Menno Willems
Encyclopedia
Menno Willems is a former Dutch
professional footballer who played as a midfielder
and a defender
between 1996 and 2006 notably for Vitesse Arnhem, Ajax and Grimsby Town
. He also played for FC Den Bosch, HFC Haarlem
, Sparta Rotterdam
and Go Ahead Eagles
before being forced to retire.
side Vitesse Arnhem where he would remain until 1999.
He then spent a season playing with FC Den Bosch before returning to Vitesse a year later. In November 2001, Menno signed a three month loan deal with English
club Grimsby Town
as Mariners boss Lennie Lawrence
brought in a wave of foreign talent following the dismissal of Alan Buckley
. Willems along with David Nielsen
, Knut Anders Fostervold
and Zhang Enhua
linked up with the club on loan.
After the end of his three month loan deal Grimsby paid Vitesse £150,000 for Menno, and made him one of the most highly paid players at the club. He played out the final few months of the 2000/2001 season and was the only foreign loan star too sign a permanent deal. In the new season, slight injury problems coupled with performances of other players saw Willems fall out of favour at the club under new manager Paul Groves . In May 2002, Willems left the club on a free transfer.
He soon returned to Holland, playing for HFC Haarlem
for two seasons, before playing out the next two seasons with Sparta Rotterdam
and Go Ahead Eagles
.
midfielder Ron Willems
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
professional footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and a defender
Defender
Defender usually refers to a position in association football .Defender or The Defender may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Defender or The Bodyguard from Beijing, a film starring Jet Li...
between 1996 and 2006 notably for Vitesse Arnhem, Ajax and Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. He also played for FC Den Bosch, HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889. The club won the Dutch national title in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912...
, Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
and Go Ahead Eagles
Go Ahead Eagles
The Go Ahead Eagles are a football club from Deventer, Netherlands, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie. The club's home stadium is De Adelaarshorst. To date, the club has won the national championship four times...
before being forced to retire.
Career
Originally Willems was scouted by Dutch giants Ajax and he signed to the Amsterdam based giants when he was a youngster and took the step up to the first team in 1996. After one season of limited chances or football action, Willems left Ajax bound for fellow EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
side Vitesse Arnhem where he would remain until 1999.
He then spent a season playing with FC Den Bosch before returning to Vitesse a year later. In November 2001, Menno signed a three month loan deal with English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
as Mariners boss Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
brought in a wave of foreign talent following the dismissal of Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
. Willems along with David Nielsen
David Nielsen (footballer)
David Jean Nielsen is a Danish retired football player.He has played for a number of Danish clubs, as well as Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany and English clubs Grimsby Town, Wimbledon and Norwich City. His greatest triumph was the 1997 Danish Cup victory, which he won with Danish club F.C. Copenhagen...
, Knut Anders Fostervold
Knut Anders Fostervold
Knut Anders Fostervold is a former Norwegian footballer who now competes as a cyclist. As a footballer he played as a midfielder and defender from 1991 until 2002, notably played for Molde FK and Grimsby Town....
and Zhang Enhua
Zhang Enhua
Zhang Enhua is a retired Chinese football player. He is predominantly notable for his time at Dalian Wanda, where he won several league titles as well as being a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup...
linked up with the club on loan.
After the end of his three month loan deal Grimsby paid Vitesse £150,000 for Menno, and made him one of the most highly paid players at the club. He played out the final few months of the 2000/2001 season and was the only foreign loan star too sign a permanent deal. In the new season, slight injury problems coupled with performances of other players saw Willems fall out of favour at the club under new manager Paul Groves . In May 2002, Willems left the club on a free transfer.
He soon returned to Holland, playing for HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem
HFC Haarlem was a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 1889. The club won the Dutch national title in 1946 and reached five Cup finals, winning in 1902 and 1912...
for two seasons, before playing out the next two seasons with Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
and Go Ahead Eagles
Go Ahead Eagles
The Go Ahead Eagles are a football club from Deventer, Netherlands, currently playing in the Eerste Divisie. The club's home stadium is De Adelaarshorst. To date, the club has won the national championship four times...
.
Retirement
Menno Willems called time on his professional football career at the end of the 2005/2006 season. Because of wear and tear to the cartilage in his knee, he was advised to end his football career.Personal life
Willems is related to fellow footballer and former Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
midfielder Ron Willems
Ron Willems
Ron Willems is a former Dutch footballer.During his career he played for PEC Zwolle, FC Twente, AFC Ajax, Grasshopper-Club Zürich, and Derby County F.C., where he made 26 appearances and scored 2 goals in the Premier League.His relative Menno Willems was also a professional footballer.-External...
.