Leroy George

Leroy George

George with Qarabağ in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Leroy Martin Giovanni George
Date of birth	(1987-04-21) 21 April 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth	Paramaribo, Suriname
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) [1]
Position(s)	Winger
Youth career
	DWS
	Fortius
	ZSGOWMS
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Utrecht	73	(8)
2010–2013	NEC	81	(11)
2013–2015	Qarabağ	59	(19)
2015–2017	Göztepe	34	(6)
2017	Adana Demirspor	15	(2)
2017–2018	Melbourne Victory	29	(9)
2018–2020	Baniyas	25	(7)
2021	Fortuna Sittard	3	(0)
2021–2022	De Treffers	31	(4)
International career
2007	Netherlands U20	2	(0)
2007–2008	Netherlands U21	7	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:36, 13 July 2022 (UTC)

Leroy Martin Giovanni George (born 21 April 1987) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a winger. Aside from the Netherlands, he has played in Turkey, Australia, Azerbaijan, ^[2] and the United Arab Emirates.

His natural position is as a right forward or right winger, but he has also proven to be useful on the left wing, as a striker and as an attacking midfielder while at FC Utrecht, NEC and the Victory. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Club career

Youth career

Being born in Paramaribo, Suriname and growing up in Amsterdam, George started his youth career at the local clubs DWS, Fortius and ZSGOWMS before being noticed by FC Utrecht.

FC Utrecht

George with FC Utrecht in 2007

He made his debut for the senior side on 13 April 2007, in an away-match against Sparta Rotterdam, ending 1–1. He replaced Etienne Shew-Atjon in the beginning of the second half, and scored a debut goal in the 68th minute, sealing the draw. ^[6] He played two more matches this season.

The following year, George had established himself into the starting lineup; he only missed one match because of a suspension, and scored seven times that season. At the end of the season, it was announced that he had signed a contract extension with Utrecht, keeping him in the Domstad until mid-2011, despite some problems with his agent. ^{[7] [8]} The forward started the 2008–09 season well, but because of growing problems with his physical shape, he lost his place in the starting eleven after a couple of weeks. After showing an unmotivated behavior, he was sent back to the reserve squad by manager Willem van Hanegem. ^[9] A week later his behavior had improved, and he was forgiven and put back on the first team, and since then he played a majority of the games.

After the 2008–09 season, he lost track and almost never played anymore. In the 2009–10 season he only played eight matches, and after the season was over, he was told that he was not needed anymore at the club, and thus put on the transfer list. ^[10]

NEC

On 20 July 2010, it was published that George had signed a one-year deal with NEC The club put an option in his contract to extend his contract with two more seasons if he lives up to the expectations of the club. ^[11] In the second round of the 2010–11 Eredivisie season, George was awarded as the best player of the round, after having two assists in an away-match against Willem II. ^[12] The match ended in a 3–5 victory for NEC.

Qarabağ

George with Qarabağ in 2014

On 6 June 2013, George signed a two-year contract with Azerbaijan Premier League side Qarabağ. ^[13] George made his debut for Qarabağ away to Metalurg Skopje in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round match on 2 July 2013, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for fellow debutante Nikoloz Gelashvili. ^[14]

George already scored twice for Qarabağ in the Europa League – one against Metalurg Skopje (11 July 2013, second leg) ^[15] and another against Piast Gliwice (25 July 2013, second leg) on away match. ^[16] George left Qarabağ at the end of his contract in June 2015. ^[17]

Göztepe

On 8 July 2015, George signed a two-year contract with Göztepe S.K. ^[18]

Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory announced that George had signed a one-year deal with the club on 16 September 2017. ^[19]

He played a key role in the Victory's championship winning season, scoring 9 goals, and registering a league high 14 assists. His successful season saw him crowned as the 2017-18 Victory Medallist with 53 votes. ^[20]

Baniyas

In July 2018, George signed with UAE First Division League club Baniyas. ^{[21] [22]}

Fortuna Sittard

On 26 January 2021, Fortuna Sittard announced that they had signed George for the remainder of the season. ^[23] George made his debut two days after signing against RKC Waalwijk coming off the bench in a 2–1 win.

De Treffers

On 27 August 2021, he joined De Treffers in the Dutch third tier. ^[24]

International career

George was called up for the Netherlands under-21 team various times in 2007 and 2008 by national team coach, Foppe de Haan, but only managed to play once.

Having been born in Paramaribo in Suriname, George was eligible to play for the Surinamese national team. He was called up for the Parbo Bier Cup in 2009 with a mixed team of Surinamese and Dutch-Surinamese players.

Career statistics

Club

As of 3 June 2015 ^{[update] [25]}

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2006–07	Utrecht	Eredivisie	3	1	4	0	-		-		7	1
2007–08			33	7	3	0	-		-		36	7
2008–09			31	1	3	1	-		-		34	2
2009–10			7	0	0	0	-		-		7	0
2010–11	NEC		22	3	0	0	-		-		22	3
2011–12			28	5	3	0	-		-		31	5
2012–13			31	3	1	1	-		-		32	4
Azerbaijan			League		Azerbaijan Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2013–14	Qarabağ	Premier League	32	9	3	0	-		8	2	43	11
2014–15			27	10	5	0	-		10	2	42	12
Turkey			League		Turkish Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2015–16	Göztepe	TFF First League	26	6	0	0	-		-		26	6
2016–17			8	0	7	1	-		-		15	1
	Adana Demirspor		15	2	-		-		-		15	2
Australia			League		Australia Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
2017–18	Melbourne Victory	A-League	29	9	0	0	-		5	3	34	12
United Arab Emirates			League		President's Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
2018–19	Baniyas	UAE Pro League	25	7	1	0	7	2	-		33	9
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2020–21	Fortuna Sittard	Eredivisie	3	0	0	0	-		-		3	0
2021–22	De Treffers	Tweede Divisie	31	4	2	0	-		-		33	4
Total	Netherlands		189	24	16	2	-		-		205	26
	Azerbaijan		59	19	8	0	-		18	4	85	23
	Turkey		49	8	7	1	-		-		56	9
	Australia		29	9	0	0	-		5	3	34	12
	United Arab Emirates		25	7	1	0	7	2	-		33	9
Career total			351	67	32	3	7	2	23	7	413	79

Honours

Club

Qarabağ

• Azerbaijan Premier League (2): 2013–14, 2014–15
• Azerbaijan Cup (1): 2014–15

Melbourne Victory

• A-League Championship: 2017–18

References

1. "Leroy George". Melbourne Victory FC. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
2. Leroy George heeft na een topjaar in Australië weer zin om te vlammen vice.com
3. Lynch, Michael. "Retaining Leroy George should be high on Victory wish list as Dutch star continues to impress". The neney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
4. Windley, Matt. "Josh Hope a potential selection bolter as Melbourne Victory looks to cover international losses". news.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
5. "Leroy George offers Melbourne Victory a versatile attacking option" . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
6. "Statistieken van Leroy George" [Statistics of Leroy George]. Ronald Zwiers (in Dutch). 2 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
7. "FC Utrecht laat zich niet piepelen door George" [FC Utrecht will not be wrenched around with by George]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 18 December 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
8. "FC Utrecht gaat langer door met George en Van Loen" [FC Utrecht keeps George and Van Loen for longer]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 14 March 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
9. "'Ongemotiveerde George teruggezet naar belofteteam'" ['Onmotivated George' put back on reserve team]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 14 November 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
10. "FC Utrecht heeft geen plek meer voor George en Van der Kooij" [FC Utrecht has no room left for George and Van der Kooij]. Voetbalzone.nl (in Dutch). 14 May 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
11. "NEC geeft George kans zich te revancheren" [NEC gives George the opportunity to revenge himself]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 20 July 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
12. "Leroy George heeft nooit getwijfeld aan zichzelf" [George has never doubted in himself]. Voetbal International (in Dutch). 16 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
13. Leroy George karyerasını “Qarabağ”da davam etdirə bilər Archived 17 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine , sportxeber.az, 19 June 2013
14. "Metalurg vs. Qarabağ 0 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
15. "Qarabag-Metalurg Skopje". UEFA.com. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
16. "Piast-Qarabag". UEFA.com. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
17. "6 futbolçu ilə yollar ayrıldı". qarabagh.com (in Azerbaijani). FK Qarabağ. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
18. "Leroy Martin Giovanni George, Göztepemiz'de". www.goztepe.org.tr (in Turkish). Göztepe S.K. 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
19. "Muscat brings Dutchman George to Victory". The World Game . SBS. 16 September 2017.
20. Pollock, Tom. "Leroy George crowned 2018 Victory Medallist". Melbourne Victory FC. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
21. "#WelcomeLeroyGeorge". Twitter. نادي بني ياس (Baniyas Club). Retrieved 31 July 2018.
22. "Bani Yas sign Leroy George from Melbourne". Gulf News. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
23. "Leroy George tekent contract voor restant van het seizoen". Fortuna Sittard (in Dutch). 26 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
24. "Leroy George naar De Treffers" (in Dutch). De Treffers. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
25. Leroy George at Soccerway

External links

• Official Leroy George profile on NEC-Nijmegen.nl (in Dutch)
• Voetbal International: Leroy George (in Dutch)
• Leroy George at Soccerway
• Video about career of Leroy George