Edson Braafheid

Edson Braafheid was born on 8 April 1983 in Paramaribo, Suriname. He is the son of a Dutch footballer.

The footballer began his playing career at youth clubs J.O.S. Football, SV Amstelland and FC Abcoude. In 2003 Edson began his competitive career at FC Utrecht and netted 2 goals in 81 appearances. He began with the reserve team and soon moved to the first team squad. He became a key player having a constant possibility of practical training. In the winter of 2007 Braafheid came to FC Twente on a free transfer when the deal with Utrecht had terminated; he was a brilliant left back, impressing friend and foe when performing for the side as a sturdy, well-built central defender all over 76 matches in two seasons.

Braafheid moved to Bayern Munich for the 2009/2010 season. On 11 June 2009 the German side and Twente agreed on a transfer (2 million euro). Edson was unable to assure himself a position in the new squad, nevertheless, in the first part of the season, he requested a transfer in order to have a chance of being named for the Dutch 2010 World Cup team. In total, the footballer appeared on the pitch 12 times. The footballer was selected by Celtic of Scotland on a loan till the end of the 2009/2010 season on 1 February. On 7 February 2010 Edson debuted for Celtic in a 4-2 win over Dunfermline Athletic. He didn’t succeed in making an impression, and played in 10 matches, which ended in a draw or defeat for Celtic. He then was sent off from the senior squad, so Braafheid began to look for a new club. After just 3 appearances in the first round of the new season, the player transferred to near-by Bundesliga club 1899 Hoffenheim in January. On 5 February 2011, the footballer debuted for the side in the 3-2 win against FC Kaiserslautern. All-in-all, he made 31 appearances and netted 1 goal. After that he played as a left back for Dutch Eredivisie side FC Twente on loan.

In 2006 Braafheid became a player of the Netherlands first team that won the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006 in Portugal, in which he performed in three games. On 11 February 2009, the player made his first appearance for the Dutch national side against Tunisia. As to international matches, Edson has played for the Netherlands in 10 matches.