Kelvin Leerdam

Kelvin Leerdam is a defensive midfielder of Feyenoord. He was born on 24 June 1990 in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Leerdam’s career took off in Utrecht side USV Elinkwijk. Feyenoord scouts were observing the footballer’s success for a long time and eventually won him over to their academy in the 2005/2006 season. After Kelvin made the move, several difficulties emerged, because the player joined the U-17 team and faced high competition from other talents for a place in the midfield. Two years later, when his teammates clinched their places in the first squad, Leerdam began to perform for the U-19 team. Due to his diligence, the footballer made his way through to the main squad of Feyenoord and was invited to take part in the pre-season training in Turkey before the second half of the 2006/2007 season. In June 2008, Kelvin penned a professional contract with the club till 2011.

The player’s breakthrough came during the 2008/2009 season. On 13 November 2008, Leerdam made his début for the main team of the club in the hammering 5-1 victory over Hardenberg, when he came on as a substitute for Karim El Ahmadi in the 69th minute. The midfielder’s first Eredivisie appearance came on 16 November 2008 in the 1-1 draw with Twente. Kelvin featured in 86 games and found the net four times from 2008 till October 2012.

The footballer was capped for the Netherlands national U-19 and U-21 squads.