Género Zeefuik
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Género Zeefuik (; born 5 April 1990) is a
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a striker.


Career


PSV Eindhoven

Before coming to PSV in 2006, he played one year at the youth side of FC Omniworld, after being expelled 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), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
, where he had played since he was nine years old. At age sixteen, Zeefuik joined PSV. It was under the manager of
Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands national team. Koeman scor ...
that gave Zeefuik first team chance following the absence of
Arouna Koné Arouna Koné (born 11 November 1983) is an Ivorian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. After making a name for himself in the Eredivisie, with Roda JC and PSV Ein ...
and was impressed with his abilities with his scoring and stay on the ball. Zeefuik made his professional debut for PSV on 31 March 2007 in a league match against
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 Eredivisi ...
, where he came on as a substitute for
Jason Culina Jason Culina (born 5 August 1980) is a former Australian soccer player and coach. He played in two FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup tournaments for the Australia national football team. At club level, Culina had a nine-year spell in the Netherla ...
in the 65th minute, which both side drew 1–1. At his debut he was 16 years and 360 days old, being the third youngest PSV player ever, after
Stanley Bish Stanley Bish (born 21 May 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Bish started his career with PSV in 1967 where he became the club's youngest ever debutant. During the course of his career he had spells across the Eredivisie and won ...
and
Wilfred Bouma Wilfred Bouma (; who was born on 15th June, 1978 is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played most notably for PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa and the Netherlands national football team, Netherlands nat ...
. With PSV winning the league for the third consecutive time in a row, Zeefuik made five appearances. At the start of the 2007–08 season, Zeefuik signed a four-year contract with the club, keeping him until 2011. He was previously linked with a move to
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
before signing a contract with PSV. Zeefuik made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season, where he came on as a substitute for Jonathan Reis in the 73rd minute, in a 1–0 loss against Ajax in the
Johan Cruijff Schaal 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 football ...
. Three months later on 11 November 2007, Zeefuik made his first PSV appearance of the 2007–08 season, coming on as a substitute for
Danny Koevermans Danny Koevermans (born 1 November 1978) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Early career Born in Schiedam, Koevermans began his career with the amateurs of Excelsior'20, then went to Sparta Rotterdam ...
in the 78th minute, in a 1–1 draw against AZ and went on to make two appearances this season. Upon returning to PSV, Zeefuik find himself in the pecking order and was on the verge of leaving PSV for Helmond Sport, but the move was never finalised. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2010–11 season, Zeefuik announced his decision to leave the club and to prove PSV wrong that they didn't use him regularly. In January, Zeefuik began to train with the senior first team squad and scored on his first appearance of 2010–11 season, in a 2–1 win over Willem II on 29 January 2011. After fighting his way to the first team, despite tearing his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the season, Zeefuik was on the verge of signing a contract with PSV. The confirmation of Zeefuik signing a contract was confirmed on 30 May 2011, with Zeefuik staying at the club for two years. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Zeefuik determined to be the first choice striker and hope to score more goals. However, he only made three appearances for PSV before joining NEC. Upon returning to his parent club, Zeefuik was told by PSV's management that he had no future at the club.


Loan spells from PSV

For the season 2008–09, PSV loaned Zeefuik to Omniworld on a season-long deal until the end of the 2008–09 season. He made his PSV debut, where he came on as a substitute for Wesley Zandstra in the 78th minute, in a 2–1 loss against
RBC Roosendaal RBC, previously known as RBC Roosendaal, is a football club based in Roosendaal, Netherlands. RBC currently plays in the fifth-tier Vierde Divisie after bankruptcy in 2011, restarting the club in the tenth tier Vijfde Klasse. History 1912– ...
. Two weeks later on 22 August 2008, Zeefuik scored his first PSV goals, in a 2–1 win over
Veendam Veendam () is a town and municipality with a population of 27,752 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Veendam was established in 1648 as a peat colony by Adriaan Geerts Wildervanck. Holland America Line has named fo ...
. Three weeks later on 12 September 2008, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–2 draw against AGOVV. Following this, Zeefuik hoped he would return to PSV next season. His fourth goal came on 31 October 2008, in a 5–3 loss against
VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch association football, football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutc ...
. His fifth goal on 27 February 2009 came in a 4–1 win over
Fortuna Sittard Fortuna Sittard (; ) is a professional football club from the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was establi ...
. Zeefuik later added three more goals when he scored twice against
Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...
and Dordrecht. In his spell at FC Omniworld, Zeefuik scored eight times in thirty-five appearances. Despite impressing PSV's management, Zeefuik was loaned out to Eerste Division side
FC Dordrecht Football Club Dordrecht, or simply FC Dordrecht () is a professional Dutch association football club based in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. They currently compete in the Eerste Divisie, ...
on a season long deal until the end of the 2009–10 season. He made his Dordrecht debut, where he made his first start for the club before coming off in the 60th minute, in a 1–0 win over
Oss OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
. He scored two goals in two games against
PEC Zwolle Prins Hendrik Ende Desespereert Nimmer Combinatie Zwolle, commonly known as PEC Zwolle, is a Dutch professional football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football. They have played in the Ered ...
and
Helmond Sport Helmond Sport () is a Dutch professional football club based in Helmond, North Brabant. Founded in 1967 following the acquisition of the professional license of , the club achieved promotion to the top-tier Eredivisie in 1982. After two seasons ...
. His third goal then came on 11 September 2009, in an 8–0 win over FC Eindhoven. Zeefuik then scored two braces in two games against Emmen and He had six more goals in the 2009–10 season against
Telstar Telstar refers to a series of communications satellites. The first two, Telstar 1 and Telstar 2, were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched atop of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962, successfully relayed the first televisi ...
,
Go Ahead Eagles The Go Ahead Eagles are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer in the province of Overijssel. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in th ...
, BV Veendam, AGOVV and
Volendam Volendam () is a tourist town in the Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Edam-Volendam, Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands, known for its streets, old fishing boats and the traditional clothing wor ...
. In his spell at FC Dordrecht, Zeefuik scored eight times in thirty-five appearances. On the last game of the season, Zeefuik joined N.E.C. on a season long deal until the end of the 2011–12 season. He made his N.E.C. debut for the club, coming on as a substitute for Leroy George in the 45th minute, in a 1–0 loss against
De Graafschap Vereniging Betaald Voetbal De Graafschap, simply known as De Graafschap () is a professional association football club based in Doetinchem, Netherlands. The team competes in the , the second level of the Dutch football league system. Founded o ...
. However, Zeefuik suffered acute appendicitis, resulting in having an operation. After a month out, Zeefuik made his return from his illness, where he played 90 minutes, in a 3–0 loss against Ajax on 27 November 2011. Since joining N.E.C., Zeefuik struggled to score his first goal in the first half of the season. This lasted until 11 March 2012 when he scored, in a 3–1 win over
Twente 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 Germanic people ...
. His second goal later came on 1 April 2012 when he scored and assisted, in a 2–0 win over De Graafschap. Zeefuik scored twice on 14 April 2012, in a 4–2 loss against
Heerenveen Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...
. He later scored two goals in the last two games of the season against AZ and
Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...
. He went on to score six goals in twenty-six appearances.


FC Groningen

After his loan at N.E.C. finished, Zeefuik was sold to
FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, Groningen (province), Groningen province. Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV-Rapiditas, GVAV, Groningen compete in the Eredivisie, the first t ...
in the summer of 2012, signing a four-year contract with the club. The move surprised and disappoint N.E.C.'s management, who expected Zeefuik to join them. Zeefuik later explained his decision to join Groningen, rather than N.E.C., was to advance his career. Zeefuik made his Groningen debut, where he made his start for the club, providing an assist for Leandro Bacuna in the 83rd minute, just two minutes before being substituted, as they lost 4–1 to Twente in the opening game of the season. His first goal came on 22 September 2012 when he scored an equaliser for the club, as Groningen beat PEC Zwolle 2–1. Four days later on 26 September 2012, Zeefuik scored again in the second round of KNVB Bekker and providing assist, in a 2–1 win over
GVVV Gelders Veenendaalse Voetbal Vereniging, better known as GVVV, is a football club based in Veenendaal, Netherlands, that competes in the Tweede Divisie, the third tier of the Dutch football league system. It is one of seven football clubs from ...
. However, Zeefuik struggled to regain his fitness and as a result, Manager
Robert Maaskant Robert Patrick Maaskant (; born 10 January 1969) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of club Helmond Sport. Club career Maaskant played for Go Ahead Eagles, Emmen, Motherwell, Zwolle and Excelsior. ...
dropped him from the first team. After regaining his fitness with a use of individual training program, Zeefuik made his first team return, where he played 90 minutes, in a 0–0 draw against VVV-Venlo on 15 December 2012. After the match, Zeefuik said he was grateful to change his diet, in effort of fighting for his first team place. It took until 9 February 2013 for Zeefuik to score again, which he later score another, in a 2–1 win over
RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Waalwijk. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie i ...
. Zeefuik was on the sidelines again when he suffered an abdominal muscle injury that kept him out for weeks. Zeefuik made his return to the first team against Heracles Almelo, but was involved in a dispute with teammate Leandro Bacuna, whether who should take it. Eventually, Bacuna took the penalty and it was converted successfully. Zeekfuik scored in the next game on 20 April 2013, in a 3–1 win over
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 ...
. On the last game of the season against Ajax, Zeefuik was dropped from the first team due to a conditional disadvantage. In his first season at Groningen, Zeefuik made twenty-seven appearances and scoring four times. In the 2013–14 season, Zeefuik was sidelined from the first team for the first three matches, due to not match fit. Zeefuik scored his first goal on his return, in a 3–3 draw against Go Ahead Eagles, followed up his three more goals against Ajax, RKC Waalwijk and Amsterdamsche Soon after, Zeefiuk suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for months. After returning to training in late-November Despite expecting to be sidelined until winter, Zeefuik made his return to the first team on 22 December 2013, where he came on as a substitute for hat-trick scorer Michael de Leeuw, in a 5–2 win over NEC. In the January transfer window, Zeefuik was linked with a move to Cambuur, but wasn't interested. After rejecting a move to Cambuur, Zeefuik was involved in the first team, but was occasionally used when he mostly on the substitute bench in the second half of the season, as he made fourteen appearances and scoring three times. In the 2014–15 season, Zeefuik found himself in the transfer speculation when he was linked to Turkish side
Samsunspor Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...
. There was newspaper reports in Netherlands, claiming that Zeefuik joined Willem II on loan. However, Zeefuik failed his medical after Willem II found out his histories of groin injury despite the deal was agreed. Zeefuik was previously linked with a move to Austria side
Wolfsberger AC Wolfsberger AC, commonly referred to as Wolfsberg or simply WAC, is an Austrian association football club from Wolfsberg, Carinthia, who currently play in the Austrian Bundesliga. Between the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons, Wolfsberger AC enter ...
, but his hopes of moving Wolfsberger have cooled down. However, Zeefuik made no appearances for the club in the 2014–15 season. Following his return to FC Groningen, Zeefuik was released from his contract in July 2015. This came after the club's director Hans Nijland stated he has no future at Groningen ahead of the 2015–16 season. The club was keen on selling Zeefuik to the highest bidder in the summer.


Loan to Hearts

Zeefuik signed for Scottish club Hearts on loan on 8 January 2015 until the end of the season. In his first interview after joining the club he spoke of how Mark de Vries and Soufian El Hassnaoui were influential in helping him come to the club. On his debut, he scored twice in a 5–1 win at
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...
and missed a penalty, denying him a hat-trick. On 28 February, he scored a hat-trick in three first-half minutes in a 10–0 rout of
Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath () is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 1890. According to a 20 ...
, two of which were penalties. His hat-trick became the ninth fastest hat-trick in senior football at the time. On the final day of 2014/15 season, Zeefuik scored a late double against
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
to draw on his final appearance for Heart of Midlothian. At the expiry of his loan deal he returned to
FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, Groningen (province), Groningen province. Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV-Rapiditas, GVAV, Groningen compete in the Eredivisie, the first t ...
, rumors of a permanent transfer to Hearts were circulated in the press but did not come to fruition. This was put down to FC Groningen wishing a transfer fee rumoured to be around £300-400k which was over Hearts transfer budget.


Balikesirspor

Rumours once again circulated that he would resign for Heart of Midlothian but following their recruitment of Spanish striker Juanma no move materialised. On 20 July, speculation was ended when he signed for newly promoted Turkish side Balikesirspor. Zeefuik made his Balikesirspor debut, in the opening game of the season, in a 0–0 draw against Gaziantep BB, before coming off in the 66th minute. Despite Zeefuik scoring 12 goals throughout the season, Balikesirspor's chairman announced at the end of the campaign that he had not met expectations and that the club would listen to offers for him in the market.


Retirement

In November 2020, Zeefuik announced his retirement from football aged 30, due to mental health related issues.


International career

Zeefuik represented the Netherlands at various youth level, including Netherlands U17, Netherlands U19 and Netherlands U21. Though born in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
,
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, Zeefuik was eligible to play for
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
and was called up in late-December, but Groningen rejected the call-up.


Personal life

He is the older brother of fellow footballers Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Lequincio Zeefuik.


References


Honours

; Heart of Midlothian *
Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...
2014–15


External links

*
Voetbal International profile

Netherlands U17 stats
at OnsOranje
Netherlands U19 stats
at OnsOranje
Netherlands U21 stats
at OnsOranje * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeefuik, Genero 1990 births Living people Men's association football forwards Footballers from Amsterdam Dutch men's footballers Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Netherlands men's youth international footballers Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players Almere City FC players FC Dordrecht players PSV Eindhoven players NEC Nijmegen players Dutch sportspeople of Surinamese descent FC Groningen players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Balıkesirspor footballers TFF 1. Lig players 21st-century Dutch sportsmen