiziger Knol: 'Meer in het leven dan voetbal'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 9 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ruud Knol verlaat Vitesse opnieuw". Supportersvereniging Vitesse (in Dutch). 27 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Knol vertrekt bij Vitesse: "Was geen ruimte bij het eerste elftal"". FCUpdate.nl (in Dutch). 26 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Janssen, Eugène (6 May 2017). "Jong Vitesse degradeert naar derde divisie". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Steenbergen, Mark van (1 October 2019). "De Graafschap schakelt ex-prof Knol in als analist". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  15. ↑ Ruud Knol at WorldFootball.net
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