alan buckley signed the dutchman for west bromwich albion in march 1996 for £400,000. despite buckley claiming it would be a while before he made any difference, sneekes almost immediately became a cult hero at the hawthorns. sneekes was an overnight sensation, and many of the baggies crowd took to wearing long blond wigs - even the club shop was selling them. sneekes finished his first season with ten goals from thirteen games, arguably for some albion fans saving them from relegation. sneekes spent seven seasons at west brom before finally being transferred at the start of the 2001–02 season. after sneekes' retirement in 2007, he went on to captain west bromwich albion in the midlands 'masters' and has done so ever since. he scored in the 2008 and 2011 tournaments.