| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 December 1974 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Veendam, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) [1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| VV De Vogels | |||
| Robur et Velocitas | |||
| GVAV-Rapiditas | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Groningen | 23 | (0) |
| 1996–2000 | Veendam | 106 | (5) |
| 2000–2004 | Heerenveen | 40 | (0) |
| 2003 | → Helmond Sport (loan) | 9 | (2) |
| 2003–2004 | → NEC (loan) | 31 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | NEC | 19 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | RBC Roosendaal | 19 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Den Bosch | 55 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Quick 1888 | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arjan Ebbinge (born 6 December 1974) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Born in Veendam, Ebbinge progressed as a youth player at GVAV-Rapiditas where he played as a midfielder, before being signed by Groningen at age 19 as a defender, scouted by Martin Koeman. [2] He never managed a definitive breakthrough, and therefore moved to BV Veendam in the second tier, where he grew into a key player in defense, making 106 league appearances during his four-year span at the club. [1]
As a result of his performances, Ebbinge was signed by Heerenveen, [3] where he made his European debut in his first season at the club. This occurred on 12 September 2000 in a 3–1 away loss to Lyon in the UEFA Champions League group stage, where he came on as a 82nd-minute substitute for Jeffrey Talan. [4] He made his first start in the tournament on 20 September in a 0–1 home loss to Valencia covering Juan Sánchez who failed to make an impact during the game. [5]
Ebbinge would not remain a starter at the club, however, as he lost out the competition to fellow centre-backs Gérard de Nooijer, Tieme Klompe and Petter Hansson. [2] In March 2003 he was sent on a loan to Helmond Sport for the rest of the season, a team coached by Groningen legend, Jan van Dijk. [6] Helmond would finish the season in a highly surprising third place in the league table, but eventually miss out on promotion to the Eredivisie in play-offs. [7]
In June 2003, Ebbinge signed a three-year contract with NEC – coached by Johan Neeskens – to replace the outgoing Danny Hesp. [8] The club had recently reached qualification for the UEFA Cup, and Ebbinge would make two European appearances against the club; both losses to Wisła Kraków. [9] He scored his first goal for NEC against arch-rivals Vitesse on 14 December 2003 after a corner-kick from Resit Schuurman in a 2–0 win. [10] He would eventually make 54 appearances for the club, in which he scored three goals. [1]
In August 2005, Ebbinge signed a two-year contract with RBC Roosendaal, after having lost his starting spot at NEC to recent signing Jonas Olsson. [11] He suffered a serious injury on 30 October 2005 after a collision with Tim Cornelisse from FC Utrecht, and was rushed to the ICU with a tear in his small intestine and a bruised pancreas. [12] He was held in a coma for four weeks, in which he went through five surgeries. [13] He made his comeback almost a year later, coming on as a second-half substitute for Paul de Lange in a match against FC Eindhoven on 18 August 2006. [14] [15]
Ebbinge signed with FC Den Bosch in June 2007. [16] After a season, where he was the undisputed starter in defense, making 39 total appearances and one goal, he would struggle with injuries in his second season at the club. [1] [17] His contract was not extended after the 2008–09 season, and he joined amateur club Quick 1888 in May 2009. [18] There, he announced his retirement in March 2011, citing a lack of motivation to continue. [19]
After his career, Ebbinge became a part of the personnel of Association of Contract Players (VVCS) in the Netherlands, coaching professional players in their career. [20] [13]
Ebbinge is the son of Henk Ebbinge, who was also a professional footballer and would later run a restaurant on Mallorca. [2]