In the 10th of our profiles on this season's Barclays Premier League signings, premierleague.com takes a look at the Dutch defender who has followed team-mate Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord to Aston Villa.
Ron Vlaar
Club: Aston Villa
Nationality: Dutch
Position: Centre-back
DOB: 16/02/85
Age: 27
Height: 6ft 2in
Transfer fee: Undisclosed
Fantasy Premier League transfer fee: 5.0
Contracted: Until 2015
Previous clubs: AZ (2004-06), Feyenoord (2006-12)
League appearances: 142 (Eredivisie)
League goals: 8 (Eredivisie)
International appearances: 9
International goals: 1
Honours: 2006, 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship winner, 2007-08 Dutch Cup
Nickname: Concrete Ron
Profile: A strong central defender, Vlaar will bring leadership and determination to Paul Lambert's side. After a number of serious injuries forced him to miss almost two full seasons, the 27-year-old has managed to play consistently in recent years and captained Feyenoord to their highest league position in a decade in 2011/12. He made his full international debut in 2005 and was a part of the Netherlands squad that had a disappointing UEFA Euro 2012.
He says: "I play with a lot of passion. I just want to win every game, no matter what. I hope to bring that over to the other players and the crowd and then we can be very strong."
They say: "Ron is a really good defender and he has a wealth of experience for both Holland and a big football club in Feyenoord, so I'm delighted we have brought him here to Villa." (Paul Lambert, Aston Villa manager)
Interesting stat: Despite playing in the Eredivisie for eight years, injury has restricted Vlaar to 142 league appearances.
Did you know? Vlaar once scored from inside his own half for Feyenoord in a 2009 Dutch Cup match.
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