Luc Nijholt

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Luc Nijholt

| image =

| fullname = Luc Nijholt{{Hugman|14633|accessdate=30 April 2017}}

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|7|29|df=y}}

| birth_place = Zaandam, Netherlands

| currentclub =

| position = Midfielder
Defender

| youthyears1 = |youthclubs1 = ZVV

| years1 = 1981–1987 |clubs1 = Haarlem |caps1 = 184 |goals1 = 9

| years2 = 1987–1988 |clubs2 = AZ |caps2 = 9 |goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1988–1989 |clubs3 = Utrecht |caps3 = 15 |goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1989–1990 |clubs4 = Old Boys |caps4 = 27 |goals4 = 4

| years5 = 1990–1993 |clubs5 = Motherwell |caps5 = 96 |goals5 = 5

| years6 = 1993–1995 |clubs6 = Swindon Town |caps6 = 67 |goals6 = 1

| years7 = 1995–1998 |clubs7 = Volendam |caps7 = 60 |goals7 = 1

| totalcaps = 458 | totalgoals = 20

| manageryears1 = |managerclubs1 = Hellas Sport

| manageryears2 = |managerclubs2 = Zaanlandia

| manageryears3 = {{0|000}}?–2005 |managerclubs3 = AZ (U19)

| manageryears4 = 2005–2008 | managerclubs4 = Stormvogels Telstar

| manageryears5 = 2008–2009 | managerclubs5 = Red Bull Salzburg (assistant)

| manageryears6 = 2010 | managerclubs6 = Qatar (assistant)

| manageryears7 = 2012 | managerclubs7 = Shandong Luneng (assistant)

| manageryears8 = 2014-2015 | managerclubs8 = Dinamo Tbilisi (Academy Dir.)

| manageryears9 = 2016 | managerclubs9 = Meizhou Hakka

| manageryears10 = 2018 | managerclubs10= Utrecht (assistant)

| manageryears11 = 2019 | managerclubs11= Al Wahda (assistant)

}}

Luc Nijholt (born 29 July 1961) is a Dutch football manager and a former player, who played for a number of clubs, both home and abroad.

Playing career

Nijholt began his career in the early 1980s with Haarlem,{{cite news|url=https://www.nhnieuws.nl/nieuws/174868/column-vergeten-voetbalhelden-luc-nijholt|title=Column 'vergeten' voetbalhelden: Luc Nijholt|date=23 November 2015|website=NH Nieuws|accessdate=11 August 2024|language=nl|last=van Wonderen|first=Mark}} spending six years with the club. Nijholt was a member of the famous Haarlem team that competed in the UEFA Cup in the 1982–83 season, for the first time in the club's history. However this campaign was to be overshadowed by the Luzhniki disaster. He then moved on to single seasons with AZ, Utrecht and Swiss side Old Boys. In 1990, Nijholt moved to Scottish side Motherwell for a fee of £100,000 and helped them win the Scottish Cup in his first season.{{cite web|url=https://www.motherwellnet.com/database/player-archive/n/luc-nijholt/|title=Luc Nijholt|website=MotherwellNet.com|access-date=11 August 2024}}

In summer 1993, he moved to English side Swindon Town{{cite web|url=https://townenders.com/profile.php?person_code=NIJHOLTL|title=Luc Nijholt Player profile|website=TownEnders.com|access-date=11 August 2024}} for a fee of £175,000, spending two years with The Robins. He joined them after they won promotion to the FA Premier League, but couldn't prevent them from being relegated after just one season with a mere five wins and a defence that leaked 100 goals in the league. However, he did score his only goal for Swindon on 19 March 1994 in a surprise 2–2 home draw against that season's double winners Manchester United. A year later he was part of the side which reached the Football League Cup semi finals but suffered a second successive relegation.

After leaving Swindon in 1995, Nijholt joined Volendam and spent three years with them before retiring in 1998.

Managerial career

Nijholt became manager of Stormvogels Telstar in 2005{{cite news|url=https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/sport/81891/luc-nijholt-trainer-stormvogels-telstar|title=Luc Nijholt trainer Stormvogels/Telstar|date=4 February 2005|publisher=RTV Utrecht|accessdate=11 August 2024|language=nl}} and has since declared his interest in managing former clubs Swindon{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/6105428.stm|title=Nijholt keen on Swindon boss post |date=1 November 2006 |publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=30 April 2017}} and Motherwell,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/6730057.stm|title=Nijholt wants return to Fir Park |date=2007-06-07|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=2008-09-05}} although neither application was successful.

He was the assistant coach of FC Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) during 2008–09 season. In 2010, he reunited with Co Adriaanse to be part of his coaching staff with the Qatar national team.{{Cite web|url=http://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/site/nieuws/122881/Adriaanse_wordt_bondscoach_van_Jong_Qatar.html|title = Rangers wint bij Celtic; rood voor Vennegoor}} He later worked as an assistant to Jean-Paul de Jong at FC Utrecht and to Maurice Steijn in Qatar.{{cite news|url=https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/sport/1936191/luc-nijholt-naar-al-wahda|title=Luc Nijholt naar Al Wahda|date=23 June 2019|publisher=RTV Utrecht|accessdate=11 August 2024|language=nl}} He also was academy manager at Dinamo Tbilisi.{{cite news|url=https://fcdinamo.ge/en/news?n=2720&i=26|title=Dutch Luc Nijholt will lead Dinamo Academy|date=5 June 2014|publisher=Dinamo Tbilisi|accessdate=11 August 2024}}

Personal life

In 1984 his then 21-year-old girlfriend Sandra van Raalten was murdered in the fashion store where she worked. The case is known as De Paskamermoord,{{cite news|url=https://www.noordhollandsdagblad.nl/incoming/paskamermoord-uiteindelijk-eerherstel-voor-de-rechercheur-die-het-goed-had/9865810.html|title=Paskamermoord: uiteindelijk eerherstel voor de rechercheur die het goed had|date=27 February 2016|newspaper=Noordhollands Dagblad|accessdate=11 August 2024|language=nl|last=Schoonhoven|first=Silvan}} which translates to English as 'the fitting room murder'.

His son Gianluca Nijholt was also a professional footballer.