Clarence Seedorf Biography
One of the best midfielders of his era and the only player to have ever won UEFA Champions League with three different clubs, in this article, we want to take a look at Clarence Seedorf biography.
Clarence Seedorf born in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname on April 1, 1976, is a current Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He started out in the youth ranks of Ajax and in three seasons with the Dutch team, he won a KNVB Cup, two league titles, two Dutch Super Cups and a Champions League.
In 1995 he moved to Sampdoria and after only one year he moved to Real Madrid: in three and a half seasons he won a La Liga, a Spanish Super Cup, a Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup. In December 1999 he moved to Italy, playing for Inter, but after two and a half years without winning any trophy, Seedorf signed for AC Milan in 2002.
In the first season he won the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League, becoming the first player to win the trophy with three different teams; the following year he won the Italian Supercup and the Scudetto. In 2006-2007 he won the UEFA Champions League for the fourth time and in the following season the UEFA Supercup and the Club World Championship.
In May 2011, seven years after his first Italian title, Seedorf won the Scudetto again, while in August 2011 he won his last Italian title, the Italian Supercup. In June 2012 he left AC Milan, going to finish his career as a player at Botafogo. In Brazil Seedorf won a Carioca championship, getting his last trophy at the age of thirty-seven.
From 1994 to 2008 he was part of the Netherlands national team, playing 87 international matches and scoring 11 goals. He made 43 appearances and scored 13 goals in the youth national teams of Netherlands between 1990 and 1993. With the Netherlands team he played in 3 European Championships (1996, 2000 and 2004) and a World Cup (1998).
All You Need to Know About Clarence Seedorf Biography
He is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different teams: Ajax, Real Madrid and on two occasions with Milan, for a total of four victories. He is also the seventh player with the most appearances in UEFA club competitions (163) behind Gianluigi Buffon (165), Cristiano Ronaldo (170), Pepe Reina (171), Xavi (173), Paolo Maldini (174) and Iker Casillas (175).
He is also part of the small circle of footballers to have played at least 1000 matches in his career. In 2004 he was included in the FIFA 100, the list of the 125 greatest living players, selected by Pelé and FIFA on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the federation.
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Clarence Seedorf Information
Now that we know him more, it’s time to look at some of the general information of him, before we move on to the next sections of Clarence Seedorf biography.
Clarence Seedorf Bio
Full Name: Clarence Clyde Seedorf
Nickname: Willy Wonka
Profession: Professional Footballer
Clarence Seedorf Physical Stats
Weight: 81 Kg
Height: 1.77 m
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Black
Clarence Seedorf Football Information
Position: Midfielder
Jersey Number: 10
Professional Debut: 1992
Clarence Seedorf Date of Birth and Personal Info
Date of Birth: 1 April 1976
Birth Place: Paramaribo, Suriname
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Nationality: Dutch
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Clarence Seedorf Early Life
Clarence Seedorf was born in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana). At just two years old, he left his native country with his parents Johan and Dulcie for the Netherlands. His ancestors came from the Berg en Dal plantation on Suriname about 100 km south of Paramaribo. Some of his ancestors were in the service of the Evangelical Brethren Church there.
Clarence Seedorf childhood
was the time when he learned the basics of football at a very young age from his father, a former professional player of SV Transvaal, one of the biggest clubs of Suriname. Clarence went on to play soccer for AS 80 and then Real d'Almere, clubs located about 20 kilometers from Amsterdam. Already skillful and pushed by a father who used a camera to improve his ball skills, he took part in the "Talent Day", a day of talent scouting for
Ajax Amsterdam, based on unsolicited applications.
The trial was successful, and Seedorf quickly began to take on board the Youth Education programs. Already inseparable with Patrick Kluivert, the duo was already playing great for Ajax youth teams. Crowned champion each year in the different categories, Seedorf kept progressing and getting better and better each year.
Clarence Seedorf Profile
At the beginning of the 1992-1993 season, Louis van Gaal heard about Seedorf's talent and performances. He had him play his first game with the first team in the UEFA Cup against FC Kaiserslautern. Better still, on October 28, 1992, Clarence became the youngest player from Ajax Amsterdam to make his debut in the Dutch league at sixteen years, six months and twenty days.
With the number 16 on his back since he asked to have his age on his jersey, he played twelve games and scored a goal in his first season with the Lancers. His efforts were rewarded at the end of the season when Ajax won the National Cup, Clarence Seedorf was part of the celebrations and was elected "Dutch Football Talent of the Year 1993".
The following year, having played in several positions (right midfielder, playmaker and even libero), Seedorf played 19 games and scored four goals. His game improved and he retained the title of "Dutch Football Talent of the Year 1994". From then on, Ajax Amsterdam wasn't the only team to use his services. He became an international in December 1994, played 34 matches and scored six times in the 1994-1995 season. He and his club won the Dutch league but above all the Champions League against AC Milan.
The big clubs were then on the lookout and Johan, his father and agent, was talking with the clubs. At the age of 19, Clarence broke another record: he became the youngest player to leave Ajax Amsterdam for a foreign club.
Sampdoria
On July 11, 1995, he moved to Sampdoria for a transfer fee of 7 billion liras. He made 32 appearances and scored 3 goals with Sampdoria, his first goal in Serie A was on November 19th in Atalanta-Sampdoria match, which ended 3-2. He also scored a great goal in the 3-0 victory over Juventus. The
Sampdoriateam finished the season in eighth place. He is then transferred to Real Madrid.
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Clarence Seedorf biography
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Real Madrid
After one season in Italy and a disappointing European Championship, he moved to
Real Madridin the summer of 1996. In a team with players like Raul, Fernando Redondo, Predrag Mijatovic, Davor Suker and Roberto Carlos, he took on the role of playmaker. Under the management of Italian coach Fabio Capello, the team won the La Liga in his first year.
In the following season, the championship goal was clearly missed under the German coach Jupp Heynckes. However, due to the first Champions Cup or Champions League title for Real Madrid in over 32 years, the season was still a success. Seedorf clinched his second Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Juventus Turin in the final, which was played at the stadium of his former club Ajax Amsterdam.
In December 1998, he won the Intercontinental Cup with Real Madrid. From then on, however, his career in Spain was not quite as successful. Inconsistent performances, as well as his insistence on playing in a central midfield position while coaches preferred him on the wing, led to his departure from Real Madrid after 121 games and 15 goals in the La Liga.
Inter Milan
He made his debut in Nerazzurri on January 6, 2000, in a Serie A match against Perugia, scoring the second of the five goals scored in the match. During his time at
Inter, he was often used as an outside midfield player, a role that was not entirely convenient for him. However, he was able to offer some performances at a great level, like the one against Juventus on March 9, 2002, when he scored two goals. In May 2002, after the Scudetto was lost on the last day, Seedorf was sold to AC Milan for 29 million euros, in an exchange with defender Francesco Coco.
AC Milan
In the 2002/03 season, he joined local rivals AC Milan. There he quickly found his place and was used by coach Carlo Ancelotti as a key player in a playmaking and aggressive midfield role with Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso to support the man behind the strikers, usually the Brazilian Kaka.
In his first year, his new club won the Champions League for the sixth time in its history. The penalty shootout victory over league rivals Juventus Torino at Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium made Seedorf the only player to date to win the Champions League with three different clubs. The treble was missed due to a drop in performance in Serie A, but they managed to win the Italian Cup.
The following season, Seedorf was the key player in the top-flight AC Milan side that won the 17th league title in the club's history ahead of AS Roma. In the Champions League,
Deportivo La Corunaprevailed in the quarterfinals.
In the 2004/05 season, he finished Serie A runner-up with Milan. After lucky progress in the semifinals of the Champions League against the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, the team lost the final match in Istanbul against Liverpool FC on penalties.
For the 2006/07 season, he took over the number 10 jersey from Rui Costa, who moved back to Portugal after twelve years in Serie A. He won the Champions League final again versus Liverpool FC with Milan in 2007 by 2-1. After his contract with AC Milan expired at the end of the 2011/12 season, Seedorf left the club.
Botafogo
In July 2012, he left AC Milan and joined the Brazilian club
Botafogoin Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On July 8, 2013, he scored a superb goal against Fluminense. A heavy shot from 35 meters, reminiscent of his best years, which gave victory to his team. During his time in Brazil, he scored 13 goals in 33 games
On January 14, 2014, he announced his retirement and moved directly to a new coaching career at AC Milan.
Netherlands
Seedorf made 86 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Dutch national team. He participated in the 1998 World Cup and 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championships, reaching the semifinals in each - with the exception of the '96 European Championship.
Despite these successes, he was considered somewhat controversial by Dutch fans and football experts. He was accused of not performing with the same level of enthusiasm as he did with his club teams, and that his style of play seemed phlegmatic. Overall, he had not made the best of his opportunities. His critics believed that a man with such achievements would have to show much more leadership in the national team. He was not called up to the squad for the 2006 World Cup by then-coach Marco van Basten.
In November 2006, Seedorf was recalled to the national team for the game against England after a two-year absence as a substitute for Wesley Sneijder, who was out injured at short notice. Shortly before the 2008 European Football Championship, Seedorf announced his retirement, saying he had received too little confidence from the coach.
Now stay tuned to read more about Clarence Seedorf biography and his career as a manager.
Career as a Manager
In mid-January 2014, Seedorf ended his playing career and became head coach of
AC Milan, succeeding the previously sacked Massimiliano Allegri. The team won its first two Serie A games under his leadership. On June 9 of the same year, he was fired after the club finished the season in 8th place of the Serie A table.
From July 2016, Seedorf managed the Chinese second division team FC Shenzhen. In December 2016, Shenzhen parted ways with Seedorf. From February 5, 2018, Seedorf worked as manager of Spanish La Liga team Real Club Deportivo La Coruna. He was sacked at the end of the season as the team was relegated to the second division.
Style of Play
Clarence Seedorf was considered one of the best playmakers in Europe during his time at AC Milan. His strengths were his ball control and his dribbling ability. In addition, he had an above-average vision, which meant that he always found a spot to play. These qualities made it possible for him to break free from almost any situation.
His regular position was central midfield, but he could also play on the wings and directly behind one or two strikers. Another of Seedorf's strengths were his free-kicks and corners, which often led directly or indirectly to goals.
Reception
During his playing days, Clarence Seedorf was considered to be one of the best midfielders the world had to offer. His achievements during his club career say it all about Seedorf, as we previously mentioned he is the only player that managed to win the UEFA Champions Leagues with three teams. Clarence Seedorf was also selected in the FIFA 100 list in 2004 by Pele.
As much as he has a great club career, however, at international level, he has many critics, who claim that Seedorf wasn’t as good as he was for his clubs. Therefore, in the list of best Dutch national team players, we usually won’t see Clarence Seedorf’s name.
Goal Celebration
Although, as a midfielder, Clarence Seedorf has scored lots of goals during his career (135 goals in 889 matches), we saw many different goal celebrations from him during his playing days. Therefore, we can say that Seedorf is amongst the footballers who didn’t have a signature goal celebration.
Clarence Seedorf outside Football
After a short period in marketing for the company Araujo Abreu Engenharia in Brazil, Seedorf became interested in media-related work in recent years. He joined the BBC team covering the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, working as a television commentator. He also presented a number of resources for BBC coverage, including one on Robben Island. He also joined the BBC for his coverage of the Euro 2012 Match of the Day live. Seedorf was widely praised for his contribution to BBC coverage with the Daily Mail. He also made appearances in Match of the Day 2 during the interval of each game of the English championship.
At the beginning of 2008, Seedorf offered the Surinamese Football Association (SVB) three million euros with the goal of improving the organization, competitions and events. However, in exchange for this money, he wanted to have some control within the association in order, among other things, to gain insight into the expenses of the organization. The Surinamese Football Association turned down the offer.
In 2009 Seedorf became co-owner of the Italian club AC Monza Brianza 1912 which plays in the Serie C. The Italian club was for sale since December 2008. Seedorf is not the only one investing in the club, former top football player Giuseppe Bergomi and businessman Salvo Zangari are also involved.
Monza last played at Series B level in 2000. Seedorf also brought his brother Chedric and his cousin Stefano into the club. He also owns the Surinamese club The Brothers, where his brother Jurgen was playing.
He also owned a racing team (Seedorf Racing) that was active in Moto3. Seedorf is also an ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Clarence Seedorf Personal Life
Clarence Seedorf was born in Paramaribo, Suriname. Clarence Seedorf's grandfather, Frederick, was the son of a slave and was freed by a German master from whom he took the surname "Seedorf". Three of Clarence's brothers, Chedric, Rhamlee and Jürgen, his cousin Stefano and nephew Regilio are professional football players; his father Johan, meanwhile, is a sports agent. In July 2009, Chedric and Stefano moved to Monza, a club where Clarence was part of the technical committee.
Clarence Seedorf religion
is Christianity.
Family, Children and Relationships
Clarence Seedorf is married to his Brazilian wife Luviana Seedorf and the couple has four children, 18 years old Jusy and 13 years old Denzel, the Dutch footballer has two other children born from a previous relationship.
Seedorf describes the first time he met his wife like this: "I met her in a bar, it was all dark, she was dressed in black and the only thing you could see was her eyes and her gaze, I appreciated the rest later".
His wife was a professional dancer before their marriage. She is an avid fan of Botafogo, the club where her husband Clarence joined after he left A Milan.
The couple has opened a Japanese restaurant named ‘Finger’ in Milan. After the success of Finger, Luviana Seedorf decided to open Haniel, a beauty salon in Della Spiga attended by AC Milan and Inter players and their spouses.
Philanthropy
He founded the Champions for Children foundation, to promote education through sport in areas of the world where children live in situations of hardship, starting with Suriname of which Seedorf originates. For this reason, on January 23, 2001, he was awarded the 15th edition of the Campioni per Bambini - L'Altropallone prize in Milan.
Because of Clarence Seedorf's strong bond with his native country, he regularly participates in social projects in Suriname. The midfielder had the Clarence Seedorf Stadium built and supports many charity projects and foundations. Seedorf was promoted in Suriname to Commander in the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star. His sporting and social involvement also earned him the distinction of Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2011.
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Clarence Seedorf biography
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Legal Issues
Clarence Seedorf did not have any major legal issues or problems to his name, however, he was cited in the Panama Papers case for having used an offshore company from 2005 based in the British Virgin Islands to hide the sponsorship rights of his motorcycle team.
Clarence Seedorf Career Statistics
As one of the best Dutch footballers of all time, Clarence Seedorf has played for many clubs during his career and also the
Netherlands national team. After his retirement, he had also a not so good coaching career. In this section of
Clarence Seedorf life story
, we want to take a look at his career stats.
Club
During his playing career which started in 1992 at Ajax Amsterdam, and ended in 2013 at Botafogo, Clarence Seedorf has played a total of 889 football matches in all competitions, scoring 135 goals, which is great for a central midfielder. He has scored most of his club career goals in league matches (107).
International
Clarence Seedorf nationality
is Dutch and therefore he has represented the Netherlands at international level. His first match for the Netherlands was in 1994, where he played against
Luxembourg. He managed to score at his international debut. His last match for the team was against
Sloveniain 2008, where he only played 6 minutes. After playing 87 matches and scoring 11 goals for Holland, he retired from international football the same year.
Managerial
During his career as a manager, Clarence Seedorf has managed four different clubs, including AC Milan, Shenzhen, Deportivo de La Coruna and Cameroon national team. He has managed these team in a total of 64 matches, winning 21 and losing 26 of them. He has also 17 draws to his name as a manager.
His teams have scored 69 goals and conceded 84. His winning percentage as a manager currently stands at %32.81 which is not so good. His best win percentage was %50 at AC Milan as his worst is %12.5 with Deportivo de La Coruna.
Clarence Seedorf Honors
Clarence Seedorf is one of the most decorated footballers of all time, having won many titles as a player. He has won the league title with all of his club teams. He has also won the UEFA Champions League four times with three teams including Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Of his major personal awards and honors we can mention Dutch Football Talent of the Year in 1993 and 94, UEFA Best Midfielder Award and Real Madrid Team of the Century. He was also included in the FIFA 100.
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