Claudia van den Heiligenberg

Claudia Voňková, née Anna Gerarda Maria "Claudia" van den Heiligenberg (born 25 March 1985)[1] is a former Dutch footballer who played for Bayern Munich II in the German 2. Bundesliga. She played for the Dutch national team between 2005 and 2016 and won national league and cup titles in the Netherlands.[2]

Claudia van den Heiligenberg
Personal information
Full name Claudia Voňková
Birth name Anna Gerarda Maria van den Heiligenberg
Date of birth (1985-03-25) 25 March 1985
Place of birth Roelofarendsveen, Netherlands
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Left back / Left winger
Youth career
2002–2003 SV Alkmania
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2005 RCL Leiderdorp
2005–2007 Ter Leede (16)
2007–2011 AZ 84 (34)
2011–2013 Telstar 44 (12)
2013–2015 Ajax 48 (13)
2015–2017 Jena 36 (1)
2017–2019 Bayern Munich II 19 (6)
International career
2005–2016 Netherlands 97 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 December 2017

Club career

Born in Roelofarendsveen, she started playing when she was six years old at the boys youth team of SV Alkmania in Oude Wetering.[1] After being scouted by the Royal Dutch Football Association she moved to Racing Club in Leiderdorp (RCL) and played in the Eerste Klasse, the second division at that time.[3] She was the top scorer of the 2003–04 Eerste Klasse.[4] She then moved to Hoofdklasse (first division) club Ter Leede and won the Dutch League (Hoofdklasse), Dutch Cup and the Dutch Super Cup in 2006–07.[4][5]

When the Dutch women's professional league (Eredivisie Vrouwen) was established in 2007, she moved to AZ, winning the Dutch League (Eredivisie) in three consecutive seasons (2007–08, 2008–09 and 2009–10) and the Dutch Cup in 2010–11.[4] During her time at the club, she also played seven matches in the UEFA Women's Champions League scoring twice.[6] The club folded at the end of the 2010–11 season and like most of its players, she moved to the newly formed SC Telstar.[7] She played two seasons at Telstar, the first in the Eredivisie and the second in the newly created BeNe League (a merger between the professional Dutch and Belgian women's football leagues).[4]

In 2013 she joined Ajax with how she won her third Dutch Cup in 2013–14.[4]

In 2015, she moved to the German Bundesliga club USV Jena and played two season at the club before moving to Bayern Munich II of the 2. Bundesliga in 2017.[8]

International career

As a RCL (Racing Club Leiderdorp) player, aged 19 she became part of the Dutch national team set up.[1] She made her debut under coach Vera Pauw on 7 September 2005 in a home friendly 0–2 defeat against Italy in Zwolle.[3]

Selected by coach Vera Pauw to be in the national squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2009,[9] she played in two of the five Dutch matches in the tournament helping the team reach the semifinals.[10][11][12]

In December 2009, then national coach Vera Pauw dropped Van den Heiligenberg and Dyanne Bito from the squad ahead of a match against Belarus. The decision proved controversial and it was reported that the duo were kicked out because they were in a relationship.[13] Pauw angrily dismissed the claims, saying it was an insult to suggest they were excluded because of their relationship.[14]

Van den Heiligenberg and Bito remained together[3] and both were restored to the national team by incoming national coach Roger Reijners in 2010. A 2–0 win over Ireland in August 2010 was Van den Heiligenberg's 50th international cap. She was selected in the Netherlands squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden.[15]

A knee injury ruled out her chances of selection for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[16] During the following seasons other injuries kept her out of contention for national team selections,[2] she played one match, on 25 January 2016 against Denmark, her 97th cap and eventually her last, as on 6 July 2017 her international retirement was announced. She scored eight goals for the national team.[17]

International goals
Scores and results list the Netherlands goal tally first.[18]
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.12 October 2005Oosterenkstadion, Zwolle, Netherlands  Switzerland2–06–0Friendly
2.3–0
3.12 April 2006 Iceland1–02–1
4.2–1
5.6 June 2010Sportpark De Dorens, Loenhout, Belgium Belgium1–02–0
6.15 December 2010Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil Mexico2–13–12010 Torneio Internacional
7.9 March 2011Paralimni Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus Canada1–11–22011 Cyprus Cup
8.10 April 2014Stadion De Braak, Helmond, Netherlands Albania1–010–12015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification

Personal life

Her mother Mary van der Meer was also a Dutch international footballer who played four matches in the 1970s.[17] She combined working for the Dutch police force and playing football during her time at SC Telstar.[3][19] In September 2018 Claudia married her partner Lucie Voňková.[20] In March 2021 Lucie announced Claudia's pregnancy on social media.[21]

Honours
Ter Leerde
AZ Alkmaar
Ajax

References
  1. van Geen, Gertjan (15 July 2017). "Afscheid van Claudia van den Heiligenberg, één van de besten". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  2. "Van den Heiligenberg krijgt volgende week afscheid van Oranje". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 22 November 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  3. Hoogenboom, Alieke. "'Mijn werk combineren met voetbal is zwaar'" (in Dutch). Hier! in de Regio. Archived from the original on 2 August 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  4. "Claudia van den Heiligenberg - Profile". vrouwenvoetbalnederland.nl (in Dutch). 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  5. Kooy, Rob (25 December 2008). "Heb je de meeste punten dan ben je ook terecht kampioen!". vrouwenvoetbalnederland.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. "Profile". UEFA. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  7. "Telstar vrouwen in eredivisie". IJmuider Courant. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  8. "Profile". DFB (in German). Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  9. "Women's EURO 2009 - UEFA Competitions Association player list" (PDF). UEFA. pp. 15–16. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  10. Profile Archived 2012-07-16 at archive.today in UEFA's 2009 Euro archive
  11. "2009 Women's Euro - Netherlands squad". UEFA. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  12. Brookes, Christian (23 September 2016). "Claudia van den Heiligenberg interview: Out of the shadows to catch an Oranje fire". beatsandrhymesfc.com. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  13. "'Verliefde' speelsters uit Oranje gezet" (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  14. "'Verhaal gebaseerd op leugens'" [Story based on lies]. OnsOranje.NL (in Dutch). KNVB. 2 December 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  15. Scholten, Berend (30 June 2013). "Trio miss cut in Netherlands squad". UEFA. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  16. "Oranjevrouwen zonder geblesseerde Van den Heiligenberg op WK". NU.nl (in Dutch). 21 May 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  17. "Van den Heiligenberg (32) zet punt achter carrière". onsoranje.nl (in Dutch). 6 July 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  18. "Profile". onsoranje.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  19. "Claudia van den Heiligenberg". Politie Topsport Selectie (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  20. "Nejlepší česká fotbalistka Voňková si vzala spoluhráčku z Bayernu" (in Czech). sport.cz. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  21. "Fotbalistka Voňková oznámila radostnou novinu, s partnerkou očekávají potomka" (in Czech). sport.cz. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
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