Orlando Engelaar
A towering Dutch midfielder whose extraordinary passing range and physical dominance made him a unique and unforgettable presence on the pitch.
Born 1979 (age 47)·Dutch retired footballer·Birthday: August 24·Generation X
Biography
Orlando Engelaar was impossible to miss on a football field. Standing well over six feet tall, he combined the frame of a central defender with the delicate touch of a playmaker. His signature was the long, raking pass, delivered with surprising ease and accuracy, often switching play in an instant. While his club career took him from the Netherlands to Germany, Belgium, and Australia, his international moment came at Euro 2008, where he started for the Netherlands in their famous 4-1 victory over France. Engelaar's career had a storybook twist at its end: returning to his first club, Twente, after a serious leg injury, he scored a spectacular 40-yard goal in his final professional match, a fitting farewell for a player who always thought in grand, sweeping gestures.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Orlando was born in 1979, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Orlando Was Born
The biggest hits of 1979
#1 Movie
Kramer vs. Kramer
Best Picture
Kramer vs. Kramer
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Orlando's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1979Born
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1984Started school
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1992Became a teenager
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Could drive
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1997Could vote
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2000Turned 21
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2009Turned 30
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 40
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 47 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Represented the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2008, starting in the group stage victory over France.
- Won the KNVB Cup with FC Schalke 04 in the 2010–11 season.
- Scored a remarkable goal from near the halfway line in his final professional match for FC Twente in 2015.
Did You Know?
His younger brother, Delano, is also a professional footballer.
After retiring, he became a technical manager for the youth academy at his boyhood club, Feyenoord.
He played for clubs in five different countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and Israel.
“My height was a gift, but the pass was my signature.”
