André Antonius Maria Ooijer (born 11 July 1974) is a former Dutch footballer who played as a defender. He played his last professional game for Ajax against Vitesse on 6 May 2012. In an international career lasting over a decade with the Netherlands, he earned 55 caps. He was selected for UEFA Euro 2008 and three FIFA World Cups, helping the Dutch reach the final of the 2010 edition. Club career Early career Born in Amsterdam, Ooijer joined his first amateur football team when he was just five years old and started playing for other amateur clubs SDW and SDZ when he was just 12 years. He signed on at hometown club Ajax during the 1986–87 season and featured for the reserve team. Sensing that he had little future in a club with so much competition for a first-team place such as Ajax, he went on loan to Volendam for the 1994–95 season, before signing for Roda JC in the beginning of the 1995–96 season in a permanent deal. Throughout his career at that point, he excelled at right-back, although he could also operate at center-back as well as defensive midfield. After impressing at Roda JC, Ooijer joined PSV in the middle of the 1997–98 season. PSV It was at PSV that Ooijer was chosen to represent the Oranje for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, although he did not start a single match and was supposed to be cover for Michael Reiziger who played at the right side of defence. Ooijer won the Eredivisie title with PSV five times and the KNVB Cup once. He was also a regular participant in the UEFA Champions League with the club. On 15 July 2005, Ooijer appeared to have ended his eight-year association with PSV after he signed for Genoa, who were keen to defend their Serie A top-flight status after securing promotion in the 2004–05 season, for a fee of €1.5 million. However, following the Italian Football Federation (FIGC)'s investigation into a match-fixing allegation levelled against Genoa, and the FIGC's subsequent guilty verdict which meant that Genoa were relegated to Serie C1 as punishment, Ooijer's proposed transfer was cancelled and he returned to PSV. Blackburn Rovers On 23 August 2006, English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers signed Ooijer from PSV for a fee reputed to be in the region of £2 million. The defender signed an initial two-year contract, which