Winston Bogarde
Encyclopedia
Winston Bogarde is a retired Dutch
professional footballer.
A player of immense physical strength, he played mostly as a central defender, although he could occasionally appear on the left, and was best known for his spells at Ajax, FC Barcelona
and Chelsea
.
With the latter side, he garnered worldwide attention as, although he received almost no playing time (no Premier League appearances whatsoever in his last three seasons combined), he preferred to see out his lucrative contract.
Bogarde represented the Dutch national team
in one World Cup
and one European Championship
.
, as a winger, then switched to the professionals in 1990, playing with two hometown clubs: Excelsior
and Sparta
. With the latter, in the 1993–94 season, he netted an astonishing 11 goals, as Sparta qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup
.
Bogarde signed for country giants AFC Ajax in 1994; after a slow first season (he did not leave the bench in the final
of the club's victorious campaign in the UEFA Champions League
), he became a defensive stalwart.
signed Bogarde from Ajax for 1997-98, but he only made three Serie A
appearances throughout his short stay. In January 1998, he moved to compatriot Louis van Gaal
's FC Barcelona
, appearing in 19 matches in the second part of the season, as Barça won La Liga
(and the Spanish cup
).
As the Dutch influence at Nou Camp was reducing, so was Bogarde's, who only managed one league contest in his second full season (partly due to injuries), although he bounced back for a third respectable one (21 matches, two goals).
Bogarde signed for Chelsea
in 2000–01, after following the advice of compatriot Mario Melchiot
to join him at the London
club. He was signed when Gianluca Vialli
was manager — although the latter had no idea the transfer was happening, it arguably being conducted by director of football
Colin Hutchinson. Emerson Thome
, also a centre-back, was shipped off to Sunderland
. Only weeks after signing his contract with the club, newly-appointed manager Claudio Ranieri
wanted the player to leave.
According to Bogarde, it would be next to impossible to find a team that would offer him a contract comparable to the one he had at Chelsea; he was astounded at the salary the club had agreed on, as his value depreciated severely due to lack of first-team action. He decided to stay at Chelsea honouring his contract to the letter (as he could not get a similar salary anywhere else) and appearing to training every day, but only played for the team very sparingly. Of his contract he said, "Why should I throw fifteen million Euro away when it is already mine? At the moment I signed it was in fact my money, my contract." In the end, he only appeared eleven times during his four-year contract, reportedly earning £
40,000 a week during this period. Furthermore, Chelsea won a domestic trophy during this period triggering a bonus payment in agreement with his contract, despite Bogarde not featuring at all for Chelsea that season.
After playing as a substitute against Ipswich Town
on Boxing Day
in 2000, Bogarde only made one more appearance for Chelsea's first team before his contract expired in July 2004; it was also made from the bench, against Gillingham
for the League Cup, on 6 November 2002.
During his period at Chelsea, the club repeatedly tried to offload Bogarde because of his inflated wages. When there were no takers, Chelsea demoted him to the reserve and youth teams in an effort to force Bogarde to leave. He also became a figure of ridicule in the English
press for his alleged selfishness. Of the derision he received at the hands of the press, Bogarde responded, 'This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don't care.'
On 8 November 2005, Bogarde announced his retirement
from professional football having failed to reach an agreement with a club since leaving Chelsea.
, who also included him in the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
. A starter in the first competition, he only backed-up Arthur Numan
in the second.
Bogarde had the chance to feature in his first start at a World Cup
match against Brazil
in the semifinals, after starter Numan was suspended in the previous encounter against Argentina
, but he sustained a serious shin injury during training and was hospitalised, being replaced by Philip Cocu.
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...
professional footballer.
A player of immense physical strength, he played mostly as a central defender, although he could occasionally appear on the left, and was best known for his spells at Ajax, FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
.
With the latter side, he garnered worldwide attention as, although he received almost no playing time (no Premier League appearances whatsoever in his last three seasons combined), he preferred to see out his lucrative contract.
Bogarde represented the Dutch national team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
in one World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
.
The Netherlands
Bogarde started his career at amateur Schiedamse Voetbal VerenigingSchiedamse Voetbal Vereniging
Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging was a Dutch professional football club from Schiedam. Founded in 1904, the club won the Dutch national football title in 1949. In 1991, SVV and neighbouring Dordrecht'90 merged to form FC Dordrecht.-History:...
, as a winger, then switched to the professionals in 1990, playing with two hometown clubs: Excelsior
Excelsior Rotterdam
SBV Excelsior is a professional football club from the Kralingen-Crooswijk district of Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was founded on July 23, 1902 and was formerly known as 'Rotterdamse Voetbal en Atletiek Vereniging Excelsior'...
and Sparta
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
. With the latter, in the 1993–94 season, he netted an astonishing 11 goals, as Sparta qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
.
Bogarde signed for country giants AFC Ajax in 1994; after a slow first season (he did not leave the bench in the final
1995 UEFA Champions League Final
The 1995 UEFA Champions League Final was the 40th edition and took place in Vienna between AFC Ajax and A.C. Milan. It was Milan's third European Cup final in three years and they were aiming to tie Real Madrid's record of having won the European Cup six times...
of the club's victorious campaign in the 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...
), he became a defensive stalwart.
Abroad
A.C. 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...
signed Bogarde from Ajax for 1997-98, but he only made three 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...
appearances throughout his short stay. In January 1998, he moved to compatriot Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal
Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal OON is a Dutch football manager formerly in charge of Ajax, Netherlands, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich...
's FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, appearing in 19 matches in the second part of the season, as Barça won 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...
(and the Spanish cup
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
).
As the Dutch influence at Nou Camp was reducing, so was Bogarde's, who only managed one league contest in his second full season (partly due to injuries), although he bounced back for a third respectable one (21 matches, two goals).
Bogarde signed for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in 2000–01, after following the advice of compatriot Mario Melchiot
Mario Melchiot
Mario Deno Patrik Melchiot is a Dutch football defender who currently plays for Qatari Stars League club Umm Salal. He can play as either a right-back or a central defender, and has also occasionally played in midfield....
to join him at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
club. He was signed when Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia....
was manager — although the latter had no idea the transfer was happening, it arguably being conducted by director of football
Director of football
"Director of football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and extremely variable and causes much debate in the sports media...
Colin Hutchinson. Emerson Thome
Emerson Thome
Emerson Augusto Thome is a Brazilian former football player who last played for Vissel Kobe.He first came to England towards the end of the 1997-1998 season when moving to Sheffield Wednesday from Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, who signed him from Tirsense in 94/95, when the "jesuítas" stood one...
, also a centre-back, was shipped off to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
. Only weeks after signing his contract with the club, newly-appointed manager Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
wanted the player to leave.
According to Bogarde, it would be next to impossible to find a team that would offer him a contract comparable to the one he had at Chelsea; he was astounded at the salary the club had agreed on, as his value depreciated severely due to lack of first-team action. He decided to stay at Chelsea honouring his contract to the letter (as he could not get a similar salary anywhere else) and appearing to training every day, but only played for the team very sparingly. Of his contract he said, "Why should I throw fifteen million Euro away when it is already mine? At the moment I signed it was in fact my money, my contract." In the end, he only appeared eleven times during his four-year contract, reportedly earning £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
40,000 a week during this period. Furthermore, Chelsea won a domestic trophy during this period triggering a bonus payment in agreement with his contract, despite Bogarde not featuring at all for Chelsea that season.
After playing as a substitute against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
in 2000, Bogarde only made one more appearance for Chelsea's first team before his contract expired in July 2004; it was also made from the bench, against Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
for the League Cup, on 6 November 2002.
During his period at Chelsea, the club repeatedly tried to offload Bogarde because of his inflated wages. When there were no takers, Chelsea demoted him to the reserve and youth teams in an effort to force Bogarde to leave. He also became a figure of ridicule in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
press for his alleged selfishness. Of the derision he received at the hands of the press, Bogarde responded, 'This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don't care.'
On 8 November 2005, Bogarde announced his retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
from professional football having failed to reach an agreement with a club since leaving Chelsea.
International career
Courtesy of steady performances at Ajax, Bogarde was summoned to UEFA Euro 1996 by Holland manager Guus HiddinkGuus 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...
, who also included him in the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 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...
. A starter in the first competition, he only backed-up Arthur Numan
Arthur Numan
Arthur Numan is a retired Dutch footballer. He played as a left back and was a regular fixture in Netherlands national football team...
in the second.
Bogarde had the chance to feature in his first start at a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
match against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in the semifinals, after starter Numan was suspended in the previous encounter against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, but he sustained a serious shin injury during training and was hospitalised, being replaced by Philip Cocu.
Honours
- Ajax:
- 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...
: 1994–95 - 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...
: 19951995 Intercontinental CupThe 1995 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on November 28, 1995 between Ajax, winners of the 1994-95 European Cup, and Grêmio, winners of the 1995 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo... - UEFA Super Cup: 19951995 UEFA Super CupThe 1995 UEFA Super Cup was contested between the UEFA Champions League holders AFC Ajax and the Cup Winners' Cup holders Real Zaragoza. The cup was played later than usual, the two legs taking place in February 1996. The first leg was draw 1–1 at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza. The...
- Dutch LeagueEredivisieThe 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....
: 1994–95, 1995–96 - Dutch Supercup: 1994, 1995
- UEFA Champions League
- BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
:- UEFA Super Cup: 19971997 UEFA Super CupThe 1997 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 8 January 1998 and 11 March 1998 between Borussia Dortmund of Germany, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League and Barcelona of Spain, winner of the 1996-97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup...
- Spanish LeagueLa 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...
: 1997–98, 1998–99 - Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1997–98
- UEFA Super Cup: 1997