 Braafheid came to Twente on a free transfer after his contract with Utrecht expired; he was a talented left-back, but Braafheid impressed friend and foe when playing for Twente as a strong, sturdy central defender instead of his former position.He kept talented central defender Ramon Zomer out of the Twente squad ever since he made the position his own.Former Twente coach Fred Rutten is to thank for that, turning Braafheid from a noticeably talented back to an impressive central defender, despite his mediate height.