Eljero Elia
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Eljero George Rinaldo Elia (born 13 February 1987) is a Dutch 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 plays as a winger. He turned professional at
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...
and then played for
Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...
before moving abroad to represent
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
,
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
and Werder Bremen. In 2015, he came back to his home country to play for
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
before moving to İstanbul Başakşehir, in 2017. Elia scored on his debut for
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 ...
in September 2009 and was part of the Netherlands squad which reached the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
at the
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 ...
in South Africa.


Club career


Early career

Born in
Leidschendam-Voorburg Leidschendam-Voorburg () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It had a population of in , and covers an area of of which is water. Origin The municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg is the resu ...
, Elia played as a youth for local side SV Voorburg, before it merged to become
Forum Sport Forum Sport is a Dutch football club from Voorburg. Its main squad plays since 2013 in the Eerste Klasse. Homeground is Sportpark 't Loo and its colors are blue. History Forum Sport was founded on 1 July 1998 from a merger between DEVJO and SV Vo ...
in 1998. He later moved to cross-city rivals
TONEGIDO VSV TONEGIDO were a lower league club from the town of Voorburg, South Holland, Netherlands. The peak of the club's success was in 2002–03 when TONEGIDO won successive KNVB Amateur Cup's and the Dutch Amateur Super Cup. They went into administ ...
and played in their youth department. In 1996, at age nine, Elia moved to the youth system of
ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...
. He then moved 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 ...
in 2000. Elia reflected on his time at the club, saying: "Already as a kid I loved playing for that club. Walking across the street wearing a big Ajax bag, I thought that was great. That Amsterdam bluff also suits me, I think. Challenging, fooling around, just like on the streets. Making an opponent crazy, that's the best thing there is." At under-13 level, he was sent away: "Together with
Nordin Amrabat Noureddine "Nordin" Amrabat ( ar, نورالدين أمرابط, ber, ⵏⵓⵓⵔⴷⴷⵉⵏ ⴰⵎⵔⴰⴱⴰⵜ; born 31 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Greek Super League club AEK Athens. Amrabat played ...
and
Jeremain Lens Jeremain Marciano Lens (born 24 November 1987) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for club Versailles. He is a versatile attacking player, known for his pace and stamina, primarily being used as a winger or a striker, but he can succ ...
. They thought I wasn't making a difference often enough. No, I never actually played as a winger for Ajax. Usually I was right mid, sometimes right back and sometimes central in the defence.
Henny de Regt Henny is a Scandinavian and Dutch male and female first name, nickname and surname. It may refer to: Female given name * Henny Backus (1911–2004), Broadway showgirl in the 1930s * Henny Lindorff Buckhøj (1902–1979), Danish film actress * H ...
told me at the time that I was not allowed to stay. I felt so awful." He then rejoined the youth system of ADO Den Haag two years later. Then youth coach
Carlos Roeleveld Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...
said: "I soon saw that he was special. But I also got a disappointed boy with whom I had to work. That was in the under-15. He was disappointed because he had been sent away from Ajax. He was thinking a lot."


ADO Den Haag

Elia made his professional debut for ADO Den Haag on 23 January 2005 against
FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...
at age 17, coming on as 81st-minute substitute in a 3–0 loss. In his fourth appearance for ADO Den Haag, he scored his first goal in a match against AZ on 8 May, which turned out to be the winning goal, in a 2–1 win. In his first season at the club, Elia played four matches and scored one goal. In his second season at ADO Den Haag, Elia soon established himself in the starting line-up, playing in midfield. He scored his first goal of the 2005–06 season in a 2–2 draw against Ajax on 21 September. By the end of the 2005–06 season, he had made 30 appearances and scored 2 goals in all competitions. Elia continued to establish himself in the team in the 2006–07 season, playing in midfield. He scored his first goal of the season on 28 October 2006 in a 2–0 win against Heracles Almelo. He scored two goals in two matches between 16 December and 23 December 2006 against Willem II and
NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eerste Divi ...
. Along the way, Elia was dealing with injuries throughout the 2006–07 season. He finished the 2006–07 season with 37 appearances and 3 goals in all competitions. However, ADO Den Haag's relegation, along with his some conflicts new coach Lex Schoenmaker and his lack of desire to want to play in the
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...
, contributed to Elia leaving the club at the end of the 2006–07 season.


Twente

Following the end of the 2006–07 season, Elia was linked with a move to either
Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...
and
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 ...
, as they were interested in signing him. It was reported that Ajax's interest in signing the player was to immediately him out to ADO Den Haag for the 2007–08 season. But he opted to agree to join FC Twente. The move was confirmed the next day on 29 May 2007, with Elia signing a three–year contract with the club. He made his debut for Twente, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute, in a 2–2 draw against FC Utrecht on 26 August 2007. Since joining the club, Elia became involved in the first team, having found his playing time, coming from the substitute bench before he soon won his place in the starting eleven. It wasn't until on 8 February 2008 when Elia scored his first goal for FC Twente in a 2–1 win over
Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to th ...
on 8 February 2008. A month later on 23 March 2008, he scored his second goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over Ajax. Elia played all four matches in the league's play–off for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
spot and helped FC Twente earn a place in the tournament after beating Ajax 2–1 on aggregate. In his first season at the club, Elia made thirty–six appearances and scored two times in all competitions. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Elia made his
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
debut in the third qualifying round of the Champions League against English club
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the first leg, as FC Twente lost 2–0. In the return leg, the club were eliminated from the tournament after they lost 4–0, losing 6–0 on aggregate. He then scored three goals in the first three league matches of the season 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 Divisie. ...
,
NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion fr ...
and
FC Volendam Football Club Volendam () is a professional Association football, football club based in Volendam, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football from the 2022–23 season following promotion ...
. This was followed up by scoring twice, in a 5–0 win against
FC Emmen FC Emmen is a Dutch football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2021–22 Eerste Divisie title. Founded in 1925, the club entered the professional Eerste Divisie in 1985. I ...
in the second round of the KNVB Cup. Since the start of the 2008–09 season, Elia improved under the new management of
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 care ...
, and continued to be a first team regular, playing in the midfield position. Despite the club's elimination from the tournament, he played in both legs of the first round of the UEFA Cup against
Stade Rennais Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...
and set up goal in the first leg, which proved to be vital, as FC Twente won 1–0 through away goal to advance to 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 Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
's group stage. His performance led the club began open talks with Elia over a new contract. He then scored four more goals by the end of the year, including his first European goal in a 3–2 loss a to
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
on 6 November 2008. In the January transfer window,
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Ajax and PSV were linked with a move to sign Elia after his break-out season for Twente. Ajax had their bid rejected twice by the club in their efforts to sign the player. It was reported on 15 January 2009 that he ended the transfer speculation by signing a five-year contract extension with FC Twente, keeping him until 2013. Following this, Elia scored his tenth goal of the season, in a 4–1 win against NAC Breda on 4 February 2009. He later added three more goals in the league, coming against FC Groningen, Roda JC and AZ Alkmaar. In the
Dutch Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
, the club progressed to the final against
Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...
, where Elia scored the opener, which would not be enough as Twente lost on penalties after
Youssouf Hersi Youssouf Hersi (born 20 August 1982) is a retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Born in Ethiopia, Hersi represented the Netherlands at youth international level. Club career Hersi has played in the Netherlands ...
missed the decisive kick. Despite missing three matches during the 2008–09 season, he went on to make forty–seven appearances and scoring fourteen appearances in all competitions. For his performance, Elia was named the
Dutch Football Talent of the Year The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
for 2009, adding to his burgeoning reputation as an emerging talent in Europe and
Voetbal International ''Voetbal International'' (VI) is a Dutch football magazine. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running. History and Profile ''Voetbal International'' was established in 1965. VI was one of the founding members of ESM but l ...
's Team of the Season. However, two months after signing a new contract, Elia announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the 2008–09 season. He said about leaving FC Twente: "It will be a club that suits me again. A club where I can grow again, as I have grown here." Among interested were
Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
, PSV,
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
and
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
.


Hamburger SV

On 5 July 2009, Elia joined
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
club
Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
on a five-year contract, for a transfer fee of €8.5 million. Upon joining the club, he said: "I am very happy that there is now clarity. HSV is a wonderful club and is part of the top of Germany. I hope that I can take another step in my development at HSV and that I will succeed in staying with the selection of the Dutch national team towards the
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
. South Africa is my dream." However, Elia suffered a setback when he suffered a patella problems while training and was sidelined for a week. But Elia recovered and made his debut for the club, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute, in the first match of the season against
SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
, in a 1–1 draw. In a follow–up match against
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
, he set up a goal for
Paolo Guerrero José Paolo Guerrero Gonzales (; born 1 January 1984), known as Paolo Guerrero, is a Peruvian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Bras ...
, who scored fourth goal of the game, in a 4–1 win. Seven days later on 23 August 2009, Elia scored his first goal for Hamburger SV, in a 4–2 win over
VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
. He helped the club beat
Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guinga ...
8–2 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League's play–offs round to reach the group stage and contributed with an assist in the first leg. Since joining Hamburger SV, Elia quickly established himself in the first team, where he rotated in playing either the midfield or striker positions. But Elia found his role unsatisfying to play under the management of manager Labbadia. Three weeks later on 12 September 2009, Elia scored his second goal for the club, and set up one of the goals, in a 3–1 win against
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
. He then scored his first
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 ...
goal in a 4–2 win over
Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...
on 1 October 2009. A month later on 8 November 2009, Elia scored his fourth goal of the season and set up the opening goal of the game, in a 2–2 draw against
Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...
. However, he suffered an ankle injury in the 15th minute and was substituted as a result, as Hamburger SV drew 1–1 draw at
Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
on 28 November 2009. After missing one match, Elia returned to the first team from injury against 1899 Hoffenheim on 5 December 2009, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute, as the club drew 0–0. In a follow–up match against 1. FC Nürnberg, he scored twice and set up the second goal of the game, in a 4–0 win (one of the goals was later named Bundesliga Goal of the Month of December 2009). However, Elia suffered ankle injury that saw him miss two matches. After missing two matches, he made his return to the first team from injury against
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
on 28 February 2010 and started the whole game, as Hamburger SV lost 1–0. However, his return was short–lived when Elia suffered ankle injury once again and was sidelined for four weeks following surgery, which manager Labbadia described as a "bitter blow". But he made his return in the last game of the season 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, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
, coming on in the 73rd minute as the club drew 1–1. Despite missing sidelined with minor setbacks during the 2009–10 season, Elia made thirty–five appearances and scoring five times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Elia was linked with several clubs such as
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
, Bayern Munich and
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
. But he knew nothing about a move and wanted to stay at Hamburg for another season despite expressing his desire to play in the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
. Elia started the season well when he set up the opening goal of the game for
Ruud van Nistelrooy Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (anglicised to Van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He is currently the coach of PSV Eindhoven. A former footballer, Van Nistelrooy is often consi ...
, who went on to score twice in the match, in a 2–1 win against Schalke 04. In his second season at the club, Elia was rotated in and out of the starting line–up and played less frequently, due to being on the substitute bench. However, he suffered a heel bone injury while on international duty and was sidelined for a month. Although Elia made a recovery, his return was delayed for the rest of November when he suffered a flu that saw him miss one match. Elia made his return from a two month absence, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss against SC Freiburg on 4 December 2010. This was followed up by scoring two goals in the next two matches against
Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, th ...
and
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
between 11 December 2010 and 18 December 2010. His performance continued to attract interests from European clubs in the January transfer window, but he ended up staying at Hamburger SV. Following the end of the January transfer window, he spoke about his struggles in the first team, with only nine starts made so far this season and was considering leaving the club if he did not regain his starting position. However, Elia was absent for the next three matches after being dropped from the squad by manager
Armin Veh Armin Veh (; born 1 February 1961) is a German football manager and former player who last managed Eintracht Frankfurt. He won the German championship with Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart in 2007. Veh and his team also had the chance to win "the d ...
. But he made his return to the starting line–up against Bayern Munich on 12 March 2011, as Hamburger SV lost 6–0. In a follow–up match against 1. FC Köln, Elia played a role in the match when he set up two goals, in a 6–2 win. However, further conflict between Elia and Hamburger SV's management when he felt no longer respected. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Elia continued to be linked a move away from Hamburger SV and was expected to leave the club. But he announced his intention to stay at Hamburger SV. Amid the transfer speculation, Elia made five appearances for the club. Towards the end of the summer transfer window, there was a tug of war over the player when
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and Juventus wanted to sign him. It was reported on 29 August 2011 that he agreed to sign for Juventus.


Juventus

On 31 August 2011,
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
confirmed the signing of Elia from Hamburg on a four-year contract for a fee of €9 million. He made his debut for the club, starting the match and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half time, in a 1–1 draw against
Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
on 25 September 2011. In a match against
Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia, Elia set up a winning goal for
Claudio Marchisio Claudio Marchisio (; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A product of the Juventus youth system, he spent a large portion of his career at his hometown club, with the exception of a sea ...
, who scored the second goal of the game, in a 2–1 win to help Juventus advance to the next round. However, he found it hard to make an impact in the black and white shirt, due to the competitions in the midfield position. Elia later made three more appearances for the club later in the 2011–12 season, as they ended up winning the
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
title without losing a game. Following this, he announced his intention to leave Juventus in order to revive his career elsewhere. The following month, on 11 June 2012, Elia handed in a transfer request which was granted by Juventus.


Werder Bremen

On 9 July 2012, Werder Bremen confirmed the signing of Elia from Juventus on a four-year contract for a fee of €5.5 million. Upon joining the club, he said: "I know all about this league, which is one of the best in the world with its full stadia and a very strong competition at a high level. I would like to make a quick impression here and recommend myself for a return to the national team with my performances for Werder Bremen.". Elia made his debut for the club in the first round of the DFB–Pokal against
Preußen Münster Preußen or Preussen is the German word for Prussia. It also refers to: Ships * ''Preußen'' (ship), windjammer built in 1902 * SMS ''Preußen'' (1873), armored frigate * SMS ''Preußen'' (1903), pre-dreadnought Battleship * , vorpostenboot ...
and scored his first Werder Bremen goal before suffering a foot injury and was substituted in the 59th minute, which saw them lose 3–2. But he quickly recovered and returned to the starting line–up, in a 2–1 loss in the opening game of the season against
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...
. Since joining the club, Elia quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the left–wing position. However, having made seven league appearances with no goals so far, he found it difficult to adapt to the club's playing style, but was willing to wait for his patient to score his first goal in the league for Werder Bremen. However, Elia received criticism for his performance by the club's supporters and local newspaper
Weser Kurier The Weser () is a river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course wit ...
. As a result, he was demoted to the substitute bench and found his playing time coming from the substitute bench. In April 2013, Elia and his Werder Bremen teammate
Marko Arnautović Marko Arnautović (; born 19 April 1989) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Bologna and the Austria national team. Arnautović began his career in his native Austria playing in the youth teams for a ...
were caught speeding and were both suspended by the club. Following this, he issued an apology to Werder Bremen supporters for his action. Despite being injury plagued throughout the 2012–13 season, Elia went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Elia returned to the first team from suspension and was featured in Werder Bremen's pre–season tour. Amid to the start of the season, he was linked a move away from the club, as clubs, such as,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
,
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...
and Ajax were interested in signing him, but the player ended up staying at Werder Bremen. Elia made his first appearance for the club since being suspended in the opening game of the season against
Eintracht Braunschweig Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...
and started the whole game to help Werder Bremen win 1–0. Since then, he continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position or striker position. Elia also earned redemption from the club's supporters, who didn't want him in the first team. It wasn't until on 30 September 2013 when he scored his first goals for Werder Bremen, in a 3–3 draw against 1. FC Nürnberg on 29 September 2013. Elia then scored two goals in two matches between 24 November 2013 and 30 November 2013, coming against 1. FSV Mainz 05 and 1899 Hoffenheim respectively. Since the start of the 2013–14 season, he appeared in every match until missing one match due to being on the substitute bench against 1.FC Nuremberg on 8 March 2014, having previously been placed on the substitute bench in recent matches. After missing one match, Elia returned to the first team against Stuttgart on 15 March 2014, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw. He then continued to be involved in the first team for the rest of the 2013–14 season. Elia then played a contribution for the club when he set up two goals in two matches between 30 March 2014 and 5 April 2014, coming against Hannover 96 and Schalke 04 respectively. Despite missing suffering injuries on two occasions throughout the 2013–14 season, Elia went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. The 2013–14 season was an improvement for the player, as his performance convinced Werder Bremen decided against selling him. In the opening game of the 2014–15 season, Elia made a good start when he provided an assist for
Franco Di Santo Franco Matías Di Santo (; born 7 April 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Chilean Primera División club Universidad Católica. Di Santo began his career at Chilean club Audax Italiano, earning a £3 ...
in a 2–2 draw against
Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
. Elia then appeared in a number of matches in the first team, playing in the left–wing position. However, he was dropped from the squad for two matches after his poor performance in Werder Bremen's match, in a lost 6–0 against Bayern Munich on 18 October 2014. But Elia made his return to the starting line–up against Stuttgart on 8 November 2014 and played 56 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–0 win. However, his return to the first team was short–lived when manager
Viktor Skrypnyk Viktor Anatoliyovych Skrypnyk ( uk, Віктор Анатолійович Скрипник; born 19 November 1969) is a Ukrainian former professional footballer and current manager of Vorskla Poltava. As a player, he helped Werder Bremen to the ...
decided to drop the player from the first team matchday squad the following month. Halfway through the 2014–15 season, he was sidelined on three occasions, due to injuries. By the time Elia left the club in the January transfer window, he made ten appearances in all competitions. Elia was later criticial of Werder Bremen's management. Upon returning to his parent club from
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in the summer of 2015, Elia said he doesn't want to return to Werder Bremen on the following season. As a result, the Die Grün-Weißen exempted Elia from regular first-team training to find a new club and also considered placing him into the club's reserve. While waiting for the offer, he trained with Werder Bremen for the rest of July.


Southampton (loan)

Having hinted about leaving Werder Bremen in the January transfer window,
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
announced on 23 December 2014, that Elia would join them on
loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
from 3 January 2015 for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season. Upon joining the club, he said: "It's a dream that I can play at Southampton. The club wanted me and the coach has played an important role in that. I have only heard good stories about
Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was cap ...
and I hope he can show me the way to new success." On 11 January 2015, Elia made his
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 Foo ...
debut for Southampton in a 1–0 win away to
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
; he was replaced by substitute
Dušan Tadić Dušan Tadić ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Тадић, ; born 20 November 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder and captains both Eredivisie club Ajax and the Serbia national team. Tadić spent his ...
after 63 minutes, who went on to score the winning goal. Elia scored his first Premier League goals with a brace in a 2–1 victory at
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
on 17 January. Since joining the club, he was involved in a number of first team matches for the rest of the season. Despite missing one match through injury, Elia went on to make seventeen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Following this, he was keen to stay at the club permanently. It came after when Werder Bremen's chief director claimed Southampton wanted to sign him permanently. Elia, himself, said he was keen to join the club permanently. However, Southampton opted against signing a permanent deal for the player, as the clause reportedly cost €5.5m (about £4m), which "has been seen as too expensive" for the club. Despite this, Southampton was still keen to sign Elia.


Feyenoord

On 6 August 2015, Elia signed a two-year deal with Dutch side
Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
under the management of former
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
player
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst (born 5 February 1975) is a Dutch football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Formerly a midfielder, he moved to left-back later in his career. ...
instead of joining Southampton. Upon joining the club, he said: "I do have a click with Rotterdam, the mentality of the people appeals to me. I also have many Rotterdam friends, who are all for Feyenoord. I think that a lot is possible at Feyenoord. The team has a lot of quality, there is a lot of potential. I want to be an example for the young boys, support them and also give extra impulses to the team." Elia made his debut for the club, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute, in a 3–1 loss to rivals PSV on 30 August 2015. In a follow–up match, he scored his first goal for Feyenoord, in a 1–0 win against Willem II. Elia then played in Jong Feyenoord against Jong
SC Cambuur SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2020–21 Ee ...
on 14 September 2015 but he was sent–off in the 36th minute for hitting an opponent, as the Jong side drew 1–1. After the match, it was announced that KNVB would not take against the player because of "insufficient evidence". Following this, Elia scored two goals in two matches between 27 September 2015 and 4 October 2015 against
PEC Zwolle PEC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. They have played in the Eredivisie for a total ...
and
De Graafschap VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football. It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium. ...
respectively. Since joining the club, he quickly established himself in the first team for the
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
-based outfit, playing in the left–wing position. It wasn't until on 6 March 2016 when Elia scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against Heracles Almelo. His fifth goal of the season came on 6 March 2016, in a 3–1 win against SC Cambuur. Two weeks later on 19 March 2016, he scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against De Graafschap, which was followed up by scoring in a 3–0 win against Excelsior. Two weeks later on 20 April 2016, Elia scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Heracles Almelo. Four days later on 24 April 2016, he started in the KNVB Cup Final against FC Utrecht and played a role that led to a winning goal, as Feyenoord won the
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
, the club's 12th title. Elia then helped Feyenoord finish third place in the league after beating Willem II 1–0 on 1 May 2016. Despite struggling with a groin injuries on two occasions throughout the 2015–16 season, he went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Elia signed a one–year contract extension with Feyenoord, keeping him until 2018. He started on the left wing as the team lost 1–0 to PSV in the
Johan Cruyff 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 ...
. In the opening game of the 2016–17 season, Elia scored a hat–trick in a 5–0 win against FC Groningen. However, Elia suffered a shoulder injury while training and was out for two months. It wasn't until on 23 October 2016 when he returned to the first team, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute against
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
,
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 ...
and set up the equalising goal, in a 1–1 draw. Three days later on 26 October 2016, Elia scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against SBV Excelsior in the second round of the KNVB Cup. Since returning from injury, he regained his first team place, playing in the left–wing position. Elia then scored his fifth goal of the season, in a 6–1 win against
Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently compete in the Eredivisie, the top flight ...
on 4 December 2016. Following this, he played a key role for Feyenoord by assisting five times and scoring three times, coming against Vitesse, Roda JC and NEC Nijmegen, all of them were wins to help the club maintain their place at the top of the table. During which, Elia suffered a hamstring injury while training but he quickly recovered. After suffering minor injuries, Elia suffered a foot injury that saw him miss two matches. It wasn't until on 5 April 2017 when he made his return to the first team from injury and scored his ninth goal of the season, in an 8–0 win against
Go Ahead Eagles Go Ahead Eagles () are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in the 2020-21 season. The club's h ...
to bounce back from the previous defeat against Ajax. Following this, it was revealed that Elia had his knee injected in effort to avoid having further injury. Two weeks later on 16 April 2017, he scored his tenth goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
to help the club maintain their lead at the top of the table. In the last game of the season against Heracles Almelo, Elia played a role in the match when he set up a goal for
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
, who went on to score a hat–trick, in a 3–1 win, a result that saw Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title of 2016–17 season. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Elia went on to make thirty–one appearances and scoring ten times in all competitions. Following this, Elia announced his intention of leaving Feyenoord, citing to play abroad. He was linked with a move to Fenerbahçe and İstanbul Başakşehir. During his time at Feyenoord, Elia was among a fan favourite among the club's supporters, who chanted 'Oe-Ah-Elia'.


İstanbul Başakşehir

On 13 June 2017, Elia joined Turkish side İstanbul Başakşehir on a three-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 26 July 2017 in a 3–3 away draw against
Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.
in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, immediately scoring his first goal in the 62nd minute of the match. In the return leg, Elia started in the match and helped İstanbul Başakşehir win 2–0 to advance to the next round. His first appearance in the
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
came on 11 August 2017 in a 1–0 home win over
Bursaspor Bursaspor Kulübü Derneği (), commonly known as Bursaspor, is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, the club colours are green and white, with home kits usually featuring both colours in a striped pattern. In th ...
, where he scored the only goal of the match. Elia scored in both legs of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
's play–offs round against
Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...
, as the club were eliminated following a 4–3 loss on aggragate. Since joining İstanbul Başakşehir, he quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the left–wing position. However, Elia suffered a shoulder injury and had an operation that saw him out for two months. It wasn't until on 18 February 2018 when he made his return from injury, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win against
Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
. Elia then scored three goals in three matches between 18 March 2018 and 6 April 2018 against
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
,
Alanyaspor Alanyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Alanya in Antalya Province. Formed in 1948, the club colours are orange and green. Home matches are played at Kırbıyık Holding Stadium. The most recent club man ...
and
Yeni Malatyaspor Yeni Malatyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Malatya, Turkey. The club plays in the TFF First League, which is the second tier of football in the country. History Founded in 1986 as Malatya Belediyespor. Its prima ...
. Two weeks later on 20 April 2018, he scored his eighth goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against
Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the Kadir Has Stadium in red and yellow kits. The team has won one Turkish Cup in 2008 and also fini ...
. Elia followed up by assisting three times in the next three matches. Having helped the club finish third place in the league, he went on to make thirty–two appearances and scoring eight times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Elia was linked a move away from with İstanbul Başakşehir, with European clubs were interested in signing him, but he ended up staying at the club. However, he found himself plagued with injuries and affected his playing time for the 2018–19 season. Despite this, Elia scored his only goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Kasımpaşa on 28 January 2019. Despite aiming to help İstanbul Başakşehir win the league for the first time, the club ended up finishing second place after surrending their title chances to
Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
, in a 2–1 loss on 19 May 2019. At the end of the 2018–19 season, he went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Elia was linked with a move to Beşiktaş, but he ended up staying at İstanbul Başakşehir. However, Elia suffered an injury in the 23rd minute against Fenerbahçe on 24 August 2019, as the club lost 2–0; which subsequently saw the player missed two matches. But he made his return from injury, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute and setting up the fourth goal of the game, in a 5–0 win against
Çaykur Rizespor Çaykur Rizespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Rize. The club play in the TFF First League. The club was founded on May 19, 1953, with green-yellow as club colours, but later changed to blue-green. Since 1990, the team ...
on 27 September 2019. Elia then scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–1 win against Kasımpaşa on 28 December 2019. Following his return from injury, he continued to remain involved in the first team and this lasted until the season was disrupted by 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 identif ...
that pushed the season to June; the player made twenty–four appearances and scoring once so far. Once the season resumed behind closed doors, Elia scored on his first appearances for İstanbul Başakşehir in three months, at the last minutes of the game, in a 2–0 win against
Antalyaspor Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and 1 ...
on 4 July 2020. A week later on 13 July 2020, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–3 loss against
Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadium ...
. In a follow–up match against
Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the Kadir Has Stadium in red and yellow kits. The team has won one Turkish Cup in 2008 and also fini ...
, Elia helped the club win 1–0 to help İstanbul Başakşehir win the Süper Lig for the first time, a target he finally achieved.

At the end of the 2019–20 season, Elia went on to make thirty appearances and scoring three times in all competitions. It was announced on 20 March 2020 that Elia would be leaving İstanbul Başakşehir at the end of the 2019–20 season. His contract with the club expired after the season was confirmed on 19 August 2020, making him a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.


FC Utrecht

On 19 August 2020, Elia signed a two-year contract with
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, after coming over from İstanbul Başakşehir on a free transfer. He was previously linked with a move to clubs in Italy and Argentina before deciding to return to his homeland. Upon joining the club, Elia said: "It is really a lie, Utrecht has already gone very far for me. I received a very nice proposal and I am very happy with it. I wanted to return to the Netherlands and they have a very nice plan, express ambition. That fits with me. Every player wants to play at such a club. You can also see that in the transfers. Utrecht is continuously improving itself." Elia made his first appearance for FC Utrecht, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute, in a 1–1 away draw in the
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 ...
against
VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following ...
on 18 September 2020. Since joining FC Utrecht, Elia found himself in and out of the starting line–up, as he maintain his fitness to earn a place. However, Elia received criticism for not living up to expectation since joining the club. It wasn't until on 22 December 2020 when he scored his first goal for Utrecht in the away match against Emmen, as the club won 3–2. In the next league game on 27 December 2020, Elia again scored the opening goal, this time against AZ. On 11 January 2021, the club announced that Elia had suffered a hamstring injury and as a result would be sidelined the following weeks. Eventually, his return was delayed up to April despite returning to training months earlier. It wasn't until on 11 April 2021 when he made his return to the starting line–up against Feyenoord, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss. Following this, Elia soon had a first run ins for FC Utrecht's remaining matches of the 2020–21 season. At the end of the 2020–21 season, he went on to make twenty–three appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. On 30 July 2021, ahead of the 2021–22 season, Elia's contract was terminated by mutual agreement, making him a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.


Return to ADO Den Haag

Elia began practicing with his former club ADO Den Haag during the autumn of 2021, who were competing in the second-tier
Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...
. On 18 November 2021, he signed a contract with the club until the end of the season. In late January 2022, he suffered a ligament tear in his ankle that required surgery and prevented him from playing for the rest of the season.


International career


Youth career

In March 2005, Elia was called up to the Netherlands national under-19 team, making his debut for the U19 national team, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Austria U19. He scored his first goals for the Netherlands U19, in a 2–0 win against Czech Republic U19 on 14 May 2005. Elia then scored his third goal for the U19 national team, in a 1–0 win against Iceland U19 on 2 September 2005. A month later on 19 October 2005, he scored twice for Netherlands U19, in a 2–2 draw against Germany U19. Elia went on to make ten appearances and scoring six times for the U19 national team. Elia developed rapidly and at the beginning of 2006, he was selected for Netherlands U21 the first time. Elia made his debut for the U21 national team, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute and scored from a penalty, in a 2–2 draw against Germany U21 on 15 August 2006. He later made two more appearances for Netherlands U21 by the end of the year. It wasn't until on 10 August 2007 when Elia was called up to the U21 national team and made an appearance, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win against Macedonia U21 twelve days later. He went on to make seven appearances and scoring two times for Netherlands U21. On 7 February 2007, Elia made his debut for Netherlands U20, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 3–1 loss against Denmark U20. A month later on 23 March 2007, he scored his first goals for the U20 national team, in a 3–2 win against Ukraine U20. Elia went on to make five appearances and scoring two times for Netherlands U20. Later in the year, he made one appearances for Netherlands B, , coming against Sweden U21 on 19 November 2008, losing 3–0.


Senior career

In May 2009, Elia was included in 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 ...
' senior squad for the friendly matches against
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
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 clubs a ...
. However, he was dropped from the squad. Once again, Elia was selected for the senior team's friendly with
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. However, he was dropped from the squad once again. On 6 September 2009, Elia made his debut for the Netherlands against
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in a friendly match, coming on at half-time to replace
Arjen Robben Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (football), winger. He was known for his Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long ...
, and went on to set up two goals in a 3–0 win. In his second match, on 9 September 2009, Elia scored the only goal to win a match against
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. He made his first start for the senior team, in a 0–0 draw against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on 10 October 2009. Elia followed up by making three straight starts in the next three matches. He scored his second international goal in a 6–1 friendly win over
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
with a solo effort after coming on as a substitute. In May 2010, Elia was included in the preliminary squad for the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
in South Africa despite facing uncertainties over his injury that he sustained while at Hamburger SV. On 27 May 2010, Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk announced that Elia would be part of the 23-man final squad for the
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 ...
. Prior to the tournament, Elia caused controversy in the Dutch media when he tweeted "cancer Moroccan", prompting a ban of use of Twitter. This led Elia making an apology for his action. In the first match, he came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute and set up their second goal in a 2–0 win over
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
, with his shot hitting the post and
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
tapping it in. Following this, Elia found his playing time, coming from the substitute throughout the tournament. He later said about the role, saying: "If I come in for five or ten minutes, then I do my very best and I want to show my good side. It's nice to fill in, because the boys also help you well." In the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, Elia was a 71st-minute substitute for Kuyt, as Netherlands finished runners-up to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. Following the tournament, Elia was called up to the Netherlands squad in August. He made his first start of the year for the senior national team against
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
on 3 September 2010 and played 59 minutes before being substituted, in a 5–0 win. It wasn't until on 26 January 2011 when Elia was called up to the Netherlands squad for the first time in four months. He made his first appearance in five months, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 3–1 win against
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on 9 February 2011. Following this, Elia found his playing time, coming from the substitute and he helped the senior national team qualify for the
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
after beating
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
2–0 on 6 September 2011. After a year absent from the national team, Elia was called up to the Netherlands squad on 13 October 2012. Three days later on 16 October 2012, he made his first appearance for the national team in over a year, coming on as a late substitute, in a 4–1 win against
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. Elia made another appearance for Netherlands in a follow–up match against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, coming on as a second half substitute, in a 0–0 draw. After a three years absent, he was called up to the national team for the first time in three years, but did not play. In May 2018, Elia was called up to the Netherlands for the first time in almost two years. He made his first appearance for the senior team for the first time in almost six years, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
on 31 May 2018. Elia made another appearance for Netherlands, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on 4 June 2018. As of 4 June 2018, he made thirty appearances and scoring two times for Oranje.


Personal life

Born in the Netherlands and raised in
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, Elia is of Surinamese descent. Elia's first name is an homage to his sister's favourite jazz singer,
Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R ...
. As a child, he idolised
Romário Romário de Souza Faria Figueiredo (born 29 January 1966), known simply as Romário (), is a Brazilian politician and a former professional footballer. A prolific striker renowned for his clinical finishing, he scored over 750 goals and was ...
. In an interview with ''
Trouw ''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Tr ...
'', Elia said that he is a religious person and became a first-time father when his girlfriend Sanne gave birth to a baby daughter. In November 2012, Elia became a second-time father when his second daughter was born. In 2019, he became a third-time father when his first son was born. In June 2015, Elia announced his marriage to his long term girlfriend, Sanne. In September 2008, Elia was fined €200 for assaulting a scooter rider three months earlier. In addition to speaking Dutch, he speaks German and English. On 7 March 2016, Elia was brought in for questioning and arrested for his alleged involvement in a brawl in Rotterdam city centre the week before. After spending a night in jail, he was released and Feyenoord's manager Van Bronckhorst was said to be disappointed with his action and the club fined Elia as a result. Although Elia maintained that he did not make contact in the brawl, he, nevertheless, fined three months by the Rotterdam court. Throughout his football career, Elia developed a reputation as a bad boy by the Dutch media. Responding to the claims, he denied having such reputation, saying: "I don't know why something like this is being said. Or why I'm being labeled a problem professional. I didn't cause any trouble. I'm a quiet guy, I'm with my family the whole time and I don't do nothing – I don't go out. What else can you do? It can be hard to come up. Only what you can ois let your feet speak. You cannot fight against the media. The media can make you and they can break you. I can tell you from my heart, I swear on my children, the things they were saying in the newspaper was not the truth. It's not the truth. You can see it by yourself." Elia described himself as "emotional footballer", who "plays with emotion and a lot of passion", while manager
Mario Been Marinus Antonius Been (born 11 December 1963) is a Dutch football manager and former professional player. As a footballer, Been played for Feyenoord, Pisa, Roda JC, Heerenveen, FC Tirol Innsbruck and Excelsior. He played in an attacking midfiel ...
, on the other hand, called him erratic and "incredibly obsessed with the game". Elia made headlines when he had a severe infection due to a poorly applied tattoo, due to feeling uncomfortable wearing the shirt, leading Hamburg's neighbours
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, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
have since banned their players from getting tattoos. Another occurred in May 2016 when Elia had a tattoo with the name Feyenoord misspelt. Along with
Demy de Zeeuw Demy Patrick René de Zeeuw (born 26 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He previously played for AGOVV, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ and AFC Ajax. While at AZ he was a key player in the squad that w ...
and
Gregory van der Wiel Gregory Kurtley van der Wiel (born 3 February 1988) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a right-back. Born in Amsterdam, Van der Wiel is a product of the AFC Ajax youth system. In 2010, he was awarded the Johan Cruyff Award for " Young Pl ...
, he founded a brand called BALR. He also opened a record label, The Culture.


Career statistics


Club


International goals

:''Updated to games played 27 March 2015.''


Honours

Juventus *
Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
: 2011–12 Feyenoord *
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 ...
: 2016–17 *
KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...
: 2015–16 İstanbul Başakşehir *
Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...
: 2019–20 Netherlands *
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
runner-up:
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Individual *
Johan Cruyff Trophy The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: ''Voetballer van het Jaar'') has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divi ...
: 2008–09 *
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
Goal of the Month: December 2009 *The Hague's Sportsman of the Year: 2016


References


External links


Eljero Elia
Voetbal International

at Sky Sports *
Holland stats
at OnsOranje {{DEFAULTSORT:Elia, Eljero 1987 births Living people Sportspeople from Voorburg Dutch footballers Netherlands youth international footballers Netherlands under-21 international footballers Netherlands international footballers Association football wingers ADO Den Haag players FC Twente players Hamburger SV players Juventus F.C. players SV Werder Bremen players Southampton F.C. players Feyenoord players İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. players FC Utrecht players Eredivisie players Bundesliga players Serie A players Premier League players Süper Lig players 2010 FIFA World Cup players Dutch expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Turkey Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Germany Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Italy Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Dutch sportspeople of Surinamese descent VSV TONEGIDO players Footballers from South Holland