Former Feyenoord and Sevilla footballer goes missing as police begin search

Police have started a search for missing former footballer Mark van den Boogaart.

The Dutch midfielder, 37, has been uncontactable since January 6. Van der Boogaart's family have launched an appeal and it is believed he could be in Spain. They have expressed their concerns and have urged those with information to come forward as soon as possible.

Van der Boogaart - who represented the likes of Feyenoord, Sevilla B, Dordrecht and NEC Nijmegen during his playing days - is said to sufferer from depression. Numancia manager Inaki Bea has also launched an appeal to find his former Real Murcia team-mate.

"Mark has been missing since Friday the 6th of January," reads an appeal by Van der Boogaart's family. "He might be in Spain. We are worried about his wellbeing and miss him a lot. If you have seen Mark or if you have any information that could help us find him, please contact: infomarkmissing@gmail.com, +31644293420 or the police."

Bea added: "We have a close relationship with his family. Mark left home and lost track of him. He suffers from depression and has been missing since Friday the 6th."

Van der Boogaart came through the ranks at Feyenoord but never made a senior appearance for the Dutch giants. He joined Sevilla in the summer of 2005 and played for their C and B teams before returning to the Netherlands to play for Dordrecht in January 2007.

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The midfielder helped Dordrecht finish sixth in the Eerste Divisie - the second tier of Dutch football - and qualify for the play-offs. Although they failed to gain promotion, Van der Boogaart decided to stay in the Netherlands by joining NEC in July 2007.

Van der Boogaart made just a handful of appearances for NEC in the Eredivisie before completing a switch to Real Murcia in the summer of 2009. Murcia suffered relegation to the third tier of Spanish football during his one and only season at the club.

Van der Boogaart returned to the Netherlands in the summer of 2010 to play for Barendrecht in the Derde Divisie, the third tier of Dutch football. Two seasons later, the midfielder moved to Rijnsburgse Boys - another Dutch side - and spent three years at the club.

Van der Boogaart spent the final three years of his career playing for Amsterdamsche Football Club, who are more commonly known as AFC. He retired in 2018 after making more than 100 career appearances and winning two under-17 caps for Netherlands.

Rijnsburgse and NEC have also published appeals for Van der Boogaart. "To our great shock, we were told tonight that former captain Mark van den Bogaart is missing," Rijnsburgse's official account tweeted. "Since January 6, every trace has been missing. He is on medication and must therefore be found quickly. We urge you to share this."

NEC added: "Former NEC player Mark van den Boogaart has been missing since January 6th. Do you have information about his disappearance? Mail to infomarkmissing@gmail.com or call the police."