How is ex-Norwich City player Ricky van Wolfswinkel getting on at the moment? | OneFootball

Netherlands striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel moved to English football in 2013 when he joined Norwich City.

The striker started his football career in the Netherlands, where he came through the Vitesse academy in 2001.

The Dutchman played for Vitesse before moving to FC Utrecht in 2009; the 33-year-old spent two years at the club before moving to Portugal to play for Sporting Lisbon.

Van Wolfswinkel spent two seasons in Portugal, scoring 45 goals in 88 appearances, and it was that impressive goal scoring return that earned him his move to English football.

He arrived at Carrow Road with fairly high expectations upon him, as he had been able to score 15 goals in the season before he made the move and had a proven track record wherever he had been.

Furthermore, Norwich had paid £8.5m for the striker, so there was even more added pressure for him to do well.

Wolfswinkel made a great start to life as a Norwich player as he scored on his Premier League debut. However, that was as good as it got for the Dutchman, as he failed to score again for the club in the next 24 appearances he made in the league.

The Canaries as a team struggled that season and were eventually relegated to the Premier League. The striker never really got going at Carrow Road, and with his form in front of goal and Norwich being relegated to the Championship, Wolfswinkel was sent out on loan for the next two seasons.

He first went to French side Saint-Etienne before spending the 2015/16 season at Spanish side Real Betis. He eventually left Norwich on a permanent deal in 2016, when he returned to the Netherlands and joined Vitesse.

Quiz: What shirt number are these 25 current Norwich City players?

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ANGUS GUNN

29 1

The Dutchman rediscovered his scoring touch back in his homeland, scoring 20 goals in 32 appearances for Vitesse. He then moved to Swiss club Basel, where his form and playing time fluctuated over the course of four seasons.

In the summer of 2021, Wolfswinkel joined FC Twente, and he managed to score 14 goals in 27 appearances for his side.

Now at 33 years of age, Wolfswinkel still remains at FC Twente, where he has played 14 times in the Eredivisie, scoring five goals, and providing four assists.

It is unknown how long Wolfswinkel will carry on playing for, but at his current age and being in his homeland, you would expect retirement to not be too far in the near future.