Clarence Seedorf facts for kids
Seedorf in 2021
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 April 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Paramaribo, Suriname | ||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1983 | VV AS' 80 | ||
| 1983–1986 | Real Almere | ||
| 1986–1992 | Ajax | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1992–1995 | Ajax | 65 | (11) |
| 1995–1996 | Sampdoria | 32 | (3) |
| 1996–2000 | Real Madrid | 121 | (15) |
| 2000–2002 | Inter Milan | 64 | (8) |
| 2002–2012 | AC Milan | 300 | (47) |
| 2012–2014 | Botafogo | 72 | (23) |
| Total | 654 | (107) | |
| National team | |||
| 1994–2008 | Netherlands | 87 | (11) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2014 | AC Milan | ||
| 2016 | Shenzhen | ||
| 2018 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
| 2018–2019 | Cameroon | ||
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Clarence Clyde Seedorf (born 1 April 1976) is a former professional football manager and player. Many people think he is one of the best midfielders ever.
Seedorf is famous for his success in the UEFA Champions League. He is the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs. He won it once with Ajax in 1995, once with Real Madrid in 1998, and twice with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007.
He played for the Netherlands 87 times. He took part in three UEFA European Football Championships (1996, 2000, 2004) and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. His team reached the semi-finals in the last three tournaments.
In 2004, the legendary player Pelé chose Seedorf for the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Seedorf has won many titles, both in his home country and across Europe.
Contents
- Clarence Seedorf's Early Life and Football Start
- Clarence Seedorf's Club Career Highlights
- Clarence Seedorf's International Career
- Clarence Seedorf's Playing Style
- Clarence Seedorf's Managerial Career
- Clarence Seedorf's Personal Life and Other Work
- Career statistics
- Managerial statistics
- Honours
- See also
Clarence Seedorf's Early Life and Football Start
Clarence Seedorf was born in Paramaribo, Suriname. He moved to Almere, Flevoland, in the Netherlands when he was two years old. He grew up in a football-loving family. His younger brothers, Jürgen and Chedric Seedorf, and his father, Johann Seedorf, were all involved in football.
Seedorf started playing football at age six for local amateur teams. Soon, Ajax, a big Dutch club, discovered him. He joined their youth academy, which was known for finding many talented players.
His brothers and cousin Stefano also joined Ajax later, following in his footsteps.
Clarence Seedorf's Club Career Highlights
Playing for Ajax
Seedorf began his professional career at Ajax as a right midfielder. He made his first team debut on 29 November 1992. He was only 16 years old, making him Ajax's youngest player at that time.
He quickly became a key player for manager Louis van Gaal. In the 1993–94 season, he helped Ajax win three trophies: the Eredivisie league title, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch Super Cup. One of his teammates was Frank Rijkaard, who he admired as a child.
The next season, Seedorf helped his team win the Super Cup and Eredivisie again. They also won their fourth European Cup trophy in 1995. They beat AC Milan in the final. Seedorf played an important role in that game.
Moving to Sampdoria
After his success at Ajax, Seedorf decided to try playing in Italy. He signed a one-year contract with Sampdoria in the Serie A league. He played in 32 matches and scored three goals.
Even though he didn't win any trophies with Sampdoria, he played very well. After one season, he moved to Real Madrid in Spain.
Playing for Real Madrid
Seedorf joined Real Madrid in 1996. He was a regular player for the team in his first three seasons. In his first year, he helped Real Madrid win the La Liga title.
In his second season (1997–98), he was a big part of their Champions League success. Madrid won 1–0 against Juventus in the final. This was Seedorf's second Champions League title.
While at Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a famous long-range goal against Atlético Madrid in 1997. He later moved back to Italy in 1999, joining Inter Milan.
Time with Inter Milan
Seedorf joined Inter Milan on 24 December 1999. He helped the team reach the Coppa Italia final that season, where they lost to Lazio. Seedorf scored Inter's only goal in that final.
He is remembered by Inter fans for scoring two amazing long-range goals against Juventus in a 2–2 draw in 2002.
Success with AC Milan
After two years with Inter, Seedorf moved to their city rivals, AC Milan, in 2002. This was a player exchange deal. Seedorf won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003. This was Milan's first Coppa Italia win in 26 years.
In the same season, Seedorf won his third Champions League medal. This made him the first player to win the Champions League with three different clubs! Milan beat Juventus in an all-Italian final on penalties. The next season (2003–04), Seedorf helped Milan win the Serie A title. This was his fourth national league title.
Seedorf was a key player when Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005. They lost to Liverpool on penalties after a 3–3 draw.
In 2007, Milan reached another Champions League final, again against Liverpool. This time, they won 2–1, and Seedorf earned his fourth Champions League medal. That same year, Seedorf helped Milan win the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. He became the first European player to win this trophy with three different clubs. He won the Silver Ball award for his great performances in the tournament.
At Milan, Seedorf formed a strong midfield team with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo. They played together for many years, helping Milan win many games.
Seedorf became the foreign player with the most appearances for Milan. He played 395 games, passing a club record. He also became one of Milan's top foreign goal scorers.
Seedorf won his second Italian league title (Scudetto) with Milan in the 2010–11 season. He played a very important part in this win. He scored four goals and played in 36 games that season.
In the first game of the 2011–12 season, Seedorf won another medal. He played the whole game as Milan beat rivals Inter Milan 2–1 in the Supercoppa Italiana.
In 2012, Seedorf was ranked seventh among the 20 best players in the Champions League's 20-year history. This list was made by UEFA's official magazine. On 14 May, he announced that he was playing his last match for Milan. He said he would continue playing football for another club. On 21 June, Seedorf announced he was leaving Milan after "10 wonderful years."
Playing for Botafogo
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On 30 June 2012, Seedorf signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Botafogo. He made his debut on 22 July. On 5 August, Seedorf scored his first goal for Botafogo from a free kick.
On 3 February 2013, Seedorf scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) of his career against Macaé. On 10 March 2013, Seedorf won his first title with Botafogo, the 2013 Taça Guanabara. He then won the 2013 Campeonato Carioca, his first official title with the club.
On 6 June, Seedorf scored his 100th goal in domestic league games. On 14 January 2014, Seedorf announced he was retiring from playing football. He said he would become the manager for Milan.
Clarence Seedorf's International Career
Seedorf played for the Netherlands for the first time on 14 December 1994. He was 18 years old. Seedorf scored a goal in his first game, helping his team win 5–0 against Luxembourg.
He was part of the Dutch squad for the UEFA European Championships in 1996. His penalty kick miss in the quarter-final shootout against France was a tough moment. He also played for the Netherlands in Euro 2000 and 2004, and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The team reached the semi-finals in all three of these tournaments.
Seedorf played his last game for the Netherlands in 2007. He played 87 times for his country. On 13 May 2008, Seedorf said he would not play in UEFA Euro 2008.
Clarence Seedorf's Playing Style
Seedorf was a very skilled and versatile player. He was strong, fast, and had great stamina. This allowed him to play in many different midfield roles. He could play in the center, on the wing, or help both attack and defense.
He was known for his excellent technique, ball control, and vision. He could keep the ball under pressure and pass it well to his teammates. Seedorf was also good at scoring goals from far away with powerful shots. He was also a good free kick taker. Even though he played with a lot of energy, Seedorf was known for his good behavior. He was only sent off (given a red card) twice in his whole career.
Clarence Seedorf's Managerial Career
Seedorf became the new head coach of Milan on 16 January 2014. He ended his playing contract with Botafogo early to take the job. Milan was in 11th place in the Serie A league at the time. On 19 January, he won his first game as a manager against Hellas Verona.
He led the club to a five-match winning streak, which was their first since 2011. He also won the Milan derby against Inter. However, Seedorf was removed from his job on 9 June 2014, after just four months.
Seedorf was appointed manager of Chinese team Shenzhen F.C. in July 2016, but he left five months later. In February 2018, Seedorf became the manager of Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña. The team won only two out of sixteen matches under him and was relegated from La Liga. He left the club at the end of the season.
In August 2018, Seedorf was named manager of the Cameroon national team. His former teammate Patrick Kluivert joined him as assistant manager. However, after a disappointing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where Cameroon was knocked out in the round of 16, he was sacked in July 2019.
Clarence Seedorf's Personal Life and Other Work
Seedorf speaks six languages fluently: Dutch, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Sranan Tongo. He is known for being intelligent and thoughtful. He owns a restaurant called Finger's in Milan.
Seedorf has also worked in media. In 2009, he wrote a column for The New York Times called "Seedorf responds." He also worked as a football expert (pundit) for the BBC during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012.
Because of his strong connection to Suriname, his birth country, he is involved in many social projects there. He built his own "Clarence Seedorf Stadium" in Suriname. This stadium hosts local football leagues. Through his Champions for Children Foundation, he helps good causes in Suriname. For his work, Suriname honored him as a Commander of the High-Order of the Yellow Star. In 2011, he was also made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands.
In 2012 and 2014, Seedorf played in Soccer Aid, a charity match at Old Trafford. He played for "The Rest of the World" team against England. In 2014, he scored three goals, and his team won 4–2. These matches raised a lot of money for charity.
Clarence's nephew, Collin Seedorf, is also a professional footballer.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 1992–93 | Eredivisie | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 18 | 1 | |
| 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 4 | |
| 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 6 | |
| Total | 65 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 91 | 11 | ||
| Sampdoria | 1995–96 | Serie A | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 4 | ||
| Real Madrid | 1996–97 | La Liga | 38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | La Liga | 36 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 49 | 7 | |
| 1998–99 | La Liga | 37 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 7 | |
| 1999–2000 | La Liga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Total | 121 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 159 | 20 | ||
| Inter Milan | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 25 | 5 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 5 | |
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | – | 32 | 4 | ||
| Total | 64 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 14 | ||
| AC Milan | 2002–03 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 1 | – | 48 | 7 | |
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 3 | |
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 32 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 7 | |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 36 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | – | 49 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 32 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 3 | – | 51 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 10 | |
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 41 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | – | 37 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| Total | 300 | 47 | 25 | 5 | 100 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 432 | 62 | ||
| Botafogo | 2012 | Série A | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 9 |
| 2013 | Série A | 34 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 8 | |
| Total | 58 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 640 | 100 | 57 | 7 | 159 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 842 | 124 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 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 | |
- Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Seedorf goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 December 1994 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Luxembourg |
5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 | 29 March 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Malta |
1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 3 | 11 October 1995 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard | Malta |
4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 15 November 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam |  Norway |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA 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 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 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 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 2–0 | |||||
| 10 | 6 October 2001 | GelreDome, Arnhem |  Andorra |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 16 October 2002 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna |  Austria |
1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| AC Milan | 16 January 2014 | 9 June 2014 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 50.00 |
| Shenzhen | 7 July 2016 | 5 December 2016 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 24 | −7 | 28.57 |
| Deportivo de La Coruña | 5 February 2018 | 22 May 2018 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 25 | −11 | 12.50 |
| Cameroon | 4 August 2018 | 16 July 2019 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 30.77 |
| Total | 64 | 21 | 17 | 26 | 69 | 84 | −15 | 32.81 | ||
Honours
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95
- KNVB Cup: 1992–93
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 1993
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1996–97
- Supercopa de España: 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1997–98
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998
AC Milan
- Serie A: 2003–04, 2010–11
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2011
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
Botafogo
- Campeonato Carioca: 2013
Individual
- Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 1993, 1994
- ESM Team of the Year: 1996–97
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2002, 2007
- UEFA Best Midfielder Award: 2006–07
- FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2007
- FIFPro World XI Nominee: 2007
- Real Madrid Team of the Century: 2008
- Bola de Prata: 2013
- Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Commander of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star
- Nelson Mandela Legacy Champion
- FIFA 100
- AC Milan Hall of Fame
- Golden Foot Award Legends: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Clarence Seedorf para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
