Clarence Seedorf

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, 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. 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. 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. Among his teammates was Frank Rijkaard, the player he used to idolise in his younger days. 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…

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. Seedorf scored on his debut, helping his team to a 5–0 victory in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match. 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. 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. 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.

Nicknamed "Il Professore" and "Willy Wonka", Seedorf is widely considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. He is considered to have been a well-rounded player with high strength, pace and stamina, allowing him to play anywhere in the midfield and contribute both offensively and defensively. While he primarily served as a playmaker in the centre, he was also deployed as an attacking midfielder, on the wing, as a mezzala, or in a holding or box-to-box role. In addition to his physical attributes and skill as a defender, he was an excellent dribbler who could retain possession under pressure, crossing the ball off to on-rushing teammates with impressive accuracy. Seedorf was also a successful free kicker and capable of scoring goals from distance with either foot. Despite his physical style of play, Seedorf was regarded as a player with good behavior, having been sent off only two times in his career. He has also been praised for his longevity on the field.

Born in Paramaribo, Suriname, 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, and his father, former player and talent agent Johann Seedorf.