Ricardo van Rhijn is a Dutch professional football player, currently playing as a central defender

Defender (association football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for Eredivisie

Eredivisie

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 AFC Ajax.

RKSV DoCoS

Ricardo van Rhijn began his football career at RKSV DoCoS, where he left a lasting impression as a central defender on the DoCoS sportspark. In 2002, at age twelve, Ricardo van Rhijn transferred to the youth squad of Ajax, turning down offers from other clubs, such as ADO Den Haag

ADO Den Haag

Alles Door Oefening Den Haag , commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag , is a Dutch football club from the city of The Hague. The club was for a time known as FC Den Haag , with ADO representing the amateur branch of the club...

 and Feyenoord.

AFC Ajax

Three years after transferring to the Amsterdam club, he began playing for the Ajax B1 team in the youth ranks, winning the national championship, under coach Robin Pronk. After this successful season, van Rhijn was offered his first contract, moving up to the Ajax A1 selection, skipping past the Ajax B1 selection, which is the usual next step, and signing on for three years.

Under then youth coach Frank de Boer

Frank de Boer

Franciscus "Frank" de Boer is a Dutch former professional footballer, and the younger twin brother of Ronald de Boer. Since 6 December 2010 he is the Manager of AFC Ajax.-Club career:...

, Ricardo enjoyed two successful seasons with Ajax A1, defending alongside Timothy van der Meulen

Timothy van der Meulen

Timothy van der Meulen is a Dutch footballer playing for Bayern Munich II and Netherlands U-21 as a defender. Van der Meulen previously played on loan from Ajax for HFC Haarlem in the Eerste Divisie and joined Dundee United on a short-term deal in January 2011...

 in his first year, and Bryan Ottenhof the following season. This led to a contract extension for one additional year. On 21 September 2011, Ricardo made his debut for the senior squad in a KNVB Cup

KNVB Cup

The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...

 match against VV Noordwijk

VV Noordwijk

Voetbalvereniging Noordwijk, is a Dutch football club founded in 1933, based in Noordwijk. It currently competes in the Toplklasse.-External links:...

, helping his side to a 1-3 away win, coming on as a substitute for Toby Alderweireld

Toby Alderweireld

Tobias "Toby" Albertine Maurits Alderweireld is a Belgian football defender who currently plays for Ajax.An all-round defender, Alderweireld is mostly known for his long passes and physical strength...

 in the '65 minute.

Statistics

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|2011–12

2011–12 Eredivisie

The 2011–12 Eredivisie is the fifty-sixth season of Eredivisie since its establishment in 1955. It began in August 2011 with the first matches of the season and will end in June with the last matches of the European competition and relegation playoffs.-Teams:...

|||AFC Ajax|||Eredivisie

Eredivisie

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....

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