Riechedly Bazoer (born 12 October 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club AZ.[1]

Riechedly Bazoer
Bazoer playing for AZ in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-10-12) 12 October 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Utrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
AZ
Number 25
Youth career
2005–2006 USV Elinkwijk
2006–2012 PSV
2012–2013 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Ajax 51 (6)
2013–2014Jong Ajax 34 (1)
2017–2019 VfL Wolfsburg 25 (0)
2018Porto B (loan) 2 (0)
2018–2019 Porto 0 (0)
2019Utrecht (loan) 14 (3)
2019–2022 Vitesse 77 (9)
2022– AZ 35 (0)
International career
2011 Netherlands U15 2 (0)
2011–2012 Netherlands U16 4 (0)
2012 Netherlands U17 13 (1)
2013–2015 Netherlands U19 10 (1)
2015–2017 Netherlands U21 7 (2)
2015–2016 Netherlands 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 December 2023

Club career edit

 
Bazoer playing for Ajax

Ajax edit

Bazoer joined Ajax on a free from rival Eredivisie club PSV on 16 November 2012.[2] He had been linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United being mentioned, but opted to sign with Ajax instead.[3][4] No transfer fee was necessary, as the young defender was under age. However it was declared by the KNVB that Bazoer would not be eligible for the first team of Ajax until after his 16th birthday.[5] Unable to make his debut in the 2012–13 season for the first team due to the KNVB ruling, he played for Jong Ajax in the Beloften Eredivisie, as well as participating in the 2013 Copa Amsterdam with Ajax A1.[6]

On 29 June 2013, he made his debut for Ajax during a pre-season friendly against SDC Putten. Bazoer came on as a second-half substitute, with the match ending in a 4–1 win in favour of Ajax.[7] Bazoer made his professional debut in the Eerste Divisie for Jong Ajax, in the team's season opener against Telstar on 5 August 2013, a match they won 2–0 in the team's first ever match in the second division of Dutch football.[8] On 4 September 2013 it was announced that Bazoer was amongst the 22 players who were registered by Frank de Boer for Ajax's 2013–14 UEFA Champions League campaign.[9] On 15 February 2015, Bazoer scored his first goal for Ajax in a 4–2 win over FC Twente.[10] On 19 February 2015, Bazoer made his full European debut in a 1–0 win over Legia Warsaw in the Europa League.[11]

VfL Wolfsburg edit

On 14 December 2016, VfL Wolfsburg announced that Bazoer had signed a contract with the Lower Saxony club through 30 June 2021. The transfer went through in the following Winter Transfer period. The reported transfer fee was 12 million euro.[12] He made his VfL Wolfsburg debut in the Bundesliga game versus TSG Hoffenheim on 12 February 2017.[13]

Porto (loan) edit

On 31 August 2018, Bazoer was loaned to Primeira Liga side Porto on one-year loan.[14] Bazoer did not feature in any league games for Porto due to injuries and lack of discipline which made him play with B team.[15]

Utrecht (loan) edit

On 7 January 2019, he joined Utrecht on loan until the end of the season.[16]

Vitesse edit

On 12 July 2019, he joined Vitesse on a permanent transfer from VfL Wolfsburg for an undisclosed amount. He signed a three-year deal.[citation needed] Bazoer made his debut for Vitesse on 3 August 2019 against former club Ajax. In the match, he scored a goal to put Vitesse ahead 2–1 before being sent off for two yellow cards as they were held to a 2–2 draw. On 24 October 2019, Bazoer was left out of the Vitesse squad until further notice due to his attitude.[17]

Under head coach Thomas Letsch, Bazoer would grow into a key player. The German manager of Vitesse positioned Bazoer in the position of centre-back, after advice by assistant coach Joseph Oosting.[18] As Vitesse finished 4th in the league table in the 2020–21 season, Bazoer was voted "Player of the Season" by Dutch football magazine Voetbal International.[19]

AZ Alkmaar edit

On 1 August 2022, Bazoer joined AZ on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract.[20]

International career edit

Youth edit

Bazoer has represented the Netherlands at various youth levels. He participated in the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, helping to contribute to the Netherlands' second consecutive continental title in that age group by defeating Germany 5–4 on penalties in the final, after extra time following a 1–1 deadlock.[21]

On 4 January 2013, the Curaçao Football Federation expressed an interest in calling up Bazoer to represent the Curaçao U-20 team for the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Mexico.[22] Bazoer was eligible due to his age and heritage, and this would not have conflicted with his decision to play for the Netherlands given the player's age but the offer was turned down by his agents, and Bazoer remained in Amsterdam.[23][24]

Senior edit

 
Bazoer with the Netherlands in 2016

Bazoer received his first call up to the senior Netherlands team in October 2015 to replace the injured Davy Klaassen,[25] and again on 6 November 2015 for friendlies against Wales and Germany.[26] He made his senior debut as a late substitute against Wales on 13 November 2015.[27] He was called up to the preliminary squad for the Curaçao national team for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[28]

Career statistics edit

As of match played 8 April 2023[29]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2013–14 Eerste Divisie 21 0 21 0
2014–15 13 1 13 1
Total 34 1 0 0 0 0 34 1
Ajax 2014–15 Eredivisie 17 1 1 0 4[a] 1 22 2
2015–16 29 5 2 0 8[b] 0 39 5
2016–17 5 0 2 1 3[c] 0 10 1
Total 51 6 5 1 15 1 71 8
Wolfsburg 2016–17 Bundesliga 12 0 1 0 13 0
2017–18 13 0 1 0 14 0
Total 25 0 2 0 0 0 27 0
Porto (loan) 2018–19 Primeira Liga 0 0 1 1 1[d] 0 2 1
Porto B (loan) 2018–19 LigaPro 2 0 2 0
Utrecht (loan) 2018–19 Eredivisie 12 3 0 0 2[e] 0 14 3
Vitesse 2019–20 Eredivisie 22 3 3 0 25 3
2020–21 29 5 5 0 34 5
2021–22 26 1 3 0 12[f] 0 41 1
Total 77 9 11 0 12 0 100 9
AZ 2022–23 Eredivisie 16 0 1 0 8[g] 0 25 0
2023–24 23 0 3 0 9[h] 0 35 0
Career total 240 19 23 2 48 1 311 22
  1. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and Six appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Two appearances in the UEFA Champions League and One appearance in the UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in the UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in the 2019 Eredivisie European play-offs
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ Seven appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League and one appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League Qualifiers
  8. ^ Five appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League and four appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League Qualifiers

Honours edit

Netherlands U17

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ Riechedly Bazoer at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "Bazoer kiest vol overtuiging voor Ajax". Ajax.nl. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  3. ^ "PSV wonderkid Bazoer weighs up offers from Arsenal, Chelsea & Manchester City". 8 November 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  4. ^ "Ajax legt PSV talent Bazoer vast". AD.nl. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Weglokken Bazoer door Ajax treft PSV hard". AD.nl. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Bazoer geniet Amsterdam". Copa-Amsterdam.nl. 20 May 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Ajax wint magertjes in Putten". Ajax Showtime. 29 June 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Debutant Bazoer: 'De stap naar het eerste elftal wordt hierdoor kleiner'". Voetbalzone.nl. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  9. ^ "CL-selectie Ajax bekend: Bazoer ook speelgerechtigd". Soccernews.nl. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Ajax beats Twente 4–2 to stay 12 points behind leader PSV". thestate. 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Cillessen ensures Ajax overcome Legia onslaught". UEFA. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  12. ^ "12 Millionen Euro: Wolfsburg schlägt bei Bazoer zu".
  13. ^ "VfL Wolfsburg – TSG Hoffenheim statistics". Bundesliga. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Bazoer is a Dragon". FC Porto. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  15. ^ "No second chance at Porto for Bazoer". footballoranje.com. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Utrecht sign Bazoer on loan". Football Oranje. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  17. ^ Vitesse. "Vitesse nieuws: Bazoer tot nader order niet bij selectie". Vitesse.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  18. ^ Lammers, Lex (15 January 2021). "Deze man is bij Vitesse het brein achter coach Letsch, en de uitvinder van de 'Bazoer-constructie'". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Bazoer blijft Wijndal en Tadic voor en is VI Speler van het Jaar". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 17 May 2021.
  20. ^ "AZ contracteert Bazoer" [AZ hirez Bazoer]. www.az.nl (in Dutch). 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Onder 17 Europees Kampioen". Onsoranje.nl. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  22. ^ "U-20 finals set for Mexico, U-17s to Panama". CONCACAF.com. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  23. ^ "Voetbalbond hoopt op Riechedly Bazoer". Curaçao Sport. 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  24. ^ "Curaçao hoopt Bazoer te strikken voor kwalificatie-toernooi WK bij ontbreken dispensatie". Ajax F-Side.nl. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  25. ^ "Klaassen, Promes withdrawn from Dutch squad". football-oranje.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Blind calls Depay into Dutch squad, retains Robben". fourfourtwo.com. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  27. ^ "Wales 2–3 Netherlands". BBC. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  28. ^ "2021 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary rosters announced". CONCACAF. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  29. ^ Riechedly Bazoer at Soccerway
  30. ^ "Cillessen Ajacied-, Bazoer Talent van het Jaar". ajaxshowtime.nl. 13 May 2015.
  31. ^ "Ajax provides most players to team of the month for the fourth time". eredivisie.eu. 3 December 2021.
  32. ^ "AZ and PSV main suppliers of the Eredivisie Team of the Month". 6 October 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Bazoer blijft Wijndal en Tadic voor en is VI Speler van het Jaar". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 17 May 2021.

External links edit