Kevin Johannes Willem Strootman (born 13 February 1990) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

[2] Born in Ridderkerk, Strootman began his career with Sparta Rotterdam, making his professional debut during the 2007–08 season.

On 9 March 2014, Strootman sustained a knee injury in Roma's 1–0 defeat to Napoli which made him miss the remainder of the 2013–14 season and the 2014 FIFA World Cup,[13] where the Dutch selection finished third.

[15] He assisted the first of captain Francesco Totti's two goals after appearing as a substitute in Roma's 2–2 draw with Lazio in the 175th Derby della Capitale on 12 January 2015.

[17] On 26 August, it was reported that, in spite of failing to make a single appearance in seven months, Strootman's injury required further surgery which sidelined the player for the majority of the 2015–16 Serie A season.

Strootman was a regular in Louis van Gaal's side during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign,[33] but missed the tournament finals due to injury.

[34] On 27 May 2016, Strootman made his first international appearance in two years after missing both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the entirety of the team's unsuccessful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

[35] He was selected to start in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland, playing 70 minutes before being substituted for Marco van Ginkel.

[6][37] A tall, physically strong and tactically intelligent left-footed player, he was described as a "modern" midfielder, due to his wide range of skills.

[39] During his first season with Roma (2013–14), he earned the nickname la lavatrice ("the washing machine", in Italian), for his ability to always clean up play by winning back the ball and then distributing it precisely to his teammates.