Stekelenburg finally established himself as Ajax's first-choice goalkeeper this season after spending three years on the fringes of the senior team. The youngster rose to prominence as part of the Young Ajax side (the club's reserve team) that reached the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup in 2002, before making his first-team debut the following season. He was capped by the Netherlands at Youth and Under-21 level before being handed his senior debut as a substitute in the 3-0 friendly victory against Liechtenstein in September 2004. Stekelenburg is still waiting for a second cap, but Oranje coach Marco van Basten has kept him in the squad as cover for Edwin van der Sar.