Eljero Elia

Eljero Elia is a winger for Juventus F.C. He was born on 13 February 1987 in Voorburg, the Netherlands.

Eljero’s youth career started in 1996 at ADO Den Haag. For 4 years Elia was one of the best students at the academy before Ajax scouts convinced him to enter their club’s youth program. Eljero stayed with the Dutch giants for 2 years before returning to Den Haag in 2002. From 2002 to 2004 Elia continued to successfully play at the home club.

In 2004 Eljero was officially proposed to join Den Haag senior squad. Elia didn’t hesitate in accepting the native club’s offer and was included in the first team. At first Den Haag manager didn’t cherish the young winger with the starting lineup spot because he wasn’t sure about his abilities. Eljero played every now and then gradually getting used to playing pro football. For 3 years spent at Den Haag Eljero made 56 appearances and scored 8 goals.

In 2007 Eljero joined FC Twente, which at the time was a contender for the Dutch championship title. Eljero was a key player for the club with 62 matches played and 14 goals scored.

In 2009 the German Hamburger SV paid FC Twente €8.5 million for Eljero’s transfer. Elia signed a 5-year contract with the club but was rarely included in the starting lineup, still keeping himself in perfect shape. From 2009 to 2011 Elia played 47 matches and scored 9 goals for Hamburger SV.

At the 2011 summer transfer window Juventus signed Eljero for 4 years in a transfer deal worth €9 million. At present Eljero is a regular in Juve starting lineup.

Eljero has 26 appearances and 2 goals for the national team of the Netherlands.