International Career
In 2007 Pieters was called up by Jong Oranje coach Foppe de Haan to be part of his squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship held in the Netherlands. Pieters did not play in their first round group match against Israel (1–0 win), but did come on as a substitute in the second match against Portugal (2–1 win) to secure a semi final spot and to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the semi finals against England (1–1, 13–12 after 32 penalty kicks) Pieters played in the starting eleven, but was later substituted by Tim Janssen to improve the attack as well as due to a small injury. Pieters returned on the pitch and the Dutch went on to retain their 2006 title by beating Serbia 4–1 in the final.
Ever since the retirement of Giovanni van Bronckhorst Pieters has been the first-choice leftback of the Netherlands national football team.
On 7 May 2012, Pieters was named in the provisional list of 36 players for the Euro 2012 tournament, but he did not recover in time for the competition due to a foot injury. PSV team member Jetro Willems replaced him in the Euro 2012 squad.
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Famous quotes containing the word career:
“John Brown’s career for the last six weeks of his life was meteor-like, flashing through the darkness in which we live. I know of nothing so miraculous in our history.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)