Hedwiges Eduard Martinus Maduro is a Dutch professional footballer who plays
for FC Groningen. Mainly a defensive midfielder he can also operate as a
central defender, where he started his career at Ajax.
He spent several seasons in La Liga, mainly with Valencia, where he appeared
in 113 official games and won the 2008 Spanish Cup.
A Dutch international in the 2000s, Maduro represented the country at the
2006 World Cup. Club career
= Ajax = Maduro was born in Almere, Flevoland. At
AFC Ajax he was voted as the Amsterdam club's brightest emerging talent in the
2003–04 season, and made his Eredivisie debuts in the following campaign, his
debut in the competition coming against Roda JC on 27 February 2005 in a 2–1
away win. In the following years Maduro started
more often than not for Ajax, helping the team to two domestic cups and three
Supercups. He appeared in 105 games for the club overall, scoring 11 goals.
= Valencia = In mid-January 2008, after helping Ajax
to the third consecutive Johan Cruijff-schaal, Maduro joined La Liga
side Valencia CF, in a four 1/2-year deal worth €3 million – compatriot
Ronald Koeman was the team manager. His official debut came on 27 January in a
0–1 home loss against UD Almería, and he started in all 11 matches he played in
his first year, but the Che could only finish tenth even though they won the
Copa del Rey, with the player being an unused substitute in the final against
Getafe CF. In his first full season with Valencia
Maduro started playing a small role, a situation which was created after his
late return from the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, new coach Unai Emery
eventually awarded him with first-team action due to injuries and suspensions,
and he performed well in various positions, including right-back. On 25
April 2009 he scored his first official goal for the club, netting from a corner
kick to make it 1–1 against FC Barcelona in an eventual 2–2 home draw. With
Valencia finally finishing in sixth position he appeared in more than 30
official contests during the campaign, in spite of facing stiff competition
from the likes of Alexis or Carlos Marchena, as only Raúl Albiol was an
undisputed starter in the back-four sector.
Maduro spent the vast majority of 2011–12 on the sidelines, nursing a
serious ankle injury. = Sevilla =
On 5 June 2012, Sevilla FC announced on their official website the signing of
Maduro on a free transfer. He turned down a contract extension at Valencia,
and also had an offer from FC Spartak Moscow who had just hired his former
boss Emery, finishing his debut season in Andalusia with 30 games all
competitions comprised to help the side to the ninth place, in spite of being
diagnosed with a heart condition in the previous summer.
With Míchel gone from the bench and Emery being hired as his replacement,
Maduro was quickly deemed surplus to requirements.
= PAOK = On 2 January 2014, it was announced that
Maduro would sign with Greek side PAOK FC for two and a half years. The deal
was confirmed five days later. In February 2015 Maduro, nursing a hand
injury, requested a leave of absence and visited his former club Ajax. After
being linked to Feyenoord, club and player parted ways after his contract
expired. = Groningen =
On 26 August 2015, Maduro returned to his country and signed a two-year deal
with FC Groningen for an undisclosed fee.
International career Shortly after making his league debuts
with Ajax, Maduro gained his first cap for the Netherlands on 26 March 2005, in
a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania. He was picked for the final
squad-of-23 by national team manager Marco van Basten – also his coach in
Ajax's youth system – appearing four minutes in the 0–0 group stage draw
against Argentina in an eventual round-of-16 exit.
In 2007, despite already having amassed 12 senior caps, Maduro took part in the
UEFA European Under-21 Championship which was held in the Netherlands, and
scored the competition's first goal when the Jong Oranje beat Israel 1–0. He also
played in the second match, a 2–1 win against Portugal which secured a
semifinal spot and qualification to the Olympic tournament.
In the semifinals against England Maduro successfully converted his penalty
shootout attempt, as Holland won it 13–12 after 32 shots. The Dutch went on
to retain their 2006 title by beating Serbia 4–1 in the final, and he was
named in the 'UEFA Team of the Tournament'.
Personal life Maduro's father is originally from
Aruba, and his mother is from Curaçao, both islands in the Caribbean.
Club statistics As of 23 July 2015
Honours = Club =
Ajax KNVB Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
Johan Cruijff Shield: 2005, 2006, 2007 Valencia
Copa del Rey: 2007–08 PAOK
Greek Football Cup: Runner-up 2013–14 = Country =
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2007
= Individual = AFC Ajax: Talent of the Future/Talent of
the Year 2005 References
External links Stats at Voetbal International
Hedwiges Maduro profile at BDFutbol Hedwiges Maduro profile and stats at
Wereld van Oranje National U21 team data
Hedwiges Maduro at National-Football-Teams.com
Hedwiges Maduro – FIFA competition record
CiberChe stats and bio