Chelsea paid £8million to sign Marco van Ginkel in 2013 and ended up having him on their books for nine years, despite him only playing four times for the first-team
Marco van Ginkel of Chelsea twists his left ankle before being substituted (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
Marco van Ginkel suffered a season-ending injury early in his Chelsea career(Image: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Former Chelsea star Marco van Ginkel has announced his retirement at the age of 33. Midfielder Van Ginkel spent nine years under contract at Stamford Bridge but only made four first-team appearances.
The Dutchman's time in West London was blighted by injuries, a theme that would continue throughout his career. Van Ginkel joined Chelsea in July 2013 from Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem, who had strong links with the Blues during Roman Abramovich's reign as owner, for around £8million.
Van Ginkel had been without a club for seven months and on Thursday, he announced his retirement. "After 16 years, I'm saying goodbye to professional football," the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram.
"A journey filled with highs and lows, lessons learned and memories I'll cherish forever. Thanks to everyone who stood by me along the way. Proud of the past. Ready for the next chapter."
On just his third appearance for Chelsea under the returning Jose Mourninho, Van Ginkel suffered a serious knee injury which would rule him out for practically the entire 2013-14 season. By the time he was fully fit, the Netherlands international had no place in Mourinho's immediate plans and was loaned out to Serie A giants AC Milan.
Two separate ankle injuries stunted his progress in Italy and he was loaned out to Stoke City the following season. In February 2016, Stoke cancelled his season-long loan and he joined PSV Eindhoven until the end of the campaign.
That loan was extended for the 2017-18 season and despite not being contracted to PSV, he was named captain. In the summer, after lifting the title and playing the last of his eight caps for the Netherlands, Van Ginkel had surgery to reconstruct his ACL and was sidelined for much of the following campaign.
After playing a crucial role in PSV's title win, Van Ginkel picked up yet another injury. After making a full recovery towards the end of the 2016, he signed a new three-year contract with Chelsea and returned to PSV for a second spell.
LISBON, PORTUGAL - FEBRUARY 22: Marco van Ginkel of Boavista FC gestures during the Liga Portugal Betclic match between SL Benfica and Boavista FC at Estadio da Luz on February 22, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Marco van Ginkel's final club was Boavista(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
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Although he didn't feature again until 2020, he was handed a new one-year deal by Chelsea and returned to PSV for a third loan stint which was made permanent the next summer. In January 2023, Van Ginkel returned to boyhood club Vitesse on a permanent basis.
After 18 months back in Arnhem before a spell as a free agent, the two-time Eredivisie champion signed for Portuguese side Boavista. Van Ginkel was released amid their financial difficulties at the end of last season, and he's now made the decision to hang up his boots.