There was a time when Marco van Ginkel was regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe.
Dubbed the ‘next Frank Lampard‘, the Dutchman was snapped up by Chelsea for £8million in 2013 after catching the eye with Vitesse Arnhem in his home country.
GettyMarco van Ginkel featured just twice in the Premier League for Chelsea in eight years[/caption]
A box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal, Van Ginkel arrived at Stamford Bridge with high expectations, but things ultimately didn’t go according to plan.
The then 20-year-old suffered an ACL injury just two months into his Blues career, causing him to miss the bulk of his debut season.
Four separate loan spells would follow this as van Ginkel fell down the pecking order in west London, who eventually departed the club in 2021 having made just four appearances in eight years.
After returning to Holland, first with PSV and later Vitesse, the ex-Netherlands international had been without a club for over six months after his contract with the latter expired in June.
But Van Ginkel is now set to revive his career in remarkable circumstances.
On Wednesday, the 32-year-old was announced as one of nine players signed in one day by Portuguese side Boavista.
This came just a day after the Primeira Liga outfit’s two-year transfer ban was lifted by FIFA, having been unable to make signings in each of the last five transfer windows.
Other notable acquisitions joining van Ginkel in Portugal are ex-QPR defender Osman Kakay, and former Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, who made 154 appearances for the French champions.
Meanwhile, Boavista’s signing spree follows their appointment of new head coach Lito Vidigal, who arrived just two days earlier.
They will certainly be hoping their new additions can help to transform their fortunes.
The Porto-based side currently sit six points adrift at the bottom of the Primeira League, having won just twice in 21 games this season, with their most victory coming over three months ago.
And Van Ginkel will be keen to showcase more of the ability which made Chelsea so keen to secure his services over 11 years ago.
Despite his disappointing time in blue, the Dutchman has certainly made an impact in the Eredivise.
After scoring 31 goals in 61 games during a two-year loan spell with PSV between 2016 and 2018, Van Ginkel joined the club permanently in 2021, where he made a further 42 appearances.
He returned to boyhood club Vitesse in 2023, enjoying an impressive individual campaign in 2023/24 by netting seven goals in 30 games, but was unable to prevent his side from relegation.
And Van Ginkel will be all the more grateful to continue his footballing journey given how close he came to having to call it quits.
GettyVan Ginkel failed to make his mark alongside some huge names at Stamford Bridge[/caption]
GettyThe Dutchman captained Vitesse in the 2023/24 campaign[/caption]
In 2021, the midfielder revealed that his career was nearly cut short after contracting a dangerous infection following ACL surgery in 2018, which left him sidelined for 983 days as a result.
Recalling the ordeal to Goal, Van Ginkel said: “The danger was there that I would lose my career, of course.
“Especially after the first week of infection, they didn’t know what the infection was doing inside the joint.
“After three months I reacted well, but it was going to be a tough, tough time to be at the top level again, to come back and play for PSV, Chelsea or whoever.
“At that moment, it was more about whether I could walk again. Football didn’t matter.”
“The infection that came six weeks after my operation killed my knee a bit. That’s why it took so long, it damaged my knee and cruciate and I had to be operated on all over again. It was a very hard time.”
