Robert Wielaert (, born 29 December 1978) is a Dutch former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Club career

Career in the Netherlands (1997–2013)

Wielaert was born in

Emmeloord Emmeloord is the administrative centre of the municipality of Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, Netherlands. In 2019, it had a population of 26,055. Overview At the heart of the Noordoostpolder, where the three main drainage canals Lemstervaart, Urk ...

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

and made his debut in professional football with

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, whi ...

in the 1997–98 season. He also played for

FC Den Bosch FC Den Bosch () is a football club from 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. They were founded 18 August 1965, as FC Den Bosch/BVV. They are the successor of BVV (1906) and Wilhelmina (1890). Their stadium is called 'De Vliert', an 8,500 all-seater. R ...

and

NEC is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It prov ...

before joining FC Twente. During his FC Twente period he was the captain of the team. During the 2009 January transfer period he went to

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

for a transfer fee of 3 million. However, he lost his starting position and was sent on loan to

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. ...

at the start of the 2010–11 season. He signed for two seasons with Roda in the summer of 2011. After his contract had expired in 2013, Wielaert was released.

Career with Melbourne Heart / City (2013–2015)

In June 2013, Wielaert was signed by Australian club

Melbourne Heart Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East, that plays in the A-League, the top level of Australian soccer, under licence from Australian Profession ...

in the A-League. The Dutchman had never played outside of the Netherlands and was optimistic about playing in Australia: :"I have played all of my career in the Netherlands and now it is an exciting time to play abroad. So when Melbourne Heart contacted me, I was enthusiastic immediately. The club sounds great, the city and the country too, so I am looking forward to giving everything for this club and the people around it." Wielaert scored his first goal for his new club and was the opening goal in the Melbourne Derby against

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...

on 25 October 2014 in front of 43,729 fans. City went on to lose the match 5–2. On 13 April 2015, Wielaert was released by the club.

Coaching

Box Hill United

Upon retiring, Wielaert commenced his coaching education, and as of 2018 is assistant coach at

Box Hill United Box Hill United Soccer Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria 3. United is based at Wembley Park in Box Hill South. ...

, whilst studying for his B-License.

Career statistics

References

1978 births Living people People from Emmeloord Dutch men's footballers Men's association football defenders PSV Eindhoven players FC Den Bosch players NEC Nijmegen players FC Twente players AFC Ajax players Roda JC Kerkrade players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players A-League Men players Melbourne City FC players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Footballers from Noordoostpolder {{Netherlands-footy-defender-stub