Thomas Verhaar

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Thomas Verhaar

| image = Thomas Verhaar.png

| caption = Verhaar in 2015

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|3|8|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Rotterdam, Netherlands

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| height = 1.83 m

| position = Winger

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008

| youthclubs1 = Sparta Rotterdam

| youthyears2 = 2008–2010

| youthclubs2 = Willem II

| years1 = 2010–2014

| clubs1 = VOC

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 2013

| clubs2 = → Houston Dutch Lions (loan)

| caps2 = 9

| goals2 = 2

| years3 = 2014–2019

| clubs3 = Sparta Rotterdam

| caps3 = 117

| goals3 = 36

| years4 = 2019

| clubs4 = Ajax Cape Town

| caps4 = 12

| goals4 = 5

| years5 = 2019–2021

| clubs5 = Excelsior

| caps5 = 38

| goals5 = 3

| years6 = 2021–2022

| clubs6 = AFC

| caps6 = 31

| goals6 = 7

| years7 = 2022–2023

| clubs7 = VOC

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

}}

Thomas Verhaar (born 8 March 1988) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger.{{Worldfootball.net|thomas-verhaar}}

Career

Verhaar played in the youth academy of Sparta Rotterdam and Willem II, before ending up at amateur club VOC. He played for the club for four years and made his senior debut there. During this period, he was also on a three-month loan with American club Houston Dutch Lions.{{cite news |last1=Feenstra |first1=Michel |title=Thomas Verhaar naar Houston Dutch Lions {{!}} |url=https://www.voetbalrotterdam.nl/2013/05/thomas-verhaar-naar-houston-dutch-lions/ |work=VoetbalRotterdam |date=7 May 2013 |language=nl}} In the summer of 2014, he was signed by Sparta Rotterdam, at that time playing in the second-tier Eerste Divisie.{{cite news |title=Verhaar: 'Droom om in eerste van Sparta te spelen' |url=https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/114017/Verhaar-Droom-om-in-eerste-van-Sparta-te-spelen |work=Rijnmond |date=24 March 2014 |language=NL}} He made his debut on 10 August 2014 in a 2–1 home win over Den Bosch. Verhaar was in the starting lineup, but was replaced by Giovanni Hiwat during the match.{{cite web |title=Sparta Rotterdam vs. FC Den Bosch - 10 augustus 2014 - Soccerway |url=https://nl.soccerway.com/matches/2014/08/10/netherlands/eerste-divisie/sparta-rotterdam-bv/fc-den-bosch/1691101/ |website=nl.soccerway.com |access-date=18 March 2021}} During his second game he scored his first goal; away against Achilles '29 he made another start and secured the 1–3 final score in injury time.{{cite web |title=Achilles '29 vs. Sparta Rotterdam - 15 augustus 2014 - Soccerway |url=https://nl.soccerway.com/matches/2014/08/15/netherlands/eerste-divisie/achilles-1929/sparta-rotterdam-bv/1691113/ |website=nl.soccerway.com |access-date=18 March 2021}} In the 2015–16 season, Verhaar won the Eerste Divisie title with Sparta, and as a result the club from the Spangen area returned to the Eredivisie after a six-year absence. At the end of the 2017–18 season, Sparta relegated to the Eerste Divisie again. There, Verhaar played another eight games before moving to South African club Ajax Cape Town in January 2019.{{cite news |last1=Tempelman |first1=Chris |title=Verhaar gaat avontuur aan bij Ajax Cape Town |url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/verhaar-gaat-avontuur-aan-bij-ajax-cape-town |work=Voetbal International |date=17 January 2019 |language=nl}} He played there for six months. In June 2019, he returned to Rotterdam, this time to Excelsior where he signed a two-year contract.{{cite news |last1=Oevelen |first1=Wesley van |title=Oud-Spartaan Thomas Verhaar gaat aan de slag bij Excelsior |url=https://www.ad.nl/rotterdam/oud-spartaan-thomas-verhaar-gaat-aan-de-slag-bij-excelsior~a725aab3/ |work=Algemeen Dagblad |date=26 June 2019 |language=nl}}

On 7 April 2021, he agreed to join AFC for the 2021–22 season.{{cite web|publisher=Amsterdamsche FC|url=https://www.afc.nl/nieuws?c=2&id=6596|title=Thomas Verhaar stapt over naar AFC|date=7 April 2021|accessdate=3 October 2021|language=nl}}{{cite news |title=Thomas Verhaar beëindigt profcarrière en stapt over naar AFC {{!}} |url=https://www.voetbalrotterdam.nl/2021/04/thomas-verhaar-beeindigt-profcarriere-en-stapt-over-naar-afc/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |work=VoetbalRotterdam |date=7 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207055843/https://www.voetbalrotterdam.nl/2021/04/thomas-verhaar-beeindigt-profcarriere-en-stapt-over-naar-afc/ |archive-date=7 December 2021 |language=nl-NL}} After one season, he returned to his first senior club VOC, before retiring from football in 2023.{{cite news |title=VOC herenigt broers Verhaar |url=https://www.voetbalrotterdam.nl/2022/05/voc-herenigt-broers-verhaar/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509141745/https://www.voetbalrotterdam.nl/2022/05/voc-herenigt-broers-verhaar/ |archive-date=9 May 2022 |language=nl-NL}}