Paul Quasten

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Paul Quasten

| fullname = Paul Gerardus Quasten{{cite web |title=P. Quasten: Profiel |url=https://www.vi.nl/spelers/paul-gerardus-quasten/profiel |website=Voetbal International |access-date=28 September 2023}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|3|13|df=y}}

| birth_place = Amsterdam, Netherlands

| height = 1.80 m

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Left-back

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = AS '80

| youthyears2 = 1992–2004

| youthclubs2 = Ajax

| years1 = 2004–2008

| clubs1 = FC Volendam

| caps1 = 80

| goals1 = 8

| years2 = 2008–2010

| clubs2 = Willem II

| caps2 = 12

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2013–2014

| clubs3 = Ajax Zaterdag

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 2014–2017

| clubs4 = Almere City

| caps4 = 80

| goals4 = 3

| years5 = 2017–2021

| clubs5 = RKC Waalwijk

| caps5 = 89

| goals5 = 2

| years6 = 2021–2022

| clubs6 = Ajax Zaterdag

| caps6 = 7

| goals6 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 2004

| nationalteam1 = Czech Republic U19

| nationalcaps1 = 6

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalyears2 = 2006

| nationalteam2 = Czech Republic U21

| nationalcaps2 = 2

| nationalgoals2 = 0

}}

Paul Gerardus Quasten ({{langx|cs|Pavel Quasten}}; born 13 March 1985) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a left-back.{{Worldfootball.net|paul-quasten}}

Club career

Born in Amsterdam to a Dutch father and Czech mother, Quasten progressed through the Ajax academy after joining from childhood AS '80. He never reached his breakthrough to the Ajax first team, and therefore signed his first senior contract with FC Volendam in 2004, where he made his debut on 24 November in a match against FC Emmen.{{cite news |title=RKC Waalwijk verdediger Paul Quasten |url=https://keukenkampioendivisie.nl/rkc-waalwijk-verdediger-paul-quasten/ |access-date=25 November 2020 |work=Eerste Divisie |language=nl}} His highlight during his time at Volendam, where he would appear in 80 matches through four seasons, was winning the second-tier Eerste Divisie championship in the 2007–08 season. The decisive match away at ADO Den Haag was Quasten's last for the club, as he had already signed a pre-contract with Willem II.

Quasten joined Willem II in the summer of 2008, where he competed with José Valencia and Léo Veloso for the starting position at left back. In the first months at the club, Quasten made 12 appearances and score one goal – against his former club Volendam. Right before the winter break, in the autumn of 2008, he suffered a serious knee injury.{{cite news |title=Onwillige knie kost Willem II'er Quasten voorbereiding op volgend seizoen |url=https://www.goal.com/nl/news/213/eredivisie/2009/05/12/1261111/onwillige-knie-kost-willem-iier-quasten-voorbereiding-op-volgend- |access-date=25 November 2020 |work=GOAL |date=12 May 2009 |language=nl}} The injury would keep him sidelined for almost two years, with speculation that he was forced to retire from professional football due to the severity of the injury.{{cite news |last1=Hack |first1=Wilber |title=Een paar maanden zelf fit blijven is voor Paul Quasten te overzien |url=https://www.bd.nl/rkc-waalwijk/een-paar-maanden-zelf-fit-blijven-is-voor-paul-quasten-te-overzien~a9cf6c9c/ |access-date=25 November 2020 |work=Brabants Dagblad |date=20 May 2020 |language=nl}} In February 2010, however, he made his comeback in a match between Jong Willem II and Jong Feyenoord/Excelsior. A few months later, his contract with Willem II expired.

After three years of rehabilitating, Quasten began playing with his youth club AS '80 and later joined the Ajax Zaterdag team. In the 2013–14 season, Quasten and Ajax Zaterdag won promotion to the Topklasse. He then followed his former coach Fred Grim to Almere City, where the latter had become head coach, reviving Quasten's career in professional football. There, he made 90 appearances in which he scored three goals.

In June 2017, Quasten signed with Eerste Divisie club RKC Waalwijk,{{cite news |title=Quasten tekent contract bij RKC Waalwijk |url=http://tjerkstramediaclubwatcher.nl/2017/06/15/quasten-tekent-contract-bij-rkc-waalwijk/ |access-date=25 November 2020 |work=Tjerkstra Media |date=15 June 2017 |language=Dutch}} with whom he reached promotion to the top-tier Eredivisie in 2019.{{cite news |last1=van Mersbergen |first1=Sander |title=RKC promoveert: De lessen van vijf jaar ploeteren in de kelder van het betaalde voetbal |url=https://www.bd.nl/rkc-waalwijk/rkc-promoveert-de-lessen-van-vijf-jaar-ploeteren-in-de-kelder-van-het-betaalde-voetbal~a3c1fe52/ |access-date=25 November 2020 |work=Brabants Dagblad |date=30 May 2019 |language=Dutch}}

In July 2021, he announced his retirement from professional football.{{cite news |title=Paul Quasten stopt per direct met zijn voetbalcarrière |url=https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/sport/244565/paul-quasten-stopt-per-direct-met-zijn-voetbalcarriere |access-date=28 September 2023 |work=Omroep Flevoland |date=19 July 2021 |language=nl}} He then played one more year at amateur level for his former club Ajax Zaterdag.{{cite web |title=Paul Quasten voegt zich per direct bij de selectie van Ajax |url=https://ajaxzaterdag.nl/2021/08/01/1073/ |website=AJAX zaterdag |access-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809004009/https://ajaxzaterdag.nl/2021/08/01/1073/ |archive-date=9 August 2021 |language=nl-NL |date=1 August 2021}}

International career

Quasten played for the Czech highest level junior national team until 2006, but has never received his first senior cap with either Czech Republic or the Netherlands.

Honours

Volendam

Eerste Divisie: 2007–08{{cite news |title=FC Volendam is kampioen na moeizame winst |url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/fc-volendam-is-kampioen-na-moeizame-winst |access-date=26 November 2020 |work=Voetbal International |date=18 April 2008 |language=Dutch}}