A gritty left-back who can also play in the centre of defence, Wilfred Bouma has revived his career back at first club PSV Eindhoven following a two-year injury break that concluded a spell in England with Aston Villa FC. A EURO participant in 2004 and 2008, he has been recalled to the Netherlands squad after a four-year absence.

• Started out as a left-winger, scoring freely while on loan from PSV to Limburg outfits MVV Maastricht and Fortuna Sittard.

• Back as a regular starter at PSV in 1999/2000, when he won the first of four titles in six seasons, scoring a career-best nine goals; converted into a left-back by coach Eric Gerets.

• Scored against Manchester United FC in his maiden UEFA Champions League campaign of 2000/01; spent six successive seasons in the competition, starting 30 matches in a row, but qualifying for the knockout phase only at the final attempt, in 2004/05, when PSV reached the semi-finals.

• His international breakthrough came at UEFA EURO 2004, where he played four games in central defence, scoring his first senior goal in a 3-2 defeat by the Czech Republic.

• Move to Aston Villa in 2005 and injury problems led to non-participation in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but Marco van Basten reinstated him for UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, where he was the team's regular left-back, and he went on to play twice at finals.

• Ever-present in the Premier League for Aston Villa in 2007/08 before an ankle dislocation sidelined him for the next two seasons; returned in 2010 to PSV, where he re-established his credentials in the Eredivisie and UEFA Europa League.