Leon de Kogel

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In this Dutch name, the surname is de Kogel, not Kogel.

Leon de Kogel
De Kogel with Utrecht in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-11-13) 13 November 1991 (age 32)
Place of birth Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 SV Houten (youth coach)
Youth career
Utrecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Utrecht 38 (8)
2013–2014 → VVV-Venlo (loan) 29 (14)
2014–2015 → Almere City (loan) 18 (2)
2015–2018 Go Ahead Eagles 68 (27)
2018 Cornellà 13 (2)
Total 168 (53)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Leon de Kogel (born 13 November 1991) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player.

Early and personal life[edit]

De Kogel was born in Alphen aan den Rijn.[1] By December 2018 he had two young children.[2]

Career[edit]

De Kogel began his career with the youth team of FC Utrecht.[3] He played senior football as a forward for FC Utrecht, VVV-Venlo, Almere City, Go Ahead Eagles and Cornellà, scoring 53 goals in 168 league appearances.[4]

De Kogel's career ended following a serious car accident in Salini, Malta, on 11 June 2018.[5] He was visiting the island on holiday with friends.[6] De Kogel had to be cut out of the car he was travelling in by the fire service.[3] He underwent hours of surgery, and doctors doubted that he would ever walk again, let alone play football.[3] Four days after the accident his former club FC Utrecht paid for de Kogel to be flown back to the Netherlands, where he spent a further six weeks in hospital.[6] Doctors suggested a prosthetic knee, although de Kogel was opposed to that.[6]

Following the accident his Spanish club Cornellà stopped paying his salary, and the insurance company of the taxi driver responsible for the accident did not make a payout.[7] Settlement was reached with Cornellà in December 2018 following the intervention of both the Dutch and Spanish players' associations.[6] However, de Kogel was still involved in legal proceedings related to the accident in March 2019.[6]

Six months after the accident, de Kogel was still undergoing rehabilitation at a military centre in Doorn, from Monday to Friday every week.[2] In December 2018 he was considering his future, whether in or outside of football.[2] Later that month he returned to football as a youth coach at SV Houten.[5] Eight months after the accident de Kogel was still walking with crutches.[6]

Due to his financial difficulties, a FC Utrecht fan started a collection for de Kogel.[8] There were donations from fans of numerous clubs, the sale of shirts and pennants,[8] and a charity match between Jong FC Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles,[3] which de Kogel symbolically 'kicked off'.[9] The total raised was just under €24,000, from donations, sales, and match proceeds.[9] Professional footballer Hakim Ziyech later contributed.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Leon de Kogel at Soccerway. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Het heftige verhaal van Leon de Kogel over zijn auto-ongeluk" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Hartverwarmende actie van FC Utrecht voor De Kogel" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Profile" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Het emotionele verhaal van Leon de Kogel: ellende, maar toch het leven vieren" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Alex Bysouth (3 March 2019). "Leon de Kogel: 'I said goodbye to my kids and my loved ones'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Hartverwarmend gebaar Ziyech naar De Kogel" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Steun aan De Kogel bereikt toppunt bij bijzonder KKD-duel" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b "De Kogel geëmotioneerd: 'Dankzij jullie kan ik weer verder met mijn leven'" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
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