Facts About Gio van Bronckhorst’s Wife, Marieke Wolsers
Football manager and former player Giovanni van Bronckhorst is wed to Marieke Wolters Van Bronckhorst. He is now the Scottish Premiership’s Rangers coach.
After participating in every game for the team that season, he was essential to Barcelona’s 2005–06 UEFA Champions League victory and started the final.
He later became the manager of Feyenoord in May 2015 after helping Feyenoord and the Dutch under-21 team.
In his first year, Bronckhorst won the KNVB Cup, and in 2017, the team earned its first Eredivisie championship in 18 years. After that, he went back to managing Rangers in November 2021, and in his first season, he took them to the Scottish Cup and Europa League finals.
After leading his squad in their final game, which was the 2010 World Cup final, Giovanni was elevated to the Order of Orange-Nassau.
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Age of Marieke, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s wife
Marieke Wolters Van Bronckhorst, the wife of football manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, is in her mid-forties.
On June 12, 2019, Giovanni posted a picture of her and their kid Jake along with a birthday message on Instagram.
She might be approximately the same age as him, which is 45 to 50 years old, because they attended the same school in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The couple started dating after they both graduated from high school and began their respective careers, not while they were still in it.
While her husband went on to become a professional footballer, Wolters continued her education and obtained her certification to become a primary school teacher.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Bio
Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst, a Dutch football manager and former player, currently oversees Scottish Premiership team Rangers. He was born on February 5, 1975. He began his career as a midfielder before switching to left back later on.
Van Bronckhorst played for RKC Waalwijk, Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Feyenoord once more throughout his club career. He started the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League final and was a key contributor to Barcelona’s success. He had participated in every Champions League game for Barcelona that year.
Van Bronckhorst participated in three FIFA World Cups (1998, 2006, and 2010), three UEFA European Championships (2000, 2004, and 2008), and received 107 caps for the Netherlands national team. He was chosen to the Order of Orange-Nassau after leading the Oranje in the 2010 World Cup final. His final game was in the 2010 World Cup final.
Van Bronckhorst managed Feyenoord and the Dutch under-21 squad before taking the position in May 2015. In his first year, he won the KNVB Cup, and in 2017, the team earned its first Eredivisie championship in 18 years. He returned to Rangers in November 2021 as manager, leading them to the Scottish Cup victory and the Europa League final.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Club Career
Victor van Bronckhorst, an Indonesian-Dutch father, and Fransien Sapulette, an Indonesian mother of Moluccan ancestry, gave birth to Van Bronckhorst in Rotterdam. He started playing for the Linker Maas Oever amateur junior team in Rotterdam at the age of six. He accepted the club’s offer of a professional contract when he was 15 years old and entered the Feyenoord youth academy the following year. He won the Dutch Youth League with the club in 1991, but found it difficult to break into the first team. He was loaned out to RKC Waalwijk, where he made his league debut in 1993. He joined Feyenoord again for the 1994–95 season, but only made 10 appearances for the team.1995–96 was his breakthrough season, as he started nearly all of Feyenoord’s games, competing alongside players like Regi Blinker and Henrik Larsson.
In the Netherlands, Van Bronckhorst started looking for a new team after Feyenoord failed to end PSV-dominance Ajax’s of the Eredivisie for the fourth consecutive year and key players like Henrik Larsson left the squad. He decided to join Dick Advocaat at Rangers, his former international U-16 and U-18 manager, joining the club in 1998 for a reported transfer fee between £5 and 5.5 million.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Rangers
In his first competitive match for Rangers on July 22, 1998, Van Bronckhorst scored as they overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat League of Ireland team Shelbourne 5-3 at Prenton Park in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. He went on to score 22 goals for Rangers, mostly in midfield, scoring 13 league goals, three Scottish Cup goals, one Scottish League Cup goal, three UEFA Champions League goals, and two UEFA Cup goals. After joining Arsenal .
One of his goals came in the Scottish Cup Final in 2000, which Rangers defeated Aberdeen in 4-0 fashion. Robbie Winters had to fill in for injured opposition goalkeeper Jim Leighton in the third minute because there was no substitute available. He suffered a groyne injury while on international duty in October of that year. He made his comeback against Heart of Midlothian on March 3, 2001, but only played for 23 minutes before being hurt by Colin Cameron.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Arsenal
Van Bronckhorst was acquired by Arsene Wenger for £8 million in June 2001. He partnered Patrick Vieira in the centre of the field to fill the void left by Emmanuel Petit’s departure from Arsenal. However, Van Bronckhorst’s time at Highbury was cut short by a cruciate knee ligament injury, which forced him to leave the team after only a few months. Despite this, Van Bronckhorst went on to help Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2002-03 and the Premier League championship in 2001-2002. He scored twice in 64 appearances for the Gunners overall.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Barcelona
Van Bronckhorst had the chance to join Barcelona as the 2003–04 season drew near and train with the club’s new head coach Frank Rijkaard on a one–year loan with an eye on a permanent transfer.
He helped Barça experience a comeback in the second part of the season after settling into his new position as a left-back. Van Bronckhorst signed a three-year contract and paid €2 million to transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona in May 2004. He won the Liga title in the 2004–05 season after some of his best performances and four goals. He assisted his team in 2005–06 as they won the UEFA Winners League and repeated as Liga champions (he was the only player who participated in all Champions League matches that season). He wore the name “Gio” on his shirt while in Spain.
Van Bronckhorst had one year left on his contract with Barcelona in 2007, but he returned to Feyenoord on June 27 due to a provision that allowed him to do so for free. Shortly after, head coach Bert van Marwijk appointed him captain of the team. He would later develop into a crucial team player, bringing steadiness to a side that was plagued by injuries. He guided “De Stadionclub” to victory in the 2007-08 KNVB Cup at the conclusion of his debut campaign, winning 2-0 over Roda JC in the championship match.
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World-wide Career
Although the Netherlands didn’t make it to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Van Bronckhorst made his debut for the national team. He received his first full international cap in August 1996, when Guus Hiddink named him to the starting lineup for the Oranje’s friendly match against Brazil at the Amsterdam Arena. Van Bronckhorst scored his first goal for Ons Oranje in August 1996 at the FNB Stadium against South Africa. He travelled with the Netherlands team to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, although he did not participate in the competition. He only had a little role in the Netherlands’ Euro 2000 team, filling in for left-back Arthur Numan.
2004 Euros and the 2006 World Cup
2007 saw Van Bronckhorst serve as the Netherlands’ captain.
Van Bronckhorst, who was frequently used as a midfielder at the club level at the time, was used as a left defender at Euro 2004 by manager Dick Advocaat. The Netherlands advanced to the tournament’s semifinals but lost to the hosts Portugal.
In the national team’s 2006 World Cup qualification campaign, Van Bronckhorst was a regular. He was given a red card in the Battle of Nuremberg, a World Cup encounter in which four red cards were issued, during the round of 16 match against Portugal.
Euro 2008
On March 28, 2007, Van Bronckhorst scored against Slovenia in a qualification game for Euro 2008. The Netherlands ultimately prevailed 1-0 in the game.
He raced deep into the Italian half during a group match against Italy on June 9, 2008, cleared the ball off his own line, and then crossed the ball to Dirk Kuyt. The ball was subsequently passed from Kuyt to Wesley Sneijder, who slid it past Gianluigi Buffon as he advanced. Later, Van Bronckhorst scored again to upset the former World Cup champions 3-0.
Edwin van der Sar, the captain, declared before Euro 2008 that he will stop playing for his country after the competition; he captained his team for the 3-1 quarterfinal defeat to Russia. Van der Sar was replaced as captain by Van Bronckhorst.
The 2017 Johan Cruyff Shield was won by Feyenoord over Vitesse to start the 2017–18 campaign. On December 17, 2017, the team defeated Sparta Rotterdam 7–0 in the Rotterdam derby. On April 22, 2018, the team won the KNVB Cup once more with a 3-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in the tournament’s 100th final.
Van Bronckhorst made his intention to leave Feyenoord following the 2018–19 season known on January 24, 2019.