Jeroen Zoet

At 33 years old, Jeroen Zoet has this physical status:

Jeroen Zoet (Dutch pronunciation: [j] run azut]; born 6 January 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Spezia's Serie A.

Zoet spent two seasons on loan for RKC Waalwijk before returning to PSV Eindhoven to establish himself as the first choice goalkeeper. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the Ecusion. He was called up for the first time for the Netherlands national team in November 2012, but he didn't make his first appearance until October 2015, when he was swapped for an injured Tim Krul.

Personal life

According to Zoet's mother, Jeroen wanted to be a professional footballer, something she sympathized with and that he considered PSV Eindoven to be his second mother. Zoet is a good friend of darts player Michael van Gerwen.

Zoet and his then-teammate Maxime Lestienne were arrested in December 2015 for fighting in the street. Following the incident, the pair apologised to the club's leadership for their conduct. Since police decided not to sue him, Zoet was fined 595 euros in total.

Zoet and his girlfriend Rosanne Grasman revealed on their social media pages that they are expecting their first child, a girl, in June.

Source

Club career

Zoet competed for his hometown club, BV Veendam's youth academy, until 2006. He began his career at PSV at the age of 15, gradually rising through the ranks and into the senior squad. He signed his first professional deal with the club on December 5th, 2008, and he will continue to play for the team until 2012. He was given his first call up to the senior team during the 2008-09 season, making the substitutions bench for the game against AZ.

Zoet was given a number 41 shirt for the first team ahead of the 2009–2010 season. He has been active and has been in the first team squad all season before being sidelined due to a knee injury. However, Zoet suffered a knee injury in the 2010–11 season, keeping him out of the first team for a long time. Despite recovering from injury in January, he did not make it to the team's first team. Zoet signed a deal extension with the club at the end of the 2010–11 season, extending him until 2014.

Zoet was to be loaned out to get first team football ahead of the 2011-12 season. Zoet signed RKC Waalwijk on loan for the remainder of the 2011–12 season, putting out several clubs that were interested in signing him.

In an eventual 2–2 draw on August 6, 2011, Zoet made his league debut, as well as his debut at RKC Waalwijk. In a 1–0 loss, he played against his parent team, PSV Eindhoven, for the entire game and conceded the only goal. He quickly established himself in the starting eleven as the club's first choice goalkeeper. RKC Waalwijk's success attracted attention from other clubs around Europe. Zoet scored on the team's first goal of the game against Go Ahead Eagles in the KNVB Beker Round of 16, which included a's first goal of the season's first round, and the club won 3–2 on the next round. However, he was soon to blame after losing five goals in a 5–0 loss against FC Twente on January 21, 2012. Since he skipped the next two matches with clean sheets, he was able to make amends. Zoet then played against his parent club, PSV Eindhoven, for the second time this season, winning 21-0, in the hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League next season. In the league's play-offs for a spot in the UEFA Europa League, he appeared in all four games, but RKC Waalwijk lost 5–2 to Vitesse on aggregate. Zoet made forty-two appearances in all competitions, including starting all the games in the league at the 2011-12 season.

Despite being eager to return to his parent club next season, Zoet was loaned out to RKC Waalwijk for the 2012–13 season. Zoet kicked off the season against his parent club PSV Eindhoven and helped the team beat them 3–2. Manager Erwin Koeman lauded his saves after a 1–0 victory over Roda JC. Zoet kept two clean sheets in two matches between November 10 and November 17, 2012, both of which were wins against Heerenveen and FC Utrecht. In a 1–0 loss against SC Heerenveen on February 1, 2013, Zoet started in every match since the 2012–13 season until he was dismissed in the 83rd minute for a professional foul. He was banned from serving a one-match suspension for his dismissal. Zoet made thirty-five appearances in all sports during his career, including being a first choice goalkeeper for RKC Waalwijk once more.

Following his successful loan spells at RKC Waalwijk, Zoet returned to his parent club PSV at the start of the 2013–14 season. He was expected to compete with Przemys in the 2013-2014 season over the first choice goalkeeper by Manager Phillip Cocu. Zoet was named as the club's first choice goalkeeper this season, according to Cocu. Even though the transfer process was almost complete prior to this, he attracted the attention of Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Newcastle.

In the third round qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, Zoet made his PSV Eindhoven debut against Zulte Waregem, the club's first choice goalkeeper, with a score of 2–0. In PSV Eindhoven's first game of the season against ADO Den Haag, who beat them 3–2. He made his league debut in the first game of the season. Zoet kept three more clean sheets in the upcoming three games, including assisting the team beat Zulte Waregem 3–0 in the return leg to advance to the play-off round. He signed a deal extension with the club, extending him until 2017. However, PSV Eindhoven were disqualified in the play-offs round after losing 4–1 on aggregate to A.C. Milan. Until he sustained a groin injury in the team's 2–1 loss to AZ Alkmaar, he started in every match for the team until he was forced to return to the team after a 2–1 loss. It was announced after the match that he would be out for nearly two months. In a 1–1 draw against SC Heerenveen, Zoet wasn't until November 23, 2013 that he returned to the starting lineup. Zoet had a poor run in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage's next two matches against Vitesse and Chornomorets Odesa, losing seven goals and being eliminated from the club two times. However, he was able to redeem himself by helping the team win two matches by the end of the year, including saving a penalty. In a number of games, he returned to his form as the first choice goalkeeper, earning praise from both Manager Cocu and the media. He then helped the team win eight match titles between February 2014 and March 2014. Zoet spent three seasons in the league before finishing fourth in the league (29 times in the league) in all competitions. He earned fifth place in the Algemeen Dagblad's Most Valuable Player of the Season as well as finishing fifth place for the club's Player of the Season.

Zoet stayed as the team's first choice goalkeeper in the 2014–15 season, as well as fighting off competition from new signing Remko Pasveer. Zoet was supposed to move to Benfica, but the transfer was never made because he wished to remain at PSV Eindhoven to grow as a player. Zoet got off to a winning start this season, including beating rivals, Ajax. Zoet kept two clean sheets against Excelsior and AZ Alkmaar, which were the match's captains. Despite losing in a number of games, the team went on a winning streak that saw PSV Eindhoven at the top of the table for several months. Zoet admitted his mistake in the match after losing a free kick from Oussama Tannane to Bryan Linssen at 2:1. He sustained his thumb injury during training in January, which he quickly recovered. He returned to training and the starting lineup after the club's winning streak in the league continued. This was before the team lost 3–1 to AFC Ajax on March 4, 2015. Despite this, the team won the league title for the first time since 2008 after defeating SC Heerenveen 4–1 on April 22, 2015, his first major trophy of his career. In a 3–2 victory over ADO Den Haag in the season's last game, Zoet returned to the starting lineup after being suspended for two matches in favor of Pasveer. Zoet made forty-one appearances in akk competitions at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Following the departure of Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum, Zoet found himself linked to a departure from the team ahead of the 2015–16 season. However, he stayed at PSV Eindhoven throughout the summer. He began the 2016–16 season well by keeping a clean sheet throughout the game, winning the Johan Cruijf Schaal by 3–0. When Zoet got off to a winning start that saw the club at the top of the standings, he continued to help the team get off to a good start. Zoet made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 12, 2015, where he helped the team defeat Manchester United. In a 2–1 loss against CSKA Moscow on September 30, 2015, he captained the team for the first time this season, playing the entire game. This was followed by captaining the next two games against rivals, Ajax, and Excelsior. Zoet was affected by an unknown object thrown by De Graafschap's backer during a 6–3 victory over De Graafschap on October 24, 2015; the club has apologised to him. Zoet appeared throughout the UEFA Champions League Group Stage campaign, keeping two clean sheets, and finally seeing the team advance to the knockout stage after losing 2–1. Zoet's contract with the club was extended until 2020 in November 2015. Against AZ Alkmaar and Vitesse, he kept two clean sheets between 29 November 2015 and December 2015. Between 7 February 2016 and 5 March 2016, Zoet then had five clean sheets in a row. They reached the last 16 of the tournament, where they met Spanish side Atlético Madrid resulting in a 0–0 draw in the first leg. Zoet put on good showings throughout the tie and was twice selected to the team of the week. PSV lost on penalties to Atlético Madrid after a draw on aggregate over both legs. Zoet continued to help the team win by accumulating three clean sheets in a row between 9 April 2016 and April 2016. Zoet claimed his third major title at the end of the season against PEC Zwolle in the last game of the season, defeating them 3–1. He made forty-four appearances in all competitions during the 2015–16 season (having attended all the league matches this season).

Zoet started the season strong in the 2016-2017 season, defeating Feyenoord 1–0 to win the Johan Cruyf Shield. He got off to a winning start for the team by retaining four clean sheets between the 20th of August 2016 and September 2016. Zoet won in his 100th league match for PSV Eindhoven over N.E.C. on September 10, 2016, earning his fourth clean sheets. He started every match until he suffered from a muscular injury that kept him out for a month. Zoet returned to the starting lineup from injury on November 19th, 2016, his fifth clean sheet of the season. Zoet captained the team for the first time this season, defeating Atlético Madrid in a follow-up match against Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage on November 23, 2016, defeating the team 2–0. He had two clean sheets in two games between December 2016 and December 2016. Zoet conceded seven goals in the last 14 matches by the end of 2016. Zoet expressed his hope that the club would win the league for the third time in a row. He was at fault during a match against Feyenoord on February 26, 2017, conceding an own goal, which turned out to be a victory for the opposition team as they defeated 2–1. Despite this, Zoet maintained his position as the club's first choice goalkeeper and redeemed himself by accumulating two clean sheets in two matches between 18 March 2017 and April 2017. However, the club failed to defend the trophy after finishing third place in the league. Zoet made thirty-seven appearances (playing thirty-one times in the league) in all competitions at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Zoet was named as the club's captain for the third straight season in the 2017-18 season. However, PSV Eindhoven were disqualified in the third qualifying round, a 2–0 loss against NK Osijek on aggregate, and continued the season poorly when PSV Eindhoven was eliminated in the third qualifying round. Despite this, he played a key role in the team's winless start that saw it finish at the top of the table. In a 4–0 victory over SDC Putten in the first round of the KNVB Beker, Zoet captained the team for the first time this season, keeping a clean sheet. He was on hand to lead the team to ten consecutive victories in a row between 17 September 2017 and December 3, 2017. Manager Cocu praised his growth and results, while others like him, who was up for 3.5 saves per ninety minutes. Zoet was linked a move away from PSV Eindhoven during the January transfer window, with Espanyol interested in signing him, but the transfer didn't happen. Despite the transfer rumors, he maintained his position as the club's first choice goalkeeper and kept three clean sheets in three games between January 28, 2018 and February 2018. However, Zoet conceded five goals against Willem II on March 10, 2018, despite making a series of saves, as PSV Eindhoven defeated 5–0. He was able to redeem himself after the team beat them 3–0 and kept a clean sheet in a process. Zoet got off to a promising start for PSV on April 15, 2018 after defeating Ajax 3–0 to clinch the Eredivise trophy. Despite the victory, Zoet sustained a groin injury that required him to miss two matches; where up to this point, he started every match. In a 0–0 draw against FC Groningen, Zoet returned to his game of the season, where he started the whole game and kept a clean sheet. Zoet made thirty-eight appearances (playing thirty-two times in the league) in all leagues at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Zoet was linked to a move away from PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2019–19 season, but Napoli, a Serie A side, refused to sell him, but Napoli refused to sell him. However, he put an end to the transfer rumors when he signed a contract extension, extending him until 2021. Zoet got off to a promising start for the team, including qualifying for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage after beating Bate Borisov 6–3 on aggregate. Zoet's winning streak soon saw them at the top of the table, and during that time, the club kept five clean sheets in a row between September 2018 and October 20, 2018, including a 3–0 victory over rivals, Ajax. Zoet helped recover and maintained two clean sheets in two matches between 7 December 2018 and December 2018, the club's first league loss after a 2–1 loss against Feyenoord. In three matches between March 3rd and March 2019, Zoet kept three clean sheets.

Zoet was on loan to FC Utrecht for the remainder of the 2019-20 season from January 15th. He made seven Economy and three KNVB Cup appearances for the club before his release in March.

Zoet joined Spezia Calcio, a newly promoted Serie A side, on a two-year contract on September 8th. He started the season as a starter but against Udinese, he injured his groin, sidelining him until the winter break. He joined the squad in January 2021. He regained his starting position in March for a few appearances, but he continued as a back-up plan from April 2021 behind Ivan Provedel. In the 4–1 victory over Torino on May 15, 2021, he regained his role as a starter.

International career

Zoet was first called up by the Netherlands U17 in 2006. He went on to make thirteen appearances for the Netherlands U17 team.

Zoet was elevated to the Netherlands U19 for the first time in 2008. In a 5–0 victory over Scotland U19, he made his Netherlands U19 debut on September 7, where he started the entire game and kept a clean sheet. Zoet was called up to the U19 squad in the 2010 European Under-19 Championships. He started all three games, including keeping a clean sheet against England U19 but losing in the group stage. Zoet made 12 appearances for the Netherlands U19 team after the tournament.

Zoet was called up to the Netherlands U21 for the first time in August 2010. In a 2–1 loss to Spain U21, he made his Netherlands U21 debut on Sunday, a few days later, starting the whole game. Zoet held three clean sheets in a row until the third game, but he was dismissed in the 61st minute, defeating Austria U21 by a 1–0 victory. Zoet's U21 team qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Switzerland, completing a four-clean sheets. Zoet was the first choice goalkeeper after being called up to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad. He appeared three times in the tournament before losing to Italy U21 in the semi-finals. Following the conclusion of the tournament, Zoet continued to make twenty-one appearances for the U21 team.

In September 2012, Zoet was assigned his first call up to the senior Netherlands team. Throughout 2012, he appeared twice as an unused substitute. Zoet was one of four goalkeepers shortlisted to be included in the team ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Zoet was first named by manager Louis van Gaal for the provisional 30-man team at FIFA World Cup in Brazil in May 2014. However, he did not make it to the final 23-man squad.

Zoet made his international debut on October 10th, 2015, defeating Kazakhstan in a 2–1 away victory in a Euro 2016 qualifier. He continued the game against the Czech Republic as the opposition team lost 3–2, thus putting an end to their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2016. Zoet discovered himself over the years, playing with Jasper Cillessen for the national team's first choice goalkeeper. Zoet was at fault for conceding two goals and being mocked by the Dutch media in a 2–0 loss to Bulgaria on March 25. For the first time since the Netherlands defeated Morocco 2–1, Zoet captained the national team on May 31.

Source