Clarence Clyde Seedorf (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈklɛrənˈseːdɔrf]; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays for Botafogo in the Brasileirão Serie A. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League four times and with three different clubs – Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007.[3][4]
Seedorf is known to be "Supremely fit and superb with the ball at his feet. His ability to hold the ball under pressure and then time a pass to a runner off him makes him dangerous."[5]
AFC Ajax[edit]
Born in Paramaribo, Suriname,[1] Seedorf started his career as a right midfielder for Ajax during the early 1990s. He made his professional debut on 29 November 1992 against Groningen at the age of 16 years and 242 days, making him the youngest debutant for Ajax ever.[6] In his early career, he played a role in Ajax's Eredivisie winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 UEFA Champions League winning campaign, being replaced in the 53rd minute of the final by striker Nwankwo Kanu.[7] Patrick Kluivert scored a late goal to lift Ajax to a 1–0 victory over Italian giants Milan,[8] who Seedorf would later go on to represent for a decade.[9]
Sampdoria[edit]
After making his name in the Ajax side, Seedorf had one season with Sampdoria,[10] scoring three goals in his debut Serie Aseason.
Real Madrid[edit]
Seedorf moved to Real Madrid in 1996,[11] where he was "virtually ever present in the Blancos team for the first three seasons."[10] In his first season, he helped that team regain theLa Liga title; in his second season (1997–98), he played a major role in the team's Champions League success, as Real Madrid secured a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the final,[12]earning his second Champions League title of his career.
While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable long-range goal against Atlético Madrid in 1997.[13]
At the end of the 1998–99 season, Real Madrid and Juventus wanted to swap Seedorf for Zinedine Zidane, but the deal didn't go through and the French playmaker waited two more years before joining Real Madrid. Starting from the summer of 1999, Seedorf's role at Real Madrid became less prominent during the short term of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink at the club, and he was eventually transferred back to Italy during the 1999–00 season, this time to Internazionale, for a fee about 44 billion Italian lira (about €23M).[14]
Internazionale[edit]
On 24 December 1999, Seedorf moved to Internazionale in a $24.35 million deal after cementing his place in the Real Madrid midfield for over three years.[15] Despite helping the team to the Coppa Italia final later that season, a 2–1 aggregate loss to Lazio where Seedorf scored Inter's only goal,[16] Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club. However, he is remembered by many Inter fans for his two goals against Juventus in a 2–2 draw on 9 March 2002, both of which were superb long-range efforts.[17]
AC Milan[edit]
After 2 years with Internazionale, Seedorf moved to city rivals Milan in 2002, exchanged with Francesco Coco.[18] He won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, which was the first time they had won the competition in 26 years. In the same season, Seedorf gained his third Champions League medal, to become the first player to win the Champions League with three different clubs.[10] The all Italian final saw Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0–0 draw, despite Seedorf failing to convert his own penalty. Seedorf, though, is a well known River Plate fan.
The following season, 2003–04, Seedorf played a role in the Milan side that won Serie A. It was also Seedorf's fourth national league title win of his career, after his two Dutch title wins with Ajax and his one Spanish win with Real Madrid.
Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005, scoring the only goal of the game in their opening group match against Shakhtar Donetsk on 14 September 2004 and appearing in all 13 matches.[19] He started the Istanbul tie against Liverpool in which Milan contrived to lose a 3–0 lead, eventually losing on penalties after a 3–3 draw; Seedorf did not take a spot-kick.[20] Milan also finished runners-up in the Serie A, seven points behind champions Juventus, although Juventus were stripped of the title and Milan docked points for match-fixing.[21]
A match-fixing scandal tarnished Serie A and Milan were weakened by the scandal but were allowed to continue in Europe the following season, which led to their best players staying at the club. Seedorf's role as foil to Kaká became increasingly impressive as the pair combined in style to score and supply the goals which drove Milan past Bayern Munich and Manchester United to another Champions League final, again against Liverpool, beating them 2–1 in Athens, with Seedorf collecting his fourth UEFA Champions League medal. In that same year, Seedorf was a part of a Milan squad which won the FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first European player to win the trophy with three different clubs (Ajax in 1995 and Real Madrid in 1998). He ended up winning the Silver Ball for the competition.[22]
At the end of the 2006–07 season, Seedorf was voted best midfielder of the Champions League. He played his 100th game in the Champions League on 4 December against Celtic.
In Milan, Seedorf formed a formidable midfield partnership with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, which began since the 2002–03 season. This midfield trio was still used in the starting line-up until the 2011–12 season (Pirlo left the Rossoneri in the summer of 2011), although their form had been declining. Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti, their role was to support an attacking midfielder, whether it be Rivaldo, Rui Costa, Kaká, or Ronaldinho.
Seedorf became the foreigner with the most appearances for Milan following a game against his former club, Sampdoria, which he scored in. At 395 appearances, he passed Nils Liedholm for this historic milestone. During the Sampdoria game, he also became the ninth-highest scoring foreigner for Milan with 58 goals.
On 29 March 2010, Seedorf was the target of racist chants from Lazio fans in a 1–1 draw, which led to the Rome club being given a €15,000 fine by the Italian Football Federation. This led the Italy's players' union want racism stamped out in Serie A.[23]
He won his second Scudetto with Milan in the 2010-11 Serie A season, where he once again played a vital role. He scored four goals and made 36 appearances in the 2010–11 season.
Seedorf added yet another medal to his trophy cabinet in the first official game of the 2011–12 season, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 comeback win over rivals Internazionale in the Supercoppa Italiana.[24] He scored the winning goal of Milan's first win of the 2011–12 Serie A campaign, a 1–0 defeat of Cesena on 24 September.[25]
Seedorf was ranked seventh of the 20 best players of the Champions League, since it started 20 years ago. Although many say[citation needed] that he should be ranked much higher than that, because he is the player with the most Champions League titles. The ranking was done by Champions, the official magazine of UEFA.[26]
On 14 May, he revealed that he was playing his last match with Milan against Novara that day. He also confirmed that he would continue to play football for another club. On 21 June, Seedorf held a press conference announcing his departure from Milan, stating "I am leaving after 10 wonderful years...I leave a family" after playing for the Rossoneri for a decade and winning two Champions League, two Scudettos and a Coppa Italia.[27][28] Club CEO Adriano Galliani spoke of Seedorf following the player's departure in the highest regard, stating "When Milan played well, which happened often, each and every time it occurred Seedorf played an amazing match. He is a world class player."[29]
Botafogo[edit]
On 30 June 2012, Seedorf signed a two-year contract with Botafogo.[30] The veteran midfielder made his debut with the Brazilian side on 22 July against Grêmio.[31][32] On 5 August, Seedorf scored his first goal for Botafogo, curling in a free kick against Atlético-GO. On 5 September Seedorf scored two goals and made an assist against Cruzeiro, helping Botafogo to a 3–1 victory.[33]
On 3 February 2013, for the first time on his career, Seedorf scored a hat-trick against Macaé Esporte Clube, in his first game as a starter player in this year. Before that game, Seedorf played the second half against Fluminense and made a good assist to Bolivar, who tied the match.
On 10 March 2013, Seedorf won his first title with the club: the first round of 2013 Campeonato Carioca, 2013 Taça Guanabara, 2013 Taça Rio.
During a game against Madureira on 24 March 2013, Seedorf received two yellow cards for refusing to leave the pitch the right way after being substituted. It was only his second sending off in his professional career.[34]
On May 5, Seedorf wins the second round of 2013 Campeonato Carioca, 2013 Taça Rio, against Fluminense. That is also the day of his first official tittle for Botafogo, the 2013 Campeonato Carioca, as the team won both rounds and no final match was needed.
On June 6, he scored his 100th goal in National Leagues, 11 with Ajax, 3 with Sampdoria, 15 with Real Madrid, 8 with Internazionale, 47 with Milan and 16 with Botafogo.
International career[edit]
Due to Surinamese rules against dual citizenship, players who take Dutch citizenship are no longer eligible to represent the Netherlands' former colony. Because of this Seedorf, then of Ajax, played international football for the Netherlands national football team. He received his first call up on 14 December 1994, at the age of 18, against Luxembourg.[35]Seedorf scored on his debut, helping his team to a 5–0 victory in a Euro 1996 qualifying match.[36]
Seedorf was in the Netherlands' squad for the UEFA European Championships in 1996, (where his penalty miss proved decisive in the quarter final shootout defeat to France),[37]2000 and 2004, as well as the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
On 12 November 2006, Seedorf was recalled for the first time since June 2004 as a replacement for the injured Wesley Sneijder. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 friendly draw against England. Seedorf won the last of his 87 caps for the Netherlands in 2008.[10] In the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0–0 at home) and Slovenia (1–0 away win), Seedorf played 4 and 6 minutes respectively. There were doubts on his position within the national team, as Marco van Basten favoured younger players such as Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie. On 13 May 2008, Seedorf announced that he would not take part in Euro 2008, due to his ongoing conflict with Van Basten.[38]
Other work[edit]
Seedorf has dabbled in media-related work during recent years. He joined the BBC's team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, working as a television pundit [39] He also presented a number of features for the BBC coverage, including one about Robben Island.[40] He also joined the BBC for their Match of the Day Live coverage of the 2012 UEFA European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Seedorf was widely praised for his contribution to the BBC's coverage, with a Daily Mail article praising his "classy, informed stints in the BBC studio".[41] He has also made appearances on Match of the Day 2 during the English football league season.
Because of his strong connection with the country Suriname where Seedorf was born, he is involved in many social development projects there. He built his own "Clarence Seedorf Stadium" in the district of Para in Suriname. In this stadium the Para Juniors League of Suriname is being held and the teams of the Suri Profs & Brothers play there regularly. With his Champions for Children Foundation he supports projects for good causes in Suriname. For this, Suriname has honoured him to Commandor of the High-Order of the Yellow Starand recently in 2011 the Netherlands also honoured him to Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau (OON).
On 5 June 2009 Clarence Seedorf announced at a press conference after a meeting with Nelson Mandela that he had become the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s latest Legacy Champion. He joins Patrice Motsepe, Tokyo Sexwale, David Rockefeller, Peggy Dulany and Bill Clinton, who are also members of a select group of philanthropists who are helping to ensure that Mr Mandela’s legacy lives on.
Club[edit]
- As of 15 July 2013
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1992–93 | Ajax | Eredivisie | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| 1993–94 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | 34 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 45 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 65 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 86 | 11 | ||
| 1995–96 | Sampdoria | Serie A | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 35 | 4 | |
| Total | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 35 | 4 | |||
| 1996–97 | Real Madrid | La Liga | 38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | - | 42 | 6 | |
| 1997–98 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 49 | 7 | ||
| 1998–99 | 37 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 50 | 7 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 121 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 25 | 3 | 157 | 20 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Internazionale | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| 2000–01 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 5 | ||
| 2001–02 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 32 | 4 | ||
| Total | 64 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 92 | 14 | ||
| 2002–03 | Milan | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 48 | 7 |
| 2003–04 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2004–05 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 49 | 7 | ||
| 2005–06 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 49 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | 32 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 51 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2008–09 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 41 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 3 | ||
| Total | 300 | 47 | 25 | 5 | 100 | 9 | 432 | 62 | ||
| 2012 | Botafogo | Série A | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 9 |
| 2013 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 6 | ||
| Total | 37 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 15 | ||
| Career Total | 619 | 97 | 58 | 11 | 160 | 17 | 830 | 121 | ||
International[edit]
| Netherlands national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1994 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | 7 | 3 |
| 1996 | 11 | 2 |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 |
| 1998 | 12 | 1 |
| 1999 | 7 | 0 |
| 2000 | 10 | 2 |
| 2001 | 4 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 | 1 |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 |
| 2004 | 9 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 87 | 11 |
International goals[edit]
- Scores and results list Netherland's goal tally first.[45]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 December 1994 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Luxembourg | 5–0 | 5–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2. | 29 March 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Malta | 1–0 | 4–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 3. | 11 October 1995 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard | Malta | 4–0 | 4–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4. | 15 November 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Norway | 1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 5. | 4 June 1996 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Republic of Ireland | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 6. | 14 December 1996 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels |  Belgium | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1998 World Cup qualifying |
| 7. | 21 February 1998 | Orange Bowl, Miami |  United States | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8. | 7 October 2000 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifying |
| 9. | 7 October 2000 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia | Cyprus | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifying |
| 10. | 6 October 2001 | GelreDome, Arnhem |  Andorra | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifying |
| 11. | 16 October 2002 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna |  Austria | 1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2004 qualifying |
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