Jaap Stam facts for kids
Stam in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jakob Stam | ||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Kampen, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1992 | DOS Kampen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1993 | FC Zwolle | 32 | (1) |
| 1993–1995 | SC Cambuur | 66 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Willem II | 19 | (1) |
| 1996–1998 | PSV Eindhoven | 76 | (12) |
| 1998–2001 | Manchester United | 79 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Lazio | 70 | (3) |
| 2004–2006 | Milan | 42 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Ajax | 31 | (1) |
| Total | 415 | (23) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–2004 | Netherlands | 67 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | PEC Zwolle (caretaker) | ||
| 2014–2016 | Jong Ajax | ||
| 2016–2018 | Reading | ||
| 2018–2019 | PEC Zwolle | ||
| 2019 | Feyenoord | ||
| 2020–2021 | FC Cincinnati | ||
| 2024– | DOS Kampen | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jakob "Jaap" Stam (born 17 July 1972) is a famous Dutch football coach and former player. He played as a centre-back, which is a player who helps protect the goal. Many people think he was one of the best defenders ever.
Stam was a key player for Manchester United when they won the "Treble" in 1999. This means they won three major trophies in one season: the Premier League (England's top league), the FA Cup (a big knockout competition), and the UEFA Champions League (Europe's biggest club competition).
He played for several big European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan, and Ajax. He stopped playing professionally in October 2007. Jaap Stam won many club trophies, including the Eredivisie (Dutch league), the Coppa Italia (Italian cup), and three Premier League titles.
He also won personal awards, like being named the best defender in the Champions League twice. He was also chosen for the PFA Team of the Year three times in a row. Stam played 67 games for the Netherlands and scored three goals. He played for his country in three UEFA European Championships and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
After his playing career, Stam became a coach. He worked at PEC Zwolle and Ajax. He also managed Feyenoord in 2019 and FC Cincinnati in the Major League Soccer in the United States.
Contents
Jaap Stam's Club Career
Starting Out in Football
Jaap Stam was born in Kampen, Netherlands. He began his football journey at a local amateur club called DOS Kampen. On 15 August 1992, he played his first professional game for FC Zwolle. This was in a 1–1 draw against SC Heracles.
The next season, he moved to Cambuur Leeuwarden. This team played in the Eredivisie, which is the top football league in the Netherlands. After two seasons at Cambuur, he transferred to Willem II. He quickly showed how good he was in the Eredivisie.
Success at PSV Eindhoven
Stam then joined PSV Eindhoven, another big Dutch club. There, he won his first major trophy, the KNVB Cup, in the 1995–96 season. The next year, he helped PSV win the 1996–97 Eredivisie league title. He also won the Johan Cruyff Shield, which is a super cup match in the Netherlands.
Because of his great performances, Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award. This showed he was one of the best players in the country.
Playing for Manchester United
In April 1998, Jaap Stam made history when Manchester United bought him. He became the most expensive defender in the world at that time, costing £10.6 million. He signed a five-year contract with the English club.
Stam played for Manchester United for three seasons. During this time, the team achieved amazing success. They won three Premier League titles in a row. They also won the FA Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
The biggest win was the UEFA Champions League in 1999. This was part of their famous "Treble" season. Stam scored one goal for Manchester United in a 6–2 win against Leicester City.
In the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, Manchester United played against Bayern Munich. Bayern scored early, but United scored two goals in the final minutes to win the trophy.
Stam was sold to Lazio in Italy early in the 2001–02 season. The manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, later said that selling Stam was a mistake. He felt Stam was still playing at a very high level.
Time in Italy with Lazio and AC Milan
After leaving Manchester United, Stam joined Lazio in Italy. While playing for Lazio, he won the Coppa Italia in his last season with the club.
After UEFA Euro 2004, Stam moved to Milan, another top Italian team. He reached his second Champions League final with Milan in 2005. However, his team lost to Liverpool in a penalty shoot-out.
Returning to the Netherlands with Ajax
On 30 January 2006, Stam returned to the Netherlands to play for Ajax. He signed a two-year contract. He was named the team captain when he arrived.
In his first season with Ajax, he won the KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield. He won another Johan Cruyff Shield at the start of the 2007–08 season.
On 29 October 2007, Jaap Stam announced he was stopping his professional football career. His last game was a 0–0 draw against NEC on 20 October 2007.
Jaap Stam's International Career
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Jaap Stam first played for the Netherlands on 24 April 1996. It was a friendly game against Germany. He was not originally picked for UEFA Euro 1996, but joined the squad after another player got injured. He did not play in that tournament.
He scored his first goal for the Netherlands on 6 September 1997. This was in a World Cup qualification game against Belgium, which the Netherlands won 3–1. He was also an important player when the Dutch team finished fourth in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
During UEFA Euro 2000, he again reached the semi-finals with the Dutch team. The tournament was held in his home country and Belgium. Stam missed his penalty kick in the semi-finals, and the Netherlands lost to Italy.
Stam reached his third semi-final in a major international competition at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal. He decided to stop playing for the national team after this tournament. He wanted to focus on his new club team, Milan, and his family. In total, he played 67 matches for the Netherlands and scored three goals.
Jaap Stam's Playing Style
Many football experts believe Jaap Stam was one of the best defenders of his time. He is also considered one of the greatest Dutch and Premier League defenders ever. He mainly played as a centre-back.
Stam was known for being very fast and strong. He was also good at controlling the ball. He had an excellent sense of where to be on the field and a powerful shot. Because he had so many skills, he could also play as a full-back on the right side of the field.
Jaap Stam's Coaching Career
Starting as a Coach
In October 2008, Jaap Stam returned to Manchester United as a scout. His job was to find new talented players, mostly from South America.
In 2009, Stam became an assistant coach for PEC Zwolle. He was also a temporary manager for a short time. In 2013, Stam signed a three-year contract with Ajax as an assistant coach. He also became their defensive coach.
On 28 May 2014, Stam was announced as one of the new managers for Jong Ajax. This is the reserve team for Ajax.
Managing Reading Football Club
On 13 June 2016, Stam became the manager of Reading, an English club in the EFL Championship. He had a very good first season, leading them to the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League.
On 4 July 2017, Stam signed a new contract with Reading. However, on 21 March 2018, Reading announced that Stam had left the club. This happened after a difficult period where the team won only one game out of 18.
Returning to PEC Zwolle
On 28 December 2018, Stam was appointed as the new manager of PEC Zwolle again. This time, he signed a contract for a year and a half.
Managing Feyenoord
On 6 March 2019, Feyenoord announced that Stam would be their new manager. He took over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He signed a two-year contract that started on 1 June 2019.
However, after a big 0–4 loss to Ajax, Stam resigned on 28 October 2019. He felt it was best for the club, the players, and himself if he stepped down.
Coaching FC Cincinnati in the USA
On 21 May 2020, the Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati announced that Stam would be their new manager. He signed a contract for a year and a half. On 15 July, he won his first game as manager, beating Atlanta United FC 1–0.
Stam was dismissed from his role on 27 September 2021. At that time, Cincinnati was near the bottom of their league conference.
Back to His Roots at DOS Kampen
In February 2024, Jaap Stam was appointed manager at DOS Kampen. This is his hometown amateur club, where he first started playing football more than 30 years ago. He agreed to take charge in the summer of 2024 for a one-year contract.
Jaap Stam's Personal Life
Jaap Stam is a Protestant. He met his wife, Ellis, when he was 16 years old. They have two daughters and twin sons. When he played for Manchester United, he lived in Wilmslow in Cheshire, England. His cousin, Maurice van Ham, was also a professional footballer.
Honours and Awards
Jaap Stam won many trophies and awards during his career:
PSV
- Eredivisie: 1996–97
- KNVB Cup: 1995–96
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 1996, 1997
Manchester United
- Premier League: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
- FA Cup: 1998–99
- UEFA Champions League: 1998–99
- Intercontinental Cup: 1999
Lazio
- Coppa Italia: 2003–04
Milan
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2004
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2004–05
Ajax
- KNVB Cup: 2006–07
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2006, 2007
Individual Awards
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1997
- Dutch Golden Boot: 1997
- UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year: 1998–99, 1999–2000
- PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 Premier League, 1999–2000 Premier League, 2000–01 Premier League
- ESM Team of the Year: 1998–99
- Overseas Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 – 2001–02)
Images for kids
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Stam in 2006
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Stam (top center) with Jorge Andrade (left), Cristiano Ronaldo (bottom center) and Giovanni van Bronckhorst (right) during the Netherlands' Euro 2004 semi-final against Portugal. This was his final match for the country.
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Stam (right) during his period with PEC Zwolle
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Stam (centre) with FC Cincinnati in August 2020
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Stam with Ajax in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Jaap Stam para niños
