Ben Rienstra
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 June 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Alkmaar, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Meervogels '31 | |||
| ADO '20 | |||
| Ajax | |||
| AZ | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2014 | Heracles Almelo | 108 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | PEC Zwolle | 37 | (6) |
| 2015–2018 | AZ | 51 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | → Willem II (loan) | 30 | (10) |
| 2018–2019 | Heerenveen | 33 | (4) |
| 2019–2020 | Kayserispor | 26 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Fortuna Sittard | 58 | (5) |
| 2023 | Cambuur | 4 | (0) |
| 2023 | DETO | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 May 2023 | |||
Ben Rienstra (Dutch pronunciation: [bɛn ˈrinstraː]; born 5 June 1990) is a Dutch former professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.[1]
He formerly played for Heracles Almelo, PEC Zwolle, AZ, Heerenveen, Willem II, Fortuna Sittard and SC Cambuur, before retiring after a spell at DETO. He has played over 300 Eredivisie matches, and has played in the UEFA Europa League.
Career
On 4 May 2014, Rienstra was announced at PEC Zwolle on a two year contract.[2]
On 27 August 2015, Rienstra was announced at AZ Alkmaar on a five year contract.[3] He scored his first European goal against Zenit Saint Petersburg on 8 December 2016, scoring in the 7th minute.[4]
In 2017, Rienstra was announced on a one year loan at Willem II.[5]
On 15 August 2018, Rienstra was announced at SC Heerenveen on a three year contract.[6]
On 8 August 2019, Rienstra was announced at Kayserispor on a two year contract.[7]
On 1 September 2020, Rienstra was announced at Fortuna Sittard on a three year contract.[8] On 9 July 2021, Rienstra was temporarily absent from training after medical tests revealed heart problems.[9]
On 23 January 2023, Rienstra announced he was training with SC Cambuur.[10] On 27 January 2023, Rienstra was announced at SC Cambuur on a permanent transfer.[11]
In 2023, Rienstra was playing for playing for amateur team DETO, and revealed he missed out on signing for Deportivo de La Coruña.[12]
Rienstra finished his career with over 300 Eredivisie appearances, and over 400 career appearances.[13]
Coaching career
After retiring, Rienstra was interning at the FC Twente and Heracles Almelo youth academy.[14]
In July 2025, Rienstra was in talks with clubs to sign on as a youth coach.[15]
Personal life
In October 2017, Rienstra's son and daughter became seriously ill, but they recovered.[16]
His brother is professional football player Daan Rienstra.[17]
Honours
Club
PEC Zwolle
References
- ^ Ben Rienstra at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Bekerwinnaar PEC heeft eerste aanwinst voor nieuw seizoen al binnen" [Cup winner PEC has already made its first signing for the new season] (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 December 2021.
- ^ "AZ legt Rienstra voor vijf jaar vast" [AZ signs Rienstra for five years] (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
- ^ "AZ Alkmaar vs Zenit St. Petersburg". www.worldfootball.net.
- ^ "Ben Rienstra OP Huurbasis Naar Tilburg" [Ben Rienstra On Loan To Tilburg]. www.willem-ii.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "sc Heerenveen versterkt zich met Ben Rienstra" [SC Heerenveen strengthens itself with Ben Rienstra] (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Rienstra verlaat Heerenveen voor Turks avontuur, Willem II huurt verdediger" [Rienstra leaves Heerenveen for Turkish adventure, Willem II rents defender]. nos.nl (in Dutch). 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Fortuna Sittard haalt Rienstra terug naar Nederland" [Fortuna Sittard brings Rienstra back to the Netherlands]. nos.nl (in Dutch). September 2020.
- ^ "Aanvoerder Rienstra wegens hartproblemen voorlopig afwezig bij Fortuna" [Captain Rienstra temporarily absent from Fortuna due to heart problems]. www.nu.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "Ben Rienstra gaat meetrainen bij SC Cambuur" [Ben Rienstra will be training with SC Cambuur]. cambuur.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "SC Cambuur versterkt zich per direct met Ben Rienstra" [SC Cambuur strengthens itself immediately with Ben Rienstra]. cambuur.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ "'Toen belde La Coruña, maar dat kon toen niet meer. Daar baalde ik flink van'" [Then La Coruña called, but that wasn't possible anymore. I was really upset about that.]. www.voetbalprimeur.nl (in Dutch). 23 November 2023.
- ^ "Ben Rienstra Profile". www.worldfootball.net.
- ^ "Oud-Heraclied is voetballer af en loopt stage om trainer te worden bij rivaal FC Twente" [Former Heraclied player is no longer a footballer and is doing an internship to become a trainer at rival FC Twente]. www.1twente.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ Heijtbrink, Julian. "SuperELF Ben Rienstra, veelzijdige middenvelder" [SuperELF Ben Rienstra, versatile midfielder]. www.elfvoetbal.nl (in Dutch).
- ^ Hack, Wilber. "Rienstra: Een middenvelder die veel scoort is ook gewild" [Rienstra: A midfielder who scores a lot is also in demand]. www.ad.nl.
- ^ van Dijk, Bob. "Interview Daan Rienstra: 'Ik wilde graag nog in het buitenland voetballen'" [Interview Daan Rienstra: 'I wanted to play football abroad']. www.elfvoetbal.nl (in Dutch).
External links
- Voetbal International profile (in Dutch)
- Ben Rienstra at Soccerway