Clarence Seedorf
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox football biography
Clarence Clyde Seedorf (Template:IPA; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch former professional football manager and player. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He is currently working primarily remotely as a senior sports advisor and senior consultant for Esteghlal Tehran Football Club of the Persian Gulf Pro League.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seedorf is considered one of the most successful players in UEFA Champions League history, as he is the only player to have won the UEFA Champions League with three clubs — once with Ajax in 1995, once with Real Madrid in 1998, and twice with AC Milan in 2003 and 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEASON 2009/10 MATCHWEEK STATS PACK MATCHWEEK 1 15/09/2009-16/09/2009 uefa.com</ref>
At international level, he represented the Netherlands on 87 occasions, and took part in three UEFA European Football Championships (1996, 2000, 2004) and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the latter three tournaments.
In 2004, he was chosen by Pelé as part of the FIFA 100. Seedorf is one of the most decorated Dutch players ever, and has won domestic and continental titles while playing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Early life
Born in Paramaribo, Suriname,<ref name="Clarence Seedorf - A.C. Milan squad 2011/2012"/> Seedorf was raised in Almere, Flevoland, where he moved when he was two years old. He grew up in a footballing family, with both his younger brothers Jürgen and Chedric Seedorf,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and his father, former player and talent agent Johann Seedorf.Template:Fact
Club career
Early career
Seedorf began his career at the age of six in the youth ranks of his local amateur sides VV AS '80 and Real Almere,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before being discovered and recruited to the ranks of nearby Dutch giants Ajax by Urgent Scoutingteam, the talent agency set up by Johan Cruyff, and which was responsible for recruiting the likes of Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Rob Witschge and Patrick Kluivert to the club as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Following in their brother's footsteps, under the guidance of their father and talent agent, Seedorf's siblings, as well as cousin Stefano, would later also join the ranks of Ajax.
Ajax
A product of the famed Ajax Youth Academy, 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-ever debutant for Ajax, at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He quickly established himself as the first choice on his position under manager Louis van Gaal, and in the 1993–94 season, his second with the club, he helped the Amsterdam-based side win the treble, securing the Eredivisie title, the KNVB Cup and the Dutch Super Cup in the same year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Among his teammates was Frank Rijkaard, the player he used to idolise in his younger days.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
The following season, Seedorf helped his team secure consecutive Super Cup and Eredivisie titles, as well as their fourth European Cup trophy, winning the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League after defeating AC Milan in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He played a key role in the final before being replaced in the 53rd minute by striker Nwankwo Kanu.<ref>UEFA Champions League – Matches – UEFA.com Template:Webarchive. 2000.uefa.com. Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref> Patrick Kluivert scored a late goal to lift Ajax to a 1–0 victory over the Italian giants,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> whom Seedorf would later go on to represent for a decade.<ref>Seedorf confirms AC ola Milan exit –. Goal.com (21 June 2012). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref> While at Ajax, he was part of a trio known as "De kabel", composed of Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert and himself. Later, Winston Bogarde and Michael Reiziger would be added to the group to make it a quintet; what had started as a friendship was then taken over during the UEFA Euro 1996 to describe the group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sampdoria
Opting not to extend his contract with Ajax following their European success and the Bosman ruling, Seedorf signed a one-year contract with Italian Serie A side Sampdoria instead.<ref name="autogenerated1">Template:Cite web</ref> While not able to obtain any silverware in his first season at his new club, Seedorf appeared in 32 matches, scoring three goals helping his side to an eighth-place finish in the league table, all the while maintaining the form he had demonstrated at Ajax in the past. Seedorf was then able to secure a transfer to Real Madrid, moving to Spain's La Liga by the end of the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Real Madrid
Seedorf moved to Real Madrid in 1996,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where he was virtually ever present for Los Blancos in his first three seasons.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> In his first season, he helped the team regain the La Liga title, while in his second season, 1997–98, he played a major role in the team's Champions League success, as Madrid secured a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the final,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> earning his second Champions League title of his career. While playing for Real Madrid, Seedorf scored a notable long-range goal against Atlético Madrid in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of the 1998–99 season, Madrid and Juventus wanted to swap Seedorf for Zinedine Zidane, but the deal did not go through and the French playmaker waited two more years before joining Real Madrid. Starting from the summer of 1999, Seedorf's role at Real Madrid became less prominent during the tenure of Dutch manager Guus Hiddink at the club. He was eventually transferred back to Italy during the 1999–2000 season, this time to Inter Milan, for a fee about 44 billion Italian lira (approximately €23 million).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Inter Milan
On 24 December 1999, Seedorf moved to Inter Milan in a $24.35 million deal after cementing his place in the Real Madrid midfield for over three years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite helping the team to the Coppa Italia final later that season – a 2–1 aggregate loss to Lazio where Seedorf scored Inter's only goal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – Seedorf could not help bring any major silverware to the club. Nonetheless, he is remembered by many Inter fans for his two goals against Juventus in a 2–2 draw on 9 March 2002, both of which were superb long-range efforts.<ref>Finished – Derby d’Italia Debate: Top 5 Inter-Juventus Matches From The Past –. Goal.com (16 April 2010). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref>
AC Milan
After two years with Inter, Seedorf moved to their rivals AC Milan in 2002, in an exchange with Francesco Coco.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Seedorf won the Coppa Italia with Milan in 2003, the first time they had won the competition in 26 years. In the same season, Seedorf gained his third Champions League medal, becoming the first player to win the Champions League with three clubs.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> The all-Italian final saw Milan beat Juventus on penalties after a 0–0 draw, despite Seedorf failing to convert his own penalty. During the game, he also had to switch roles three times; having started the first half on the left in midfield, in the second he was moved into the center, and eventually onto the right side. The following season, 2003–04, Seedorf played a role in the Milan side that won the Serie A title. It was Seedorf's fourth national league title of his career, following his two Dutch title wins with Ajax and his one Spanish win with Real Madrid.
Seedorf played a major role as Milan reached the Champions League final again in 2005, scoring the only goal of the game in their opening group match against Shakhtar Donetsk on 14 September 2004 and appearing in all 13 competition matches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He started the match against Liverpool in Istanbul in which Milan lost a 3–0 lead, eventually losing on penalties after a 3–3 draw; Seedorf did not take a penalty-kick.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Milan also finished runners-up in the Serie A, seven points behind champions Juventus, although Juventus were stripped of the title and Milan docked points for match-fixing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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 top players remaining with the club. In that season, 2005–06, he scored a goal after just 25 seconds in a 2–2 draw against Schalke.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seedorf's role as foil to midfielder 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. This time, however, they defeated them 2–1 in Athens, with Seedorf collecting his fourth Champions League medal. In that same year, Seedorf was a part of the Milan squad that won the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the first European player to win the trophy with three clubs (Ajax in 1995 and Real Madrid in 1998). He ended up winning the Silver Ball for the competition for his performances, notably scoring the winner against Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final to send his club to the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.
With Milan, Seedorf formed a formidable midfield partnership with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, which began since the 2002–03 season. This midfield trio was still used in the starting line-up until the 2011–12 season (Pirlo left the Rossoneri in the summer of 2011), although their form had been declining. 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 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 Milan, with 58 goals. On 29 March 2010, Seedorf was the target of racist chants from Lazio fans in a 1–1 draw, which led to the Rome-based club being given a €15,000 fine by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). This led the Italy's players' union want racism stamped out in Serie A.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Seedorf won his second Scudetto with Milan in the 2010–11 Serie A season, where he once again played a vital role. He scored four goals and made 36 appearances in the 2010–11 season. 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 Inter Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana.<ref>Supercoppa Italiana 2011: Milan-Inter 2–1Template:Dead link. legaseriea.it (6 August 2011).</ref> He scored the winning goal of Milan's first win of the 2011–12 Serie A campaign, a 1–0 defeat of Cesena on 24 September.<ref>Report: AC Milan v Cesena – Italian Serie A – ESPNFC. Soccernet.espn.go.com (24 September 2011). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref>
Seedorf was ranked seventh of the 20 best players of the Champions League, a list which was compiled in 2012 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the competition. The ranking was done by Champions, the official magazine of UEFA.Template:Citation needed On 14 May, he said that he was playing his last match with Milan against Novara that day. He also confirmed that he would continue to play football for another club. On 21 June, Seedorf held a press conference announcing his departure from Milan, stating, "I am leaving after 10 wonderful years... I leave a family" after playing for the Rossoneri for a decade and winning two Champions League, two Scudettos and a Coppa Italia.<ref>Milan strengthen squad after Clarence Seedorf bids farewell | Football. guardian.co.uk (21 June 2012). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref><ref>Clarence Seedorf confirms AC Milan departure – ESPNFC. Soccernet.espn.go.com (21 June 2012). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref> Club CEO Adriano Galliani spoke of Seedorf following the player's departure in the highest regard, stating, "When Milan played well, which happened often, each and every time it occurred Seedorf played an amazing match. He is a world class player."<ref>Seedorf Leaves Milan – Template:Webarchive. Legaseriea.it (21 June 2012). Retrieved on 22 June 2013.</ref>
Botafogo
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On 30 June 2012, Seedorf signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Botafogo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The veteran midfielder made his debut with the club on 22 July against Grêmio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 5 August, Seedorf scored his first goal for Botafogo, curling in a free kick against Atlético Goianiense. On 5 September, Seedorf scored two goals and made an assist against Cruzeiro, helping Botafogo to a 3–1 victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 3 February 2013, for the first time on his career, Seedorf scored a hat-trick against Macaé, his first game as a starter that year. Before that game, Seedorf played the second half against Fluminense and made an assist to Bolívar, who scored the match's equalizer.Template:Citation needed
On 10 March 2013, Seedorf won his first title with Botafogo: the 2013 Taça Guanabara, the first round of 2013 Campeonato Carioca. On 5 May, he won the second round of 2013 Campeonato Carioca – 2013 Taça Rio – against Fluminense. That is also the day of his first official title for Botafogo, the 2013 Campeonato Carioca, as the team won both rounds and no final match was needed. On 6 June, Seedorf scored his 100th goal in domestic league play: 11 with Ajax, 3 with Sampdoria, 15 with Real Madrid, 8 with Inter, 47 with Milan and 16 with Botafogo. On 14 January 2014, Seedorf announced his retirement from professional football. He announced that he is ending his playing career to take up the manager position at Milan following the sacking of Massimiliano Allegri.
International career
Due to Surinamese rules against dual citizenship, players who take Dutch citizenship are no longer eligible to represent the Netherlands' former colony. He received his first callup on 14 December 1994 at the age of 18 against Luxembourg.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Seedorf scored on his debut, helping his team to a 5–0 victory in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Seedorf was in the Dutch squad for the UEFA European Championships in 1996, where his penalty miss proved decisive in the quarter-final shootout defeat to France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also appeared for the Netherlands at Euro 2000 and 2004, as well as the 1998 FIFA World Cup, reaching the semi-finals in all three of these tournaments.
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 2007.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> In the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Romania (0–0 at home) and Slovenia (1–0 away win), Seedorf played four and six minutes respectively. 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 UEFA Euro 2008 due to his ongoing personal conflict with van Basten.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Style of play
Nicknamed "Il Professore" and "Willy Wonka", Seedorf was a well-rounded, hardworking and versatile player, who was gifted with strength, pace, stamina and notable physical attributes, which allowed him to play anywhere in midfield and contribute both offensively and defensively, due to his significant tactical intelligence; although he primarily served as a playmaker in the centre, throughout his career he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder, on the wing, as a mezzala, or in a holding or box-to-box role.<ref name="Identity">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Landmark">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=acmilan.com>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A world class midfielder, in addition to his fitness and athletic characteristics, as well as his ability to break down opposing plays and win back possession,<ref name="Identity"/><ref name="Landmark"/> he was an elegant, creative player and an excellent dribbler, possessing outstanding technique, ball skills and vision, which enabled him to retain possession when under pressure and subsequently lay the ball off to an on-rushing teammate;<ref name="AC Milan Pen Pics">Template:Cite news</ref> he was also an accurate passer and crosser of the ball.<ref name="Identity"/><ref name=acmilan.com/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Seedorf was also capable of scoring goals due to his powerful, accurate striking ability from distance with either foot;<ref name="Identity"/><ref name="Landmark"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> furthermore, he was an effective free kick taker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite his physical, energetic, and tenacious style of play, Seedorf was regarded as a player with good behavior, and was sent off only two times in his entire career. In addition to his success and footballing skills, Seedorf has also been praised for his longevity as a footballer.<ref name="Identity"/>
Managerial career
Seedorf was appointed the new head coach of Milan on 16 January 2014, terminating his contract with Botafogo early in order to take on the managerial role, with Milan languishing in 11th in the Serie A table. On 19 January, he won his first managerial match, played against Hellas Verona, with Mario Balotelli scoring the lone goal of the game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Despite overseeing the club's first five-match winning run since 2011, and first Serie A victory in the Milan derby against Inter since 2011, Seedorf was dismissed by Milan on 9 June 2014 after just four months on the job, with Filippo Inzaghi being named as his successor.<ref name="Sacked">Template:Cite news</ref> During the Dutchman's time at the helm of the club, Milan gained a total of 35 out of a possible 57 points - the fourth-most out of all Serie A sides (one less than Napoli's corresponding total and six less than Roma's).
Seedorf was appointed manager of China League One team Shenzhen FC in July 2016,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but was replaced five months later by Sven-Göran Eriksson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A year later Seedorf joined Brazilian club Atlético Paranaense as both a coach and a sporting director.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Within a month the deal was cancelled after both parties failed to reach an agreement.Template:Citation needed In February 2018, Seedorf was appointed as manager of Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Seedorf led the team to just two wins in sixteen matches, Deportivo were relegated from La Liga, and at the end of the season he left the club.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After a deal with Sven-Göran Eriksson could not be agreed, the Fédération Camerounaise de Football appointed Seedorf as the manager of the Cameroon national team in August 2018.<ref name=":0" /> He was joined by former teammate Patrick Kluivert as his assistant manager.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> However, after a disappointing 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where Cameroon as defending champions were eliminated by Nigeria in the round of 16 after an unimpressive group stage, he was sacked in July 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life and other work
Seedorf speaks six languages fluently:<ref name="Landmark"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dutch, English,<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Sranan Tongo. He was often seen as a spiritual, intelligent and articulate figure in football,<ref name=":1" /> and in a 2011 interview, Seedorf stated that he was studying to obtain a master's degree in business at the prestigious Bocconi University in Milan;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> because of this, he earned the nickname "il professore" ("the professor") during his time playing at Milan.<ref name="Landmark"/> Seedorf married a Brazilian woman, Luviana Seedorf, with whom he owns a restaurant called Finger's in Milan. They have four children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After separating from his wife, he began a relationship with Canadian-Iranian Sophia Makramati, and converted to her faith of Islam in a March 2022 ceremony in Dubai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Seedorf has dabbled in media-related work during recent years. In 2009, he worked with The New York Times to run a column entitled "Seedorf responds", where once a month he would answer peoples' questions regarding football.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He joined the BBC's team covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, working as a television pundit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also presented a number of features for the BBC coverage, including one about Robben Island.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He joined the BBC for their Match of the Day Live coverage of UEFA Euro 2012. He has also made appearances on Match of the Day 2 during the English football league season.
Because of his strong connection with the country Suriname, where he 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 & SV The Brothers play there regularly. With his Champions for Children Foundation, he supports projects for good causes in Suriname.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For this, Suriname has honoured him to Commander of the High-Order of the Yellow Star, and in 2011 he was invested as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau (OON).
In 2012 and 2014, Seedorf took part in Soccer Aid, a charity match at Old Trafford with former professional players and celebrities. He played for "The Rest of the World" team against England. In 2014, he scored a hat-trick, where The Rest of the World won 4–2; they raised over £4 million in total.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Clarence's nephew, Collin Seedorf, is also a professional footballer, and currently plays for Bosnian club Željezničar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League<ref>Includes Campeonato Carioca 2013.</ref> | National cupTemplate:Efn | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajax | 1992–93 | Eredivisie | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3Template:Efn | 0 | – | 18 | 1 | |
| 1993–94 | Eredivisie | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2Template:Efn | 0 | 1Template:Efn | 0 | 24 | 4 | |
| 1994–95 | Eredivisie | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 11Template:Efn | 0 | 1Template:Efn | 0 | 49 | 6 | |
| Total | 65 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 91 | 11 | ||
| Sampdoria | 1995–96 | Serie A | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 4 | ||
| Real Madrid | 1996–97 | La Liga | 38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 6 | ||
| 1997–98 | La Liga | 36 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11Template:Efn | 0 | 2Template:Efn | 1 | 49 | 7 | |
| 1998–99 | La Liga | 37 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8Template:Efn | 3 | 2Template:Efn | 0 | 52 | 7 | |
| 1999–2000 | La Liga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6Template:Efn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Total | 121 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 159 | 20 | ||
| Inter Milan | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 | – | – | 25 | 5 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7Template:Efn | 3 | 1Template:Efn | 0 | 36 | 5 | |
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10Template:Efn | 0 | – | 32 | 4 | ||
| Total | 64 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 93 | 14 | ||
| AC Milan | 2002–03 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16Template:Efn | 1 | – | 48 | 7 | |
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 29 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8Template:Efn | 0 | 3Template:Efn | 0 | 45 | 3 | |
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 32 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 13Template:Efn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 7 | |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 36 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 11Template:Efn | 1 | – | 49 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 32 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 14Template:Efn | 3 | – | 51 | 10 | ||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7Template:Efn | 2 | 3Template:Efn | 1 | 42 | 10 | |
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7Template:Efn | 0 | – | 41 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8Template:Efn | 1 | – | 37 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8Template:Efn | 0 | – | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8Template:Efn | 0 | 1Template:Efn | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| Total | 300 | 47 | 25 | 5 | 100 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 432 | 62 | ||
| Botafogo | 2012 | Série A | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 9 |
| 2013 | Série A | 34 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 8 | |
| Total | 58 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 640 | 100 | 57 | 7 | 159 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 842 | 124 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 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 | |
- Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Seedorf goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 December 1994 | De Kuip, Rotterdam | Template:Fb | 5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 2 | 29 March 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 3 | 11 October 1995 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard | Template:Fb | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 15 November 1995 | De Kuip, Rotterdam | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 5 | 4 June 1996 | De Kuip, Rotterdam | Template:Fb | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 14 December 1996 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 21 February 1998 | Orange Bowl, Miami | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 7 October 2000 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 2–0 | |||||
| 10 | 6 October 2001 | GelreDome, Arnhem | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 16 October 2002 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying |
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | Template:Tooltip | |||
| AC Milan | 16 January 2014<ref name="Seedorf-coach">Template:Cite news</ref> | 9 June 2014<ref name="Sacked"/> | ||||||||
| Shenzhen FC | 7 July 2016 | 5 December 2016 | ||||||||
| Deportivo La Coruña | 5 February 2018 | 22 May 2018 | ||||||||
| Cameroon | 4 August 2018 | 16 July 2019 | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||||
Honours
<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ajax<ref name = "honours">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Eredivisie: 1993–94, 1994–95
- KNVB Cup: 1992–93
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 1993
- UEFA Champions League: 1994–95<ref name="Four-time winner Seedorf">Template:Cite web</ref>
Real Madrid<ref name = "honours"/>
- La Liga: 1996–97
- Supercopa de España: 1997
- UEFA Champions League: 1997–98<ref name="Four-time winner Seedorf"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Intercontinental Cup: 1998
AC Milan<ref name = "honours"/>
- Serie A: 2003–04, 2010–11
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2011
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03, 2006–07<ref name="Four-time winner Seedorf"/>
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003, 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
Botafogo<ref name = "honours"/>
Individual
- Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 1993, 1994<ref name = "Talent of the year">Template:Cite web</ref>
- ESM Team of the Year: 1996–97<ref name="ESM Team of the year">Template:Cite web</ref>
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2002,<ref name = "UEFA Team of the year 2002">Template:Cite web</ref> 2007<ref name = "UEFA Team of the year 2007">Template:Cite web</ref>
- UEFA Best Midfielder Award: 2006–07<ref name = "UEFA Champions League awards">Template:Cite web</ref>
- FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2007<ref name = "FIFA Club World Cup Awards">Template:Cite web</ref>
- FIFPro World XI Nominee: 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Real Madrid Team of the Century: 2008<ref name = "Real Madrid Team of the Century">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Bola de Prata: 2013<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau<ref name = "Knighthood">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Commander of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star<ref name = "Gele Ster">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Nelson Mandela Legacy Champion<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- FIFA 100<ref name = "FIFA 100">Template:Cite news</ref>
- AC Milan Hall of Fame<ref name=acmilan.com/>
- Golden Foot Award Legends: 2018<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
- List of people named in the Panama Papers
References
External links
- Clarence Seedorf official website
- Profile at the AC Milan website
- Profile at the Royal Dutch Football Association website (in Dutch)
- Template:Wereld van Oranje
- Template:FIFA player
- Template:UEFA player
Template:Navboxes Template:Navboxes Template:Navboxes Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Seedorf family
- Footballers from Paramaribo
- Footballers from Almere
- Dutch men's footballers
- Dutch football managers
- Netherlands men's international footballers
- Surinamese men's footballers
- Surinamese football managers
- Surinamese emigrants to the Netherlands
- Men's association football midfielders
- AFC Ajax players
- UC Sampdoria players
- Real Madrid CF players
- Inter Milan players
- AC Milan players
- Botafogo FR players
- Eredivisie players
- Serie A players
- La Liga players
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
- UEFA Champions League–winning players
- UEFA Euro 1996 players
- 1998 FIFA World Cup players
- UEFA Euro 2000 players
- UEFA Euro 2004 players
- FIFA 100
- Dutch expatriate men's footballers
- Surinamese expatriate men's footballers
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
- Dutch Muslims
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
- AC Milan managers
- Shenzhen F.C. managers
- Deportivo de La Coruña managers
- Cameroon national football team managers
- Serie A managers
- China League One managers
- La Liga managers
- 2019 Africa Cup of Nations managers
- Dutch expatriate football managers
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in China
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Cameroon
- Expatriate football managers in Italy
- Expatriate football managers in China
- Expatriate football managers in Spain
- Expatriate football managers in Cameroon
- Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Honorary Order of the Yellow Star
- People named in the Panama Papers
- Converts to Islam
- Dutch people of Surinamese descent
- Sportspeople of Surinamese descent
- Association football people awarded knighthoods
- 20th-century Dutch sportsmen