Ricardo van Rhijn (born 13 June 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Club career RKSV DoCoS Born to an Antillean mother and a Dutch father, Van Rhijn began his football career at RKSV DoCoS, where he left a lasting impression as a central defender on the DoCoS sportspark. In 2002, at age 12, Van Rhijn transferred to the youth squad of Ajax, turning down offers from other clubs, such as ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord. Ajax Three years after transferring to the Amsterdam-based club, Van Rhijn began playing for the Ajax B1 team in the youth ranks, winning the national championship under coach Robin Pronk. After this successful season, Van Rhijn was offered his first contract, moving up to the Ajax A1 selection—skipping past the Ajax B1 selection, which is the usual next step—and signing a three-year contract. Under then-youth coach Frank de Boer, Van Rhijn enjoyed two successful seasons with Ajax A1, defending alongside Timothy van der Meulen in his first year and Bryan Ottenhoff the following season. This led to a contract extension for one additional year. On 21 September 2011, Van Rhijn made his debut for the senior squad in a KNVB Cup match against VV Noordwijk, helping his side to a 3–1 away win after coming on as a substitute for Toby Alderweireld in the 65th minute. On 18 December 2011, Van Rhijn made his first team debut in the Eredivisie, against ADO Den Haag. The match ended in a 4–0 win for Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena, which saw Van Rhijn playing the full 90 minutes in place of Alderweireld, who was sidelined due to an injury. Moving from the centre back role to the right back position, Ajax has used Van Rhijn extensively as a replacement for an injured Gregory van der Wiel. The 2012–13 season saw Van Rhijn becoming the first-choice right back under manager Frank de Boer following the departure of Van der Wiel. Van Rhijn scored his first official goal for Ajax in a UEFA Europa League home match against Steaua București in the round of 32 on 14 February 2013. The match ended in a 2–0 home win for Ajax, with Van Rhijn scoring in the 48th minute. Van Rhijn would score his first Eredivisie goal the following season on 2 August 2013 in the season opener against Roda JC at home, scoring the opening