Vurnon San Benito Anita (born 4 April 1989) is a Curaçaoan 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 ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

or full-back for

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

club

RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional football club based in Waalwijk, that is currently competing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' ('Roman Catholic Combination' in Dutch) and was established as a merger ...

. Born in Curaçao and raised in the Netherlands, Anita represented the Netherlands national team in 2010 before switching to represent the Curaçao national team in 2021. Anita releases rap music under the moniker "JR (Vurnon Anita)".

Career

Early career

In his youth years on Curaçao, Anita started to play football at local team CVV Willemstad. After he and his family moved to the Netherlands in 1997, he started playing for amateur side VV Maarssen. Later he was scouted by

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 Gree ...

and he joined their world-famous

youth program Youth programs are particular activities designed to involve people between the ages of 10 and 25. Activities included are generally oriented towards youth development through recreation, social life, prevention, intervention, or education. During ...

in 1999.

Ajax

As of the 2005–06 season he was promoted to the first team of Ajax and on 19 March 2006 he made his

debut in a 3–2 away loss against FC Groningen. That year he also participated in the KNVB Cup semi-final against

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 Divisi ...

. Ajax went on to win the KNVB Cup that year. The following season he added another match to his

total, bringing it to two appearances. He also made his European debut in the 3–0 away loss against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...

in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

. In the 2007–08 season Anita did not play any matches for the first team, but in the 2008–09 he returned to the first team squad. He played a total of 16 matches, mainly as a replacement for injured or suspended teammates. In the 2009–10 season Anita became a first team regular under new head coach Martin Jol. Because of a suspension of

Urby Emanuelson Urby Vitorrio Diego Emanuelson (born 16 June 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He is the currently assistant trainer of Utrecht. As a product of the Ajax Youth Academy, Emanuelson spent most of his career at Ajax playing as a l ...

and a long-time injury of Thimothée Atouba, Anita was posted as a left back. Jol was satisfied with his performance and continued to let him play as a left back for most of the season. He also played in the KNVB Cup final against Feyenoord and won his second KNVB Cup. His good performances also led to his debut at the Dutch national team. However, he was not selected for the squad for

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

by coach

Bert van Marwijk Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch football manager who was recently the head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV and Fortuna Sittard amongst other club ...

. The 2010–11 season started as the previous season ended with Anita playing most matches as a left back. Ajax managed to qualify for the

Group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2005–06. Because of the poor team performances during the first half of the season, Martin Jol left Ajax in December 2010 and was replaced by

Frank de Boer Franciscus de Boer (; born 15 May 1970) is a Dutch football manager who was most recently the head coach of the Netherlands national team. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his professional playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredi ...

. He believed Anita should play as a defensive midfielder rather than left back. As a consequence, Anita had to compete with other midfielders for his place in the starting line-up. He successfully did so and managed to play most matches. The season ended with two finals against

FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...

. Twente won the KNVB Cup final with 3–2, but Ajax secured the

championship at the last matchday by winning 3–1. It was the first league title of Anita. In April 2011 it was announced that Anita signed a new contract at Ajax, binding him to the club until 2014.

Newcastle United

After Ajax had rejected Newcastle's first bid, the clubs eventually came to an agreement after the second offer from the English club of an undisclosed fee, thought to be around £6.2 million. He signed a five-year deal and took the number 8 shirt, last worn by Danny Guthrie. Anita made his debut on 18 August 2012, replacing

Yohan Cabaye Yohan Cabaye (; born 14 January 1986) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Cabaye began his football career playing for hometown club US Tourcoing at the age of six. After seven years developing in the club's ...

, as the Magpies defeated

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

2–1 on the opening day of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

season. He made his first start for the club against

Atromitos F.C. Atromitos Football Club (, ''PAE APS Atromitos Athinon''), also simply known as Atromitos (literally meaning "Fearless"), is a Greek professional football club based in Peristeri, Athens, that plays in the Super League. It was founded in 1923 ...

in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

on 23 August, the game finished 1–1. He scored his first goal for Newcastle in a Europa League fixture against Club Brugge at the

Jan Breydel Stadium Jan Breydel Stadium ( nl, Jan Breydelstadion, ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Sint-Andries, Bruges, Belgium. The city-owned stadium is the home stadium of two top-flight association football clubs, Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge. It is used mainl ...

on 8 November. Anita scored his first league goal for Newcastle on 1 March 2014 in a comfortable 4–1 win away from home over

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...

, but the match was marred by controversy as manager Alan Pardew headbutted Hull player David Meyler. After

Siem de Jong Siem Stefan de Jong (; born 28 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Eerste Divisie club De Graafschap as an attacking midfielder or striker. Playing in the youth academies of De Graafschap and Ajax, he made his pro ...

signed for Newcastle on 1 July 2014, the player revealed that both Anita and Tim Krul were very influential in persuading him to leave Ajax and join Tyneside. Under new Manager

Steve McClaren Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club. McClaren began his coaching caree ...

, Anita became a regular in centre midfield during the 2015–16 season. In the first half of the season he played eighteen of the first nineteen games before on 28 December 2015 he picked up a hamstring injury against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

, which would keep him out for a lengthy period, the season saw Newcastle relegated to The Championship with Anita playing 28 games. He was played mostly at right back during the 2016–17 season, playing 31 games in all competitions, which saw Anita win the EFL Championship 2016–17 season and gain promotion to the

On 9 June 2017, Anita left Newcastle when his contract expired at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Leeds United

On 6 July 2017, Anita signed a three-year contract with

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

. On 6 August 2017, Anita made his Leeds United debut at left back coming on as a first half substitute for the injured

Gaetano Berardi Gaetano Michel Berardi (born 21 August 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for Swiss club AC Bellinzona. He can also operate at left-back and centre-back. He has been capped at international level by Switzerland. ...

in the 3–2 victory against Bolton Wanderers. His first start came in the following game on 9 August 2017 in the League Cup 4–1 victory against

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

. Due to injuries to regular fullbacks including

Luke Ayling Luke David Ayling (born 25 August 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender and often captains club Leeds United. Although normally playing as a right-back, he can also function as a centre-back. Ayling began his ca ...

and Laurens De Bock during the season, Anita was used as

right-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 ...

left-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 ...

during the 2017–18 season, with Talksport's Billy Hawkins opining that Anita and De Bock "made appearances on the left of defence to little success". On 26 July 2018, Anita was not given a shirt number for Leeds for the upcoming 2018–19 season. On 2 September 2019, Anita's contract with Leeds was terminated by mutual consent.

Willem II loan

On 31 August 2018, he joined Dutch club Willem II on a season-long loan. He made his debut on 1 September 2018 in a defeat to

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, w ...

. In total, he made 27 appearances for Willem II in

. After returning to Leeds after the end of his loan spell, Anita held talks with Super League Greece side Panathinaikos over a move.

CSKA Sofia

Anita joined Bulgarian club

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...

in late February 2020, but only made two

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

and one

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

appearances for the team, as the championship was suspended in March due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He cancelled his contract with the club prior to the resumption of the matches in June.

RKC Waalwijk

On 31 August 2020, Anita joined Dutch club

for free. After initially leaving the club at the end of the 2020–21 season, on 26 August 2021 he re-signed for another season. He renewed his contract on 24 July 2022, another one-year deal.

International

Netherlands

Anita was born in Curaçao, and moved to the Netherlands at the age of 8. He competed in the

2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the eleventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could partic ...

in Peru for the Netherlands U-17, where the Dutch came third. He has also represented the Netherlands U-19 and Netherlands U-21 teams. On 26 May 2010, Anita made his full international debut for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 friendly victory over

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He made his first appearance in the starting eleven in a 1–1 friendly draw with Ukraine on 12 August 2010, being substituted at half-time by

defender

Erik Pieters Erik Pieters (; born 7 August 1988) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a left back for West Bromwich Albion. Pieters began his career with Utrecht and made his professional debut in August 2006. He impressed enough at the Stadion Ga ...

. Anita was included in the preliminary squad for the

in South Africa. However, on 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager

announced that the player would not be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.

Curaçao

Anita, who had not appeared for the Netherlands in a competitive senior international football match, formally filed a one-time switch in 2021 to represent the Curaçao national team. He debuted for Curaçao in a 5–0

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualificationAlso the "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers". was the qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Parallel tourn ...

win over

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea w ...

on 25 March 2021.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

Ajax *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2011–12 * KNVB Cup: 2009–10 *

Johan Cruijff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

: 2007 Newcastle United * EFL Championship: 2016–17

International

European Selection U-18 *

UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup The UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup was a football tournament that featured national teams from Europe and Africa among players under 18, and was part of the co-operation programme between UEFA and the CAF. Meridian Project The UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup ...

: 2007

References

External links

Holland U19 stats
at OnsOranje
Holland U19 stats
at OnsOranje
Holland U19 stats
at OnsOranje {{DEFAULTSORT:Anita, Vurnon Living people 1989 births People from Willemstad Curaçao footballers Curaçao international footballers Dutch footballers Netherlands international footballers Netherlands under-21 international footballers Netherlands youth international footballers Dutch people of Curaçao descent C.V.V. Inter Willemstad players AFC Ajax players Jong Ajax players Newcastle United F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Willem II (football club) players PFC CSKA Sofia players RKC Waalwijk players Dutch expatriate footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Eredivisie players Premier League players English Football League players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Association football fullbacks Dual internationalists (football)