Arjan de Zeeuw

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography Adrianus Johannes "Arjan" de Zeeuw (born 16 April 1970) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Having begun his career with Telstar before going on to spend the bulk of his career in England. He notably played in the Premier League for both Barnsley and Portsmouth and was part of teams promotions to the top flight in 1997 and 2003. He also played top flight football for Wigan Athletic during his second spell with the club, as well as playing in the Football League for Coventry City. He retired in 2009 following a brief spell back in the Netherlands with ADO '20.

Club career

Born in Castricum, North Holland, De Zeeuw started his career at Vitesse '22 in the Dutch amateur leagues,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and studied for a degree in medical science whilst playing for the club.<ref name="doctorheart">Template:Cite web</ref> At the age of 22, he turned professional and signed for Telstar in the Eerste Divisie. In 1995, he considered quitting football after he felt Telstar had priced him out of a move to Eredivisie side Utrecht, but decided to stay with the club for one more year.<ref name="doctorheart" />

De Zeeuw was approached by Barnsley later that year, who signed him for a fee of £250,000 during the 1995–96 season. In December 1995, he scored his first goal in English football in a 2–2 draw against Ipswich Town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a key player in the side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 1996–97 season. The club were relegated the following year, and it appeared that De Zeeuw was set to leave the club in the summer after turning down a new contract,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but was later persuaded by new manager John Hendrie to sign a one-year deal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When his contract expired at the end of the 1998–99 season, he moved to Wigan Athletic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At Wigan he soon became a vital team member, proving to be highly dependable at the back, and received the club's Player of the Year award in 2001 and 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His contract with Wigan expired in the summer of 2002, and the following season, he moved on a free transfer to Portsmouth. He was an integral part of the Portsmouth squad that claimed the First Division championship.<ref name="profile" />

He continued to perform to high standards as Portsmouth played well in their debut FA Premier League season, and was recognised by the fans who voted him Portsmouth Player of the Year. He was rewarded with the captaincy for the 2004–05 season, following Teddy Sheringham's departure to West Ham United, and led the team to stave off relegation following the departure of manager Harry Redknapp.

In the summer 2005, after falling out with then-Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, he returned to Wigan Athletic for the nominal fee of £90,000.<ref name="profile" /> De Zeeuw, who is now advanced in years for the life of a footballer, wanted the guarantee of first-team football which Perrin was unwilling to provide. The majority of Portsmouth supporters lamented this decision and loss of their former captain, who had a very consistent season with Wigan at the heart of their defence, helping them to a better-than-expected mid-table finish and even received praise from then Prime Minister Tony Blair.<ref name="Blair on the ball">Template:Cite news</ref>

De Zeeuw is considered by many to be an excellent example of professionalism in the modern game.Template:Citation needed He refused to retaliate after El Hadji Diouf spat in his face during a match at the Reebok Stadium in November 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His response was to score the winning goal in Portsmouth's 1–0 victory.

In Wigan's second Premiership season, he struggled to get a regular first team place due to a series of injuries and was released by the club on 17 May 2007. Whilst at Wigan he started in the 2006 Football League Cup Final. In a poll to celebrate the centenary of the Professional Footballers' Association fans voted De Zeeuw to be the best player of all time for Wigan Athletic.

In June 2007, it was announced that De Zeeuw had signed a one-year contract with Coventry City. During pre-season training, a freak accident left the defender sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks. He made his debut against Bristol City on 15 September 2007.<ref name="Coventry sign De Zeeuw and Cairo">Template:Cite news</ref> It was announced towards the end of the 2007–08 season that De Zeeuw would be one of eight first team players whose contracts would not be renewed. His season was hampered by injury and lack of form leading to new manager Chris Coleman decided he was surplus to requirements.

In 2009, he signed with ADO'20.

Personal life

Following his retirement in 2009, De Zeeuw began working as an investigative detective in Alkmaar, specialising in forensics.<ref name="Best & Worst: Arjan de Zeeuw">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref name="profile">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Soccerbase season</ref>

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barnsley	1995–96	First Division	31	1	2	0	—		33	1
	1996–97	First Division	43	2	2	0	4	0	49	2
	1997–98	Premier League	26	0	5	0	2	0	33	0
	1998–99	First Division	38	4	5	0	6	0	49	4
	Total		138	7	14	0	12	0	164	7
Wigan Athletic	1999–2000	Second Division	42	3	3	0	3	0	48	3
	2000–01	Second Division	46	1	2	0	4	0	52	1
	2001–02	Second Division	42	2	1	0	1	0	44	2
	Total		130	6	6	0	8	0	144	6
Portsmouth	2002–03	First Division	38	1	—		1	0	39	1
	2003–04	Premier League	36	1	4	0	2	0	42	1
	2004–05	Premier League	32	3	2	0	3	0	37	3
	Total		106	5	6	0	6	0	118	5
Wigan Athletic	2005–06	Premier League	31	0	1	0	3	0	35	0
	2006–07	Premier League	21	0	—		1	0	22	0
	Total		52	0	1	0	4	0	57	0
Coventry City	2007–08	Championship	17	0	1	0	1	0	19	0
Career total			443	18	28	0	31	0	502	18

Honours

Wigan Athletic

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Individual

• Barnsley Player of the Year: 1995–96<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 Second Division,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2001–02 Second Division<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Arjan de Zeeuw tribute at Wigan Athletic official website
• Arjan de Zeeuw player profile at ccfc.co.uk

• Template:Soccerbase
• Sunday Times article 31 January, 2010