Elrio van Heerden

Elrio van Heerden
	van Heerden in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Elrio van Heerden
Date of birth	11 July 1983 (age 40)
Place of birth	Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder, winger
Youth career
1995–1997	Glenville Celtic
1998–2001	NMMU
Senior career*
Years	Team
2002–2006	Copenhagen
2006–2009	Club Brugge
2009–2010	Blackburn Rovers
2010	Sivasspor
2010–2011	Westerlo
2011–2012	Golden Arrows
2017–2019	PE Stars
Total
International career
2004–2009	South Africa
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Elrio van Heerden (/ˈɛlrioʊ væn ˈhɪərdən/, Afrikaans: [ˈɛlrjuə fan ˈɦiərdən]; born 11 July 1983) is a South African retired footballer who played as a midfielder for the likes of Copenhagen, Club Brugge and Blackburn Rovers, among other clubs. He was previously also been an established member of the South African national team, representing the nation from 2004 to 2009.

Club career[edit]

Van Heerden started his career with Glenville Celtic^[1] and moved 1998 in the Soccer School of Excellence which was part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

FC Copenhagen[edit]

He came to Denmark in 2002, where he spent his first two years learning from the older players. Elrio got his debut in 2004 against AaB at Parken Stadium, and the little South African immediately wrote history with his equalizer short before the final whistle. The goal meant, that FC København could secure the championship in the next (and last) round against FC Nordsjælland at Farum Park, which they did with a 4–2 victory.

Club Brugge[edit]

A move to Club Brugge was made on 24 January 2006, where he spent two years with the Belgian club scoring two goals from his 67 appearances.

Blackburn Rovers[edit]

It was announced on 2 June 2009 that Van Heerden had agreed a two-year deal with the Premier League club Blackburn Rovers,^[2] arriving on a free transfer from Club Brugge. He only played two official matches for the club; in the League Cup against Gillingham in the second round, and Chelsea in the quarter-finals, both as a second-half substitute.

On 8 January 2010 it was reported that Elrio was close to signing for Turkish club Sivasspor. Goal.com revealed that Elrio was due to travel to Turkey for a medical ahead of signing on Monday 11 January 2010.^[3]

Sivasspor[edit]

On 11 January 2010, Blackburn Rovers announced the transfer of the South African midfielder to Sivasspor.^[4]

Westerlo[edit]

On 27 July 2010, Belgian Pro League side Westerlo announced the signing of Van Heerden.^[5]

In November 2012, after having been without a club since the end of the 2011–12 season, Van Heerden had an unsuccessful trial with MLS side Sporting Kansas City.^[6]

PE Stars[edit]

In 2017, after five years out of the game, van Heerden returned to sign for ABC Motsepe League side PE Stars.^[7]

International career[edit]

He won 37 full international caps for South Africa, scoring three goals.^[8] He represented "Bafana Bafana" at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

International goals[edit]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 July 2005	Home Depot Center, United States	Mexico	2–0	2–1	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2	23 January 2008	Tamale, Ghana	Angola	1–1	1–1	2008 African Cup of Nations
3	31 January 2008	Kumasi, Ghana	Senegal	1–0	1–1	2008 African Cup of Nations

Statistics[edit]

^[9]

South Africa national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2004	6	0
2005	10	1
2006	4	0
2007	3	0
2008	4	2
2009	10	0
Total	37	3

References[edit]

^ "About Glenville". Glenville Celtic. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
^ "Rovers sign South African star". Blackburn Rovers. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.
^ "Sivasspor Close To Signing South African Elrio Van Heerden". Goal.com. 9 January 2010.
^ "South African departs". Blackburn Rovers. 11 January 2010.
^ "Elrio Van Heerden: alleen nog medische testen" (in Dutch). Westerlo. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 August 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
^ "No takers yet for Van Heerden". The Sowetan. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
^ Piliso, Mfundo (10 January 2018). "Ex Bafana player lauds the prospects of PE Stars". Daily Dispatch. South Africa. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
^ "South Africa – International Appearances" Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. RSSSF. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
^ "Bafana Bafana". SAFA. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

External links[edit]

Elrio van Heerden – FIFA competition record (archived)
F.C. Copenhagen statistics at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 September 2012)
Elrio van Heerden at FootballDatabase.eu

[1] "About Glenville". Glenville Celtic. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

[ROVERS-2] "Rovers sign South African star". Blackburn Rovers. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.

[3] "Sivasspor Close To Signing South African Elrio Van Heerden". Goal.com. 9 January 2010.

[4] "South African departs". Blackburn Rovers. 11 January 2010.

[Belgium-5] "Elrio Van Heerden: alleen nog medische testen" (in Dutch). Westerlo. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 4 August 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.

[6] "No takers yet for Van Heerden". The Sowetan. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

[7] Piliso, Mfundo (10 January 2018). "Ex Bafana player lauds the prospects of PE Stars". Daily Dispatch. South Africa. Retrieved 22 November 2018.

[8] "South Africa – International Appearances" Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. RSSSF. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

[9] "Bafana Bafana". SAFA. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

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