Steven Pienaar life and biography

Steven Pienaar (born 17 March 1982 in Johannesburg) is a South African footballer currently playing for English Premier League club Everton. He can play on either the right or left wing and is also a member of the South African national team. In his career, Pienaar has played for Ajax Cape Town, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Everton.

Career

He was brought over to Holland in January 2001 but did not make his Eredivisie debut until 24 February 2002 - in a 1-0 victory over NAC Breda. He became a pivotal member of the Ajax team that won the Dutch League in 2002 and 2004.

Borussia Dortmund
In January 2006, it was announced that German club Borussia Dortmund had signed Pienaar on a three-year contract from Ajax. Seen as a replacement for Arsenal-bound Tomáš Rosický, Pienaar's first year with Borussia Dortmund saw him receive the number 10 shirt vacated by the Czech playmaker. Pienaar struggled at Dortmund and was never accepted by the players at the club.

Everton
Pienaar joined English club Everton on loan for 2007–08 and later signed a three-year contract from Dortmund for a pre-agreed fee of £2 million after payment of an initial loan fee of £350,000 in April 2008. He made his Premier League debut for Everton in the latter stages of the 2–1 home victory against Wigan Athletic. He scored his first Everton goal in the 2–0 home victory over Middlesbrough in September 2007.

International career
He made his international debut for South Africa in a 2-0 win against Turkey in 2002 and has since accumulated 46 caps and 2 goals.
He also participated at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Pienaar grew up with his mother and two sisters and one brother in a largely coloured township on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Pienaar is commonly referred to by his nickname "The Mighty Peanut," taken from the Italian footballer Salvatore Schillaci. The people from his native Westbury and surroundings affectionately shortened the nickname to Schilo .

Steven Pienaar is being sued by his ex-girlfriend, Danielle Steeneveld, for ZAR10.8million in August 2009 for not marrying her. Steeneveld, the mother of Pienaar's daughter Skyla, claims that Pienaar broke a promise to wed and ended their two-year relationship "without just cause", also claiming that Pienaar took away her contraception so she would become pregnant and that her reputation has been tarnished as she is an unmarried mother and "emotionally traumatised".

Pienaar was charged with drink-driving and failure to comply with a traffic sign in central Liverpool during February 2010.

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