Clarence Seedorf
Encyclopedia
Clarence Clyde Seedorf OON
(born 1 April 1976 in Paramaribo
, Suriname
) is a Dutch
footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A
club Milan
. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League
with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid
in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007. He is well known for his shots and for his passing.
winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 UEFA Champions League
winning campaign. After making his name in the Ajax side, Seedorf had one season with Sampdoria
, scoring three goals.
in 1996, where he was "virtually ever present in the Blancos team for the first three seasons". In his first season he helped that team regain the La Liga
title; in his second season (1997–1998), 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. It was the second Champions League title of his career. While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable goal against Atlético 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 1999–2000 season – this time to Internazionale
, for a fee about 44 billion Italian lira
(about €23M).
final in 2000, a game that was eventually lost, Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club. However, he will be remembered by many Inter fans for his two goals against Juventus
in a 2–2 draw on the 9 March 2002, both of which were superb long-range efforts.
in 2002, exchanged with Francesco Coco
. He won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, which was the first time they had won the competition in twenty-six 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. The all Italian final saw Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0–0 draw, despite Seedorf failing to convert his own penalty.
The following season, 2003–2004, 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 Madrid.
Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005. 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 any of those spot-kicks. Milan also finished runners-up in the Scudetto to Juventus in 2005.
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.
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 has formed a formidable midfield partnership with Gennaro Gattuso
and Andrea Pirlo
, which began since the 2002–03 season. This midfield trio is still used in the starting line-up, although their form has declined over the last two years. 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 AC 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 AC Milan at 58 goals.
He won his second Scudetto with Milan in the 2010-11 Serie A season, where he once again played a vital role. No longer a starter, coach Massimiliano Allegri got the best out of Seedorf by using him sparing, but often and usually subbed him on late in games as an impact player where his lack of speed and agility would not detriment his game as much. In this role he thrived and the fans reignited their love for him. He scored four goals and made thirty six appearances in the 2010-11 season, very impressive for a thirty-five year old midfielder.
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 F.C. Internazionale in the Supercoppa Italiana
. He scored the winning goal of Milan's first win of the 2011-12 Serie A campaign.
Seedorf was ranked 7th of of the 20 best players of the Champions League, since it started 20 years ago. Altough many say that he shoud 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.
, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.
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. In Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0–0 at home) and Slovenia (1–0 away win), Seedorf played 4 and 6 minutes. 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.
's team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa, working as a television pundit alongside more established broadcasters such as Gary Lineker
and Alan Hansen
. He also presented a number of features for the BBC coverage, including one about Robben Island
. 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".
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 Star and recently in 2011 the Netherlands also honoured him to Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
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.
|1992–93
||rowspan="3"|Ajax||rowspan="3"|Eredivisie
||12||1||||||3||0||15||1
|-
|1993–94
||19||4||||||2||0||21||4
|-
|1994–95
||34||6||||||11||0||45||6
|-
|1995–96
||Sampdoria||Serie A
||32||3||2||1||colspan="2"|-||34||4
|-
|1996–97
||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid||rowspan="4"|La Liga
||38||6||4||0||colspan="2"|-||42||6
|-
|1997–98
||35||6||2||1||11||0||48||7
|-
|1998–99
||37||3||5||1||10||3||52||7
|-
|1999–00
||10||0||0||0||6||0||16||0
|-
|1999–00
||rowspan="3"|Internazionale||rowspan="3"|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
|-
|2002–03
||rowspan="10"|Milan||rowspan="10"|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||0||0||6||0||36||4
|-
|2011–12||6||2||1||0||4||0||11||2
65||11||0||0||16||0||81||11
384||58||34||8||111||12||529||78
120||15||11||2||27||3||158||20
569||84||45||10||154||15||768||109
|}
|-
|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
|}
Real Madrid
Milan
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(born 1 April 1976 in Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007. He is well known for his shots and for his passing.
Early career
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. In his early career, he played a role in Ajax's EredivisieEredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
winning campaign. After making his name in the Ajax side, Seedorf had one season with Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
, scoring three goals.
Real Madrid
Seedorf moved to Real MadridReal Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 1996, where he was "virtually ever present in the Blancos team for the first three seasons". In his first season he helped that team regain the La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
title; in his second season (1997–1998), he played a major role in the team's Champions League success, as Real Madrid secured a 1–0 victory over Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the final. It was the second Champions League title of his career. While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable goal against Atlético Madrid
Atlético de Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D., commonly known as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish football club based in Madrid who play in La Liga. Atlético have won both La Liga and the Copa del Rey on nine occasions, including a double in 1996; in Europe, they won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962, were...
.
Starting from the summer of 1999, Seedorf's role at Real Madrid became less prominent during the short term of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
at the club, and he was eventually transferred back to Italy during the 1999–2000 season – this time to Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, for a fee about 44 billion Italian lira
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
(about €23M).
Internazionale
Despite helping the team to the Coppa ItaliaCoppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
final in 2000, a game that was eventually lost, Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club. However, he will be remembered by many Inter fans for his two goals against Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in a 2–2 draw on the 9 March 2002, both of which were superb long-range efforts.
Milan
After two years with Internazionale, Seedorf moved to city rivals MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in 2002, exchanged with Francesco Coco
Francesco Coco
Francesco Coco is a retired Italian football defender.-Club:Coco spent the majority of his club career with the Milan clubs; first with A.C. Milan between 1993 and 2002 and later with F.C. Internazionale between 2002 and 2007. He also had several loan spells with Vicenza Calcio, Torino F.C. and...
. He won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, which was the first time they had won the competition in twenty-six 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. The all Italian final saw Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0–0 draw, despite Seedorf failing to convert his own penalty.
The following season, 2003–2004, Seedorf played a role in the Milan side that won Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. 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 Madrid.
Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005. He started the Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
tie against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in which Milan contrived to lose a 3–0 lead, eventually losing on penalties after a 3–3 draw. Seedorf did not take any of those spot-kicks. Milan also finished runners-up in the Scudetto to Juventus in 2005.
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
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
became increasingly impressive as the pair combined in style to score and supply the goals which drove Milan past Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
to another Champions League final, again against Liverpool, beating them 2–1 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, 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
2007 FIFA Club World Cup
The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....
, 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.
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
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
.
In Milan, Seedorf has formed a formidable midfield partnership with Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Gattuso
Gennaro Ivan Gattuso, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer, who plays for Serie A club Milan. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder. Gattuso is an aggressive, hard tackling player and in his prime, was widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world...
and Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...
, which began since the 2002–03 season. This midfield trio is still used in the starting line-up, although their form has declined over the last two years. Under the guidance of coach Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
, their role was to support an attacking midfielder, whether it be Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
, Rui Costa
Rui Costa
Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder, he most recently played for Portuguese club Benfica...
, Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
, or Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
.
Seedorf became the foreigner with the most appearances for AC 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 AC Milan at 58 goals.
He won his second Scudetto with Milan in the 2010-11 Serie A season, where he once again played a vital role. No longer a starter, coach Massimiliano Allegri got the best out of Seedorf by using him sparing, but often and usually subbed him on late in games as an impact player where his lack of speed and agility would not detriment his game as much. In this role he thrived and the fans reignited their love for him. He scored four goals and made thirty six appearances in the 2010-11 season, very impressive for a thirty-five year old midfielder.
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 F.C. Internazionale in the Supercoppa Italiana
Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
. He scored the winning goal of Milan's first win of the 2011-12 Serie A campaign.
Seedorf was ranked 7th of of the 20 best players of the Champions League, since it started 20 years ago. Altough many say that he shoud 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.
International career
Seedorf has played in Euro 1996, (where his penalty miss proved decisive in the quarter final shootout defeat to France), the 1998 World Cup1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.
On 12 November 2006, Seedorf was recalled for the first time since June 2004 as a replacement for the injured Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for Internazionale. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA....
. He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 friendly draw against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Seedorf won the last of his 87 caps for the Netherlands in 2008. In Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0–0 at home) and Slovenia (1–0 away win), Seedorf played 4 and 6 minutes. There were doubts on his position within the national team, as Marco van Basten favoured younger players such as Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker...
, Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder is a Dutch footballer playing as an attacking midfielder for Internazionale. He was named UEFA midfielder of the season as well as one of the three best midfielders in the world for 2010 by FIFA....
and Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
. On 13 May 2008, Seedorf announced that he would not take part in Euro 2008, due to his ongoing conflict with Van Basten.
Other work
Seedorf has dabbled in media-related work during recent years. He joined the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa, working as a television pundit alongside more established broadcasters such as Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
and Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
. He also presented a number of features for the BBC coverage, including one about Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
. Seedorf was widely praised for his contribution to the BBC's coverage, with a Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
article praising his "classy, informed stints in the BBC studio".
Because of his strong connection with the country Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
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 Star and recently in 2011 the Netherlands also honoured him to Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
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.
Career statistics
|-|1992–93
Eredivisie 1992-93
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1992/1993 season was contested by 18 teams. Feyenoord won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 Fortuna Sittard and FC Den Bosch both relegated after losing their promotion/relegation play-offs....
||rowspan="3"|Ajax||rowspan="3"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||12||1||||||3||0||15||1
|-
|1993–94
Eredivisie 1993-94
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1993/1994 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 RKC remained in the Eredivisie after winning promotion/relegation play-offs. VVV lost theirs and relegated...
||19||4||||||2||0||21||4
|-
|1994–95
Eredivisie 1994-95
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1994/1995 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship. Starting this season, clubs qualifying for the Intertoto Cup can play for a spot in the UEFA Cup.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup....
||34||6||||||11||0||45||6
|-
|1995–96
Serie A 1995-96
The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti...
||Sampdoria||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||32||3||2||1||colspan="2"|-||34||4
|-
|1996–97
La Liga 1996-97
* It was the last season with 22 teams in La Liga. To reduce the number of teams in the league, the last four teams, CF Extremadura, Sevilla FC, Hércules CF and CD Logroñés, were relegated and the fifth-to-last team, Rayo Vallecano, played a relegation playoff and was also relegated.-League...
||rowspan="4"|Real Madrid||rowspan="4"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||38||6||4||0||colspan="2"|-||42||6
|-
|1997–98
La Liga 1997-98
1997-98 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* SD Compostela* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* RCD Mallorca* CP Mérida* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Oviedo...
||35||6||2||1||11||0||48||7
|-
|1998–99
La Liga 1998-99
1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* CF Extremadura* RCD Mallorca* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid...
||37||3||5||1||10||3||52||7
|-
|1999–00
La Liga 1999-00
1998-99 season was composed of the following clubs:* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alavés* Deportivo de La Coruña* RCD Espanyol* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CD Numancia* Racing de Santander* Rayo Vallecano...
||10||0||0||0||6||0||16||0
|-
|1999–00
Serie A 1999-00
Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
||rowspan="3"|Internazionale||rowspan="3"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||20||3||5||2||0||0||25||5
|-
|2000–01
Serie A 2000-01
In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||24||2||4||0||7||3||35||5
|-
|2001–02
Serie A 2001-02
In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||20||3||2||1||10||0||32||4
|-
|2002–03
Serie A 2002-03
In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||rowspan="10"|Milan||rowspan="10"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||29||4||3||2||16||1||48||7
|-
|2003–04
Serie A 2003-04
The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
||29||3||5||0||8||0||42||3
|-
|2004–05
Serie A 2004-05
In the 2004–05 season, the Serie A, the highest professional football league in Italy, was composed of 20 teams for the first time in several years....
||32||5||4||1||13||1||49||7
|-
|2005–06
Serie A 2005-06
In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006...
||36||4||2||1||11||1||49||6
|-
|2006–07
Serie A 2006-07
The Serie A 2006–2007 season began September 10, 2006. It was scheduled to begin on August 26 and 27, but was then postponed due to the Serie A scandal of 2006. It is the 104th Italian championship ever held, the first without the presence of Juventus, and the 75th Serie A league, the first...
||32||7||5||0||14||3||51||10
|-
|2007–08
Serie A 2007-08
The 2007-08 Serie A football season was the seventy-sixth since its establishment, and started on August 26, 2007 and ended on May 18, 2008. Internazionale successfully defended the championship on the final day of the season, finishing first with 85 points, three ahead of Roma.-Plusvalenze...
||32||7||0||0||7||2||39||9
|-
|2008–09
Serie A 2008-09
The 2008–09 Serie A was the seventy-seventh season since its establishment. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the list of fixtures made on 25 July 2008...
||33||6||1||0||7||0||41||6
|-
|2009–10||29||5||0||0||8||1||37||6
|-
|2010–11||30||4||0||0||6||0||36||4
|-
|2011–12||6||2||1||0||4||0||11||2
65||11||0||0||16||0||81||11
384||58||34||8||111||12||529||78
120||15||11||2||27||3||158||20
569||84||45||10||154||15||768||109
|}
|-
|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
|}
Club
Ajax- EredivisieEredivisieThe Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
: 1993–94Eredivisie 1993-94The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1993/1994 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 RKC remained in the Eredivisie after winning promotion/relegation play-offs. VVV lost theirs and relegated...
, 1994–95Eredivisie 1994-95The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1994/1995 season was contested by 18 teams. Ajax won the championship. Starting this season, clubs qualifying for the Intertoto Cup can play for a spot in the UEFA Cup.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup.... - KNVB CupKNVB CupThe KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
: 1993 - Johan Cruijff-schaalJohan Cruijff-schaalThe Johan Cruijff Schaal is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after legendary Dutch football player Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national football league and the winner of the national...
: 1993, 19941994 Dutch SupercupThe match for the fifth Dutch Supercup was held on 21 August 1994 in the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam. The match featured the winners of the 1993-94 Eredivisie Ajax and the winners of the 1993-94 KNVB Cup Feyenoord... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1995
Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1996–97La Liga 1996-97* It was the last season with 22 teams in La Liga. To reduce the number of teams in the league, the last four teams, CF Extremadura, Sevilla FC, Hércules CF and CD Logroñés, were relegated and the fifth-to-last team, Rayo Vallecano, played a relegation playoff and was also relegated.-League... - Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1997 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1998 - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19981998 Intercontinental CupThe 1998 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 1 December 1998 between Real Madrid, winners of the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League, and Vasco da Gama, winners of the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of 51,514 fans...
Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2003–04Serie A 2003-04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
, 2010–112010–11 Serie AThe 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2002–03Coppa Italia 2002-03- Second Round :-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Milan win Coppa Italia 6–3 on aggregate.-References:*... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20042004 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2004 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2003-04 winners Milan and the 2003-04 Coppa Italia winners Lazio.The match result was a 3-0 victory for Milan after a hat-trick by Andriy Shevchenko.-Match details:-References:...
, 20112011 Supercoppa Italiana- References :... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2003, 2007 - UEFA Super Cup: 20032003 UEFA Super CupThe 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0...
, 20072007 UEFA Super CupThe 2007 UEFA Super Cup was the 32nd UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions. The match was held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 31 August 2007 and contested by Milan and Sevilla... - FIFA Club World CupFIFA Club World CupThe FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
: 20072007 FIFA Club World CupThe 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....
Individual
- Dutch Talent of the Year: 1993, 1994
- FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
- UEFA Best Midfielder Award: 1997–1998, 2006–07
- FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2007
- UEFA Team of the YearUEFA Team of the YearThe UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
: 2002, 2007 - Real Madrid Team of the Century: 2008
- Commander of the Honorary Order of the Yellow StarHonorary Order of the Yellow StarThe Honorary Order of the Yellow Star is the highest state decoration of the Republic of Suriname. The Order was instituted in 1975 at the independence of Suriname and replaced the Dutch Order of the Netherlands Lion. It is awarded to individuals for their meritorious service to the Surinamese...
of SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
: 2007 - Knight of the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
of the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
: 2011 - L'Equipe's all-time European Cup dream team
- Nelson Mandela Leagacy Champion