Wesley Sneijder profile

The midfielder's talents came to the fore at a young age and the Utrecht-born star was fast tracked into the Ajax team by then coach Ronald Koeman.

Sneijder took seamlessly to the big stage and, following the departure of Rafael van der Vaart, is the focal point of the Ajax side and has many admirers.

"Sneijder is a real football player with both feet and an excellent pass."
Martin Jol

Comfortable in the heart of midfield and in a support-striker role, Sneijder has a keen eye for goal and his attacking instincts could be a potent weapon in Germany this summer as he weighed in with goals against Finland and Andorra in qualifying.

Sneijder was forced to settle for a bench role at Euro 2004, but he has enhanced his reputation in the last couple of years and Marco van Basten is likely to unleash him on Holland's Group C opponents this summer.