Ruud Knol

Ruud Knol (born 13 March 1981) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He most notably played as a centre-back for Vitesse between 2000 and 2007.

Ruud Knol

Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-03-13) 13 March 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Zevenaar, Netherlands
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
0000–1994	OBW
1994–2000	Vitesse
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2007	Vitesse	105	(9)
2007–2008	PAOK	23	(0)
2008–2011	Sparta Rotterdam	55	(8)
Total		183	(17)
Managerial career
2012–2013	Vitesse U17 (assistant)
2013–2014	Vitesse U14
2014–2016	Vitesse U15
2016–2017	Vitesse U16
2017–2019	Jong Vitesse (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Knol was born in Zevenaar, in the province of Gelderland and started his career at OBW, where he was spotted by Vitesse scouts.^[2] He made his professional debut for Vitesse on 8 September 2000, replacing Theo Janssen in the 80th minute of a 2–2 draw against Willem II.^[3] He played six years for Vitesse and was called up once by then Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal for the Netherlands national team.^[4] A serious injury threatened his career between 2002 and 2005 but he came back to play for Vitesse.

In December 2006, it was announced that Knol would be leaving Vitesse. His contract was set to expire, and was not renewed due to significant differences between the two parties. Furthermore, Knol expressed his desire for a fresh challenge. Some media speculated that his motivation was financial gain, which he denied.^[5] Despite receiving interest from various clubs, including 1. FC Köln and Southampton, Knol remained without a team for an extended period.^[6] Then, on 18 August, it was revealed that Knol had signed a two-year contract with Greek club PAOK.^[7] After one season in Greece, he returned to the Netherlands to play for Sparta Rotterdam.^[8]

Starting from the preseason of the 2011–12 season, Knol maintained his fitness at Vitesse while waiting for an attractive offer from abroad. Vitesse's coach, John van den Brom, had previously indicated that Knol was not in consideration for a contract with Vitesse.^[9] As a result, Knol made every effort to find a new club. However, after an unsuccessful trial at Coventry City and other attempts, he decided to retire from professional football.^[10]

Coaching career

In July 2012, Knol returned to his former club, Vitesse, initially taking on the role of assistant coach for the under-17 team. However, in July 2013, he assumed the position of head coach for the under-14 team. On 16 January 2017, Vitesse announced that Theo Janssen would immediately become the coach of Vitesse O16. In response, Knol transitioned to the role of assistant coach for the reserve team, known as Jong Vitesse.^[11][12]

Jong Vitesse's stay in the Tweede Divisie was short-lived, lasting only one year. The team, under the leadership of John Lammers and Knol, finished seventeenth, which led to their relegation to the Derde Divisie.^[13] During the 2019–20 season, Knol worked as an analyst at De Graafschap.^[14]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[15]

Club	Season	League			KNVB Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Vitesse	2000–01	Eredivisie	14	0	0	0	1[a]	0	—		15	0
	2001–02	Eredivisie	24	3	3	0	—		—		27	3
	2002–03	Eredivisie	2	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
	2003–04	Eredivisie	12	2	0	0	—		4[b]	1	16	3
	2004–05	Eredivisie	3	0	1	0	—		—		4	0
	2005–06	Eredivisie	27	1	0	0	—		6[c]	0	33	1
	2006–07	Eredivisie	23	3	0	0	—		6[c]	1	29	4
	Total		105	9	4	0	1	0	16	2	126	11
PAOK	2007–08	Super League	23	0	0	0	—		—		23	0
Sparta Rotterdam	2008–09	Eredivisie	26	5	2	0	—		—		28	5
	2009–10	Eredivisie	12	0	2	0	—		4[b]	0	18	0
	2010–11	Eerste Divisie	17	3	1	0	—		—		18	3
	Total		55	8	5	0	—		4	0	64	8
Career total			183	17	9	0	1	0	20	2	213	19

1. Appearances in UEFA Cup
2. Appearances in Eredivisie promotion/relegation playoffs
3. Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs

References

1. "R. Knol: Profiel". Voetbal International. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
2. "Ruud Knol: 'Waarom ben ik niet geschikt voor de Top Drie?'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 13 September 2006. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
3. "Willem II – Vitesse 2:2 (Eredivisie 2000/2001, 4. Round)". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
4. "Van der Vaart alsnog in Oranje". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 6 October 2001. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
5. "'Schandalig dat ik als geldwolf word neergezet'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 25 July 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
6. "'Knol weigert contract bij Southampton'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 11 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
7. "Ruud Knol zet handtekening bij PAOK". Trouw (in Dutch). 21 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
8. "Ruud Knol naar Sparta Rotterdam". Sparta Rotterdam (Press release) (in Dutch). 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008.
9. Dam, Erik van (22 July 2011). "Vitesse laat werkloze ex-verdediger zonder bijbedoelingen meetrainen". Voetbalzone (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
10. "Wereldreiziger Knol: 'Meer in het leven dan voetbal'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 9 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
11. "Ruud Knol verlaat Vitesse opnieuw". Supportersvereniging Vitesse (in Dutch). 27 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
12. "Knol vertrekt bij Vitesse: "Was geen ruimte bij het eerste elftal"". FCUpdate.nl (in Dutch). 26 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
13. Janssen, Eugène (6 May 2017). "Jong Vitesse degradeert naar derde divisie". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
14. Steenbergen, Mark van (1 October 2019). "De Graafschap schakelt ex-prof Knol in als analist". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 November 2023.
15. Ruud Knol at WorldFootball.net