Nicky Hofs started playing football at the age of five, for his team Arnhemse Boys in the city ofArnhem, The Netherlands. It was soon discovered he possessed considerable talent. When he was twelve years old, scouts from both Ajax and Vitesse showed interest. After failing his trial at Ajax in Amsterdam, Vitesse, which is his favourite Dutch team, decided to sign him. He first appeared in professional football in the 2001/2002 season, playing 13 games for Vitesse and scoring two goals. Halfway through the 2004/2005 season he was signed by Feyenoord. Nicky Hofs left Vitesse having played 69 official league games for the club and scored fifteen goals.
Feyenoord
In his first season for Feyenoord he played 13 league games. In his second season Hofs started off great, scoring four goals in six matches. However, he suffered a major knee injury, which limited the number of games he was able to play to only 14 in the 2005/2006 season. He left Feyenoord in the summer of 2008 on loan to his former team Vitesse, including the option for a permanent transfer.
Return to Vitesse
Hofs returned to his old love Vitesse on loan from Feyenoord in the summer of 2008. After one season on loan, playing 30 matches in which he scored 7 times, he signed a two-years contract, as he had no more chance of playtime with Feyenoord. He just stayed one more season, playing 31 games and scoring once. Despite an ongoing contract, he left Vitesse in the summer of 2010. Vitesse had financial issues and was unable to pay Hofs' relatively high salary.
He signed a two-year contract with AEL Limassol in June 2010. After one season, playing 14 matches without scoring any goals, he could leave the club on a free transfer.
Final return to Vitesse
So just one year later he returned to Vitesse for the third and final time. Although he played 27 matches in his first season, he left on loan to Willem II in January 2013, after only playing 6 matches in the first half of the season. In June 2013, Hofs ended his professional career, only 30 years old, as he was physically unable to play at a high level any more. From the start of the 2013-2014 season Hofs has been a youth coach for Vitesse.
International games
Nicky Hofs has won one cap for the Dutch national team. He was not selected for the Dutch national team for the World Cup 2006 in Germany, but joined the Netherlands U21 for the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006 in Portugal. With two goals in the semi-finals and one in the final, he played a vital role in winning the European title. Hofs finished second on the tournaments topscorers list, one goal behind Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
