Jaap Stam

Early career

Born in Kampen, Overijssel, Stam started his career with local amateur football club DOS Kampen. On 15 August 1992, Stam made his professional debut for FC Zwolle in a 1–1 draw against SC Heracles in the Eerste Divisie. He moved to Eredivisie club Cambuur for the following season, but was relegated in his first season. Two seasons at Cambuur earned him a transfer to Eredivisie club Willem II. At Willem II, he immediately impressed at the Eredivisie level, which meant his final breakthrough. Stam transferred to PSV Eindhoven where he won the KNVB Cup in 1995–96, his first professional trophy. He won the 1996–97 Eredivisie, as well as the Johan Cruyff Shield. Individually, Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award.

Manchester United

In April 1998, Stam became the then most expensive defender in history when Manchester United bought him on a five-year contract for £10.6 million. PSV initially valued him at £15 million, but accepted the lower offer after Stam waived his right to 15% of the fee. Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United, during which time United won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He scored his only goal for the club in a 6–2 away victory against Leicester City. In the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, Stam's centre-back partner Ronny Johnsen conceded a free kick on the edge of the penalty area when he brought down Bayern Munich's Carsten Jancker in the first…

Stam made his debut for the Netherlands on 24 April 1996 in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Germany in Rotterdam. He was not initially chosen for UEFA Euro 1996, but was later added to the squad after an injury ruled out Frank de Boer; he did not however make any appearances at the tournament. He scored his first goal on 6 September 1997 in a 3–1 home win over rivals Belgium in World Cup qualification. He was also an important player in the Dutch team that finished fourth in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. During UEFA Euro 2000, he once again reached the semi-finals with the Dutch team, hosted in his home country and Belgium. Stam missed his attempt in the penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals, hitting the ball over the bar in a defeat against Italy. He was not originally scheduled to take a penalty, but had to due to substitutions and fatigue among his teammates. Stam reached his third semi-finals in an international competition with his nation at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal and retired from international football after the tournament. The reason cited for his international retirement was that he wanted to focus on his new team, Milan, as well as his family. In total, he played 67 matches for the Netherlands, scoring three goals.

Considered by several pundits to be one of the best defenders of his generation, as well as one of the greatest Dutch and Premier League defenders in history, Stam played primarily as a centre-back. He was known for possessing "a rare combination of speed, strength and ball-playing ability", as well as an excellent positional sense and a powerful shot. Due to his wide range of skills, in his prime he was also capable of playing as a full-back on the right flank.

In October 2008, Stam returned to Manchester United as a scout for the club, responsible for most of South America.

Soccer Aid

Stam has been involved with Soccer Aid, which puts celebrities and football legends together in two teams (England and Rest of the World) for a charity game in aid of UNICEF. Stam has appeared in five Soccer Aid matches 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.