Name:	Daniel De Ridder
Nationality:	Dutch
Date of Birth:	06/03/1984
Height:	5' 11" (180cm)
Weight:	10st 12lbs (69.0kg)
Previous
Clubs:	Ajax, Celta Vigo
Position:	Midfielder

Dutch youth international Daniel de Ridder joined the club on a free transfer from Spanish side Celta Vigo in July 2007

The 23-year-old signed an initial three-year deal.

The Amsterdam-born winger can operate as a midfielder or striker, on the right or left-hand side.

He came through the highly-respected Ajax Academy to make his debut as a 19-year-old in January 2004 and we went on to make 15 league appearances in his first season, opening his goal-scoring account against Willem II in May.

The tricky youngster played the same amount of league games in his second term at Ajax, scoring twice, and also featured in the UEFA Champions League.

De Ridder chose to leave the Dutch club in 2005 to join Celta de Vigo and played 20 La Liga games, scoring one goal.

But it was performances for Holland in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships that brought him to the attention of several Premiership clubs.

De Ridder was part of the Dutch side that won the championships in 2006 and he was called up again to be one of the most experienced members of the squad that qualified for this summer's tournament.

He grabbed the opportunity to shine as one of the Dutch side's prominent players as they knocked out England on the way to winning the competition.