Scholarly Roots to Football Stardom: The Life of Marten de Roon

While many fans might only recognize Marten de Roon for his impressive performances on the pitch, this article aims to shed light on the person behind the player. We’ll dive into the full history of Marten de Roon, revealing his background in a family deeply rooted in education. His father, Wouter, a primary school teacher and educationalist, went above and beyond by coaching his son to excel in football. Additionally, Marten’s oldest sister, Elianne, is a mathematics teacher, further highlighting the family’s strong academic tradition. This memoir offers a comprehensive look at the life of a footballer who comes from a truly scholarly family.

Preamble:

Our biography of Marten de Roon explores his childhood, early life, and family background in detail. We’ll cover key aspects such as his parents—Wouter de Roon (father)—his siblings—Elianne and Marise de Roon (sisters)—his wife, Ricarda, and their daughters, Linn-Sophie, Evie, and Bo.

The story starts with significant events from Marten’s boyhood and highlights the crucial role his father played in shaping his early career. We’ll also trace how this native of Zwijndrecht achieved a remarkable rise in football.

As you dive into this piece, we hope to pique your interest in Marten de Roon’s story. To start, we present a photo gallery that introduces the journey of this Zwijndrecht superstar. Marten’s path to success has truly been a remarkable one.

The Biography of Marten de Roon - From his boyhood years to the moment he became a national hero.

The Biography of Marten de Roon – From his boyhood years to the moment he became a national hero.

It’s well-known that Marten de Roon, much like Cheick Doucoure and Teun Koopmeiners, excels at controlling the game from deep positions on the field. Additionally, de Roon is adept at pushing forward when the situation allows, making him a well-rounded footballer.

In our research on Dutch defensive midfielders, we noticed a gap in comprehensive biographies of players like de Roon. Surprisingly, there isn’t much detailed information available about his life and career. So, without further delay, let’s dive into the full story of Marten de Roon.

Marten de Roon Childhood Story:

For Biography starters, he bears the nickname – The Wavebreaker. Marten de Roon was born on the 29 March 1991 to his Father, Wouter de Roon and Mother, Mrs de Roon in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands.

The Dutch arrived in the world as the second child of his parents. The Wavebreaker is one among three children (only son) born to the union between his Mum and Dad. Now, let’s introduce you to Marten de Roon’s Parents. Persons behind his deep spirit of reverence.

From left to right, we have Marten de Roon's Mum and then his Dad, Wouter de Roon.

From left to right, we have Marten de Roon’s Mum and then his Dad, Wouter de Roon.

Growing-Up:

Marten de Roon’s Parents raised him and his siblings at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. This is a town in the western part of the Netherlands, located on the island of IJsselmonde. Elianne de Roon and Marise de Roon are Marten de Roon’s sisters.

For these siblings, the most memorable part of their childhood was spent during family outings. When Marten de Roon and his sisters (Elianne) and Marise played at this pool, they didn’t just know they were making memories. To this day, these three don’t get tired of reflecting back on this moment.

From left to right, we have Elianne, Marise, and the subject of this Biography.

From left to right, we have Elianne, Marise, and the subject of this Biography.

Marten de Roon’s Early Life:

Growing up with his sisters in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, the Dutch Athlete had always wanted to play football for a living. Marten de Roon’s Dad threw all his support into the desires of his only son. The primary school principal even went as far as training to be a football coach to help his son actualize his dreams.

When he was off his school duties, Wouter de Roon ensured he conducted one-on-one soccer training with his sons.

Again, he supported Marten by driving him to his youth training sessions with ASWH. The youngster who played football mostly in the afternoons was the type who hardly got him off the field.

Marten de Roon Family Background:

The Dutch Defensive Midfielder hails from a closely-knit middle-class household. The first thing to know about Marten de Roon’s family is the fact that his Dad is an educationalist. Wouter de Roon, who started as a teacher before becoming a school principal, has been in the education section all his work life.

Marten de Roon’s Parents both imbibed hard work. Their efforts have provided financial stability for their family. Behold the football-loving extended family where celebrities like Marten de Roon don’t get special treatment. Rather, he is seen as a normal Zwijndrecht man.

Meet the persons that Marten de Roon calls his family.

Meet the persons that Marten de Roon calls his family.

It is important to note that the head of the house (Wouter) isn’t the only educationist. Marten de Roon’s oldest sister, Elianne, is a mathematics teacher.

It doesn’t end there. Also, his youngest sister, Marise, had recently begun teaching at a primary school in the Netherlands.

Marten de Roon Family Origin:

From both his Mother’s and Father’s sides, the Atalanta midfielder has one nationality – Dutch. And about the part of the Netherlands Marten de Roon’s family comes from, our research points to Zwijndrecht. Do you know?… he is the most famous footballer this Dutch town has ever produced.

A map gallery that explains Marten de Roon's Origins.

A map gallery that explains Marten de Roon’s Origins.

Ethnicity:

Marten de Roon, like Andries Noppert, is fully Dutch. In other words, you can refer to him as a Nederlander. He, who is fluent in speaking the Dutch language, joins over 73.8% of the most popular ethnic groups native to the Netherlands.

Marten de Roon Education:

The Dutch professional footballer is a graduate of SOL Admiraal/Krommeweg in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. This is the Primary school where Marten de Roon’s Dad worked. As a school teacher, Wouter de Roon once revealed that he never taught in his son’s class. However, Marten’s Dad remained his soccer coach.

Only recently, Wouter de Roon and his first daughter, Elianne de Roon, paid a visit to the primary school Marten attended. It will interest you to know that Marten’s eldest sister, Elianne, is also in the education field, like his father. Our findings reveal that Elianne is a maths teacher.

Here is Wouter de Roon and his first daughter, Elianne, in the school building of primary school SOL Admiraal/Krommeweg. The school is situated in the town of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, where he raised Marten.

Elianne and her Dad, Wouter, paid a visit to the primary school her younger brother attended.

Elianne and her Dad, Wouter, paid a visit to the primary school her younger brother attended.

Marten de Roon Biography – Football Story:

From the onset, Father Wouter advised his son to maintain the two parts – soccer and education. He, who became a trained coach for his son’s sake, never forced Marten to go beyond his limits on the pitch.

Marten de Roon’s Parents were very supportive in terms of ensuring he got to training on time. Teacher Wouter and his wife often took turns in driving their kids to their sporting destinations.

Back in the day, they would drive Elianne to where she played korfball. They took Marten to all football competitions and training sessions. And finally, they would take Marise to the tennis court. In fact, all children born to Wouter and his wife have sporting talents.

Road to Fame Story:

In Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, where his parents raised him, the youngster excelled with the ASWH soccer team. Marten began playing there at the age of six. After two years of stay at the club, the youngster’s talent led him to pass football trials with Feyenoord.

Marten joined a club whose academy would, in later years, be responsible for raising top Dutch talents. For example, Noa Lang (Winger), Jurrien Timber (Right back), Tyrell Malacia (Left back), etc. After a seven-year stay with The Pride of South’s academy, Marten left them for Sparta Rotterdam.

During Marten de Roon’s high school days, things began to get trickier in terms of playing both soccer and reading his books. After completing high school, the youngster wrote and passed his pre-university exams. Marten successfully did that while playing for Sparta.

After passing his pre-university exams, the intelligent footballer got university admission. Marten was to study business administration at the tertiary level. After many attempts to combine that with football, he found it impossible. Marten’s university Professor advised;

Why don’t you go for football for two years and then look further?

Following the Professor’s advice, Marten de Roon decided to focus on his career. After two years, the Sparta Rotterdam youngster (who had great hopes for the future) found reasons to abandon his university education for football.

Marten de Roon Biography – Rise to Fame:

The Dutch athlete’s dream of becoming a professional footballer was achieved with Sparta Rotterdam. de Roon made his debut on the 27th day of March 2010, shortly before the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Two seasons after, he approved a permanent transfer to Heerenveen.

Playing for Heerenveen gave Marten his first taste of experience outside Sparta Rotterdam – where he performed excellently. In his quest to get playing experience abroad, Marten accepted a transfer to Atalanta BC shortly after the club sold Davide Zappacosta to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Although playing in Italy was exciting, Maten wanted to taste England. With Middlesbrough, de Roon enjoyed his first Premier League season alongside some great teammates like Adama Traoré, Álvaro Negredo,  Patrick Bamford, Víctor Valdés, Calum Chambers, etc.

Rise to Fame:

Shortly after he made his debut for the Dutch national team, Marten (in August 2017) re-signed for Atalanta. Thanks to his experience, he cemented himself as a starter under the command of Gian Piero Gasperini.

Do you know?… Marten, alongside notable names like Franck Kessié and Papu Gomez, etc., were behind the fame of Atalanta in his return season. They helped The Black and Blues to finish at a historic 3rd place in the 2018–19 Serie A season.

Fast forward to the time of writing Marten de Roon’s biography, where he still excels in a more formidable Atalanta team. A team composed of great names like Mario Pasalic and lethal forwards like Luis Muriel, Duván Zapata, and Ademola Lookman.

More interestingly, Marten is part of a Louis van Gaal Dutch team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. de Roon was part of the ruthless Netherlands side that progressed to the semi-finals, thanks to the efforts of Denzel Dumfries, Delay Blind, and Memphis Depay. The rest, as we say, is now history.

Marten de Roon Wife – Ricarda:

There is a saying that a beautiful family or woman is behind the success of every Dutch footballer. In the case of Marten, members of his household exist, including his loving wife. Now, let’s introduce you to Ricarda de Roon.

 

This is Ricarda, Marten de Roon's Wife.

This is Ricarda, Marten de Roon’s Wife.

Marten de Roon’s Children:

The marriage between the Dutch Athlete and his wife, Ricarda, has produced three kids. Marten de Roon’s daughter (the first) is Linn-Sophie de Roon. His second child is Evie de Roon.

Ricarda and Wife, pictured with their daughters (Linn-Sophie de Roon. And his second child is Evie).

Ricarda and Wife, pictured with their daughters (Linn-Sophie de Roon. And his second child is Evie).

At the time of creating this Bio, Marten has no son. His last child (a daughter named Bo de Roon) was born in early 2019. Marten de Roon’s Children – from left to right – include Evie, Bo, and Linn-Sophie.

Meet the daughters born to Marten and Ricarda.

Meet the daughters born to Marten and Ricarda.

Personal Life and Lifestyle:

Outside the pitch, where there is no aggression, Marten de Roon remains a tame lamb. A man who returns a smile with a smile and whose wife describes him as “very funny.”

About their choice of holiday destination, Ricarda and her husband love the safari life in Dubai. Again, the Athlete is no stranger to hilarious holiday photos – TalkSport reveals.

The couple sure had good fun and great company during their tour on the Safari.

The couple sure had good fun and great company during their tour on the Safari.

Car:

From what we’ve gathered, the Wave Breaker Marten de Roon has an unknown ride. And judging by his social media pictures, it appears Marten isn’t the type of footballer who fancies displaying a fleet of exotic cars as seen in most footballers. For example, the likes of the Neymars and Pogbas.

It is hard to show the type of cars the Midfielder drives.

It is hard to show the type of cars the Midfielder drives.

Marten de Roon Family Life:

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Athlete didn’t achieve success simply because he has an amazing Orange team. Rather, the support from Marten de Roon’s family also plays a big role in his career progress. Now, let’s unveil more information about members of his household.

Marten de Roon Father:

Wouter de Roon was 62 years old at the time he wrote his son’s biography.

Aside from raising an educated family, Marten de Roon’s Dad also ensured all his children took a likeness for a particular sport. To help his son succeed, Wouter went as far as learning how to do soccer coaching.

The Athlete's Father, Wouter, spends his free time cheering for Atalanta.

The Athlete’s Father, Wouter, spends his free time cheering for Atalanta.

Marten de Roon Mother:

To this day, a lack of documentation still exists about her name or the facts surrounding her. However, we have only gathered that Marten de Roon is Dutch, and she, alongside Wouter (years ago), took turns driving their children to sports training. The super Mum is most definitely proud of her son’s underdog story with Atalanta.

Marten de Roon Sister:

Elianne is a mathematics teacher who excels in Korfball. This is a ball sport with close similarities to basketball and netball.

On the other hand, Marise, the youngest in the de Roon family, is also a teacher, one who loves tennis as her sport.

For Elianne and Marise, one of the proudest moments of their brother’s career was when he helped his Bergamo team qualify for the Champions League of the 2019/2020 season.

For Marise and Elianne, it feels more exciting to find their brother doing well on the field.

Even to this day, all the moments Elianne and Marise spend together are always valuable.

Even to this day, all the moments Elianne and Marise spend together are always valuable.

She and the whole de Roon family hardly ever miss his international games. Elianne dislikes when her brother is harshly criticized, “which sometimes hurts,” according to her.

Her biggest feat is to see Marten sustain an injury. Speaking about her brothers’ popularity in Italy, Elianne once said,

“When family members or I walk down the street with my brother, he is constantly recognized.

Supporters rush to take selfies; some boys would fight for an autograph. Truly, I still find that strange.”

Untold Facts:

In the final phase of Marten de Roon’ Biography, we’ll unveil more truths you might not know about him. Without taking further of your time, let’s begin.

How rich is the Atalanta midfielder?

Where Marten de Roon’s Family comes from, the average Dutch citizen makes 37,992 yearly. Do you know?… such a citizen would need 48.7 years to make Marten de Roon’s 2022 annual salary of €1,852,850 with with Atalanta BC.

Marten de Roon FIFA:

Both in game and in real life, the Dutch Athlete joins the likes of Lucas Paqueta (AM), Ajdin Hrustic, and Frenkie de Jong, who pride themselves as complete footballers. Let’s not forget Ismael Bennacer, the 2019 AFCON best player.

Do you know?… Marten de Roon lacks nothing in football (before the 50-average mark). Here is proof of his SOFIFA at the age of 31.

Even to this day, all the moments Elianne and Marise spend together are always valuable.

Even to this day, all the moments Elianne and Marise spend together are always valuable.

Marten de Roon Religion:

In his country’s census report, around 55% of Dutch people identify themselves as non-religious. The fact that Marten de Roon is yet to identify with any religious group leaves the possibility that he might be non-religious.

EndNote:

The Athlete has the nickname “The Wavebreaker,” and his full names are Marten Elco de Roon. He arrived in the world on the 29th of March 1991 to his parents, Mr and Mrs Wouter de Roon. The Athlete arrived in the world as the only son of his Dutch Dad and Mum.

Marten grew up in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, which is 6.4 kilometres (or 10-minute drive) from his birthplace, Zwijndrecht. Marten de Roon has two siblings – all sisters. Elianne de Roon is the oldest in the family. Marise de Roon is the youngest of Marten de Roon’s sisters.

On a personal note, the Dutch Athlete is married to his wife, Ricarda. Marten and Ricarda are parents of three children. The first of their three daughters is Bo de Roon. Linn-Sophie and Evie are the couple’s first and second daughters. Marten de Roon has no son.

Results from our research reveal the Athlete hails from a family filled with Educationalists. Aside from Marten de Roon’s mum, whose occupation we know little about, the rest of his household members are teachers.

Wouter, who is the head of the family, is a school principal. Elianne, the oldest daughter and firstborn, is a math teacher.

And finally, Marten de Roon’s sister (the youngest, Marise) is a teacher at a primary school. Regarding his education, the Dutch footballer graduated from SOL Admiraal/Krommeweg in the town he grew up (Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht).

Asides from thriving in the Dutch education sector, Elianne and Marise are also into sports (Korfball and Tennis). It will interest you to know that Wouter de Roon also became a football coach.

Thanks to his efforts, Marten built a solid foundation for his great career. As of 2023, he and Rasmus Hojlund are enjoying a fine season with Atalanta BC.

Appreciation Note:

Thank you for taking the time to read our biography of Marten de Roon. Alongside de Roon’s story, we offer a range of fascinating accounts about other footballers that we think you’ll enjoy. Be sure to check out the histories of Stephan El Shaarawy and Alex Grimaldo —they’re sure to captivate you.

We strive for accuracy and fairness in sharing football stories from the Netherlands. De Roon’s biography is part of our broader collection of European soccer stories.

If you spot anything that seems off in our account of Marten de Roon, please let us know in the comments. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on the career of this Dutch superstar, who is celebrated as a legend at Atalanta B.C.

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