Jacobus Antonius Peter Johannes "Jasper" Cillessen (born 22 April 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish club Valencia and the Netherlands national team. Cillessen joined NEC's youth team in 2001, making his professional debut for them in 2010, and signed for Ajax for €3 million a year later. He played in 141 matches for Ajax in six seasons, winning honours including three Eredivisie titles. In 2016, he joined Barcelona for an initial €13 million. In May 2011, Cillessen received his first call-up for the Netherlands national team. He made his international debut in 2013 and was the country's first-choice goalkeeper as they finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In June 2014, Cillessen was selected in the Netherlands' squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was given the number 1 jersey and started in the team's opening match, a 5–1 victory against Spain in Salvador. He went on to start in every match in the tournament as the Oranje took third place. However, in the quarter-final against Costa Rica, Louis van Gaal unexpectedly substituted him for Tim Krul ahead of the penalty shootout, which the Dutch team won. |
