Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Netherlands

Hasselbaink began his senior career with Telstar, while still a gang member, and had disciplinary issues at the club due to his persistent lateness. He made his Eerste Divisie debut on 27 October 1990, in a 2–0 defeat at VVV-Venlo. Head coach Niels Overweg dismissed him after he turned up late to a match. He began training with AZ Alkmaar, where his brother Carlos was playing and impressed enough to win a professional contract. However, Head coach Henk Wullems opted not to renew his contract in 1993, despite Hasselbaink making 46 appearances for the club. He had an unsuccessful trial with FC Eindhoven, and after failing to agree terms with PEC Zwolle he instead spent the 1993–94 season training with HFC Haarlem. He then played amateur football for Neerlandia whilst he looked abroad for a professional contract, spending time in Austria with Admira Wacker.

Portugal

Hasselbaink signed for newly promoted Portuguese Primeira Divisão side Campomaiorense in August 1995 after impressing trainer Manuel Fernandes on a trial. The chairman wanted to keep his signing a secret and so told the press that he had signed a player called "Jimmy", but after his signing was revealed the name stuck and he was known as Jimmy rather than Jerrel for the rest of his career. He failed to score in his first four games and missed a penalty in his fifth game after insisting on taking the penalty ahead of regular taker Stanimir Stoilov, however, he made amends for the miss…

Hasselbaink came to the attention of Netherlands manager Guus Hiddink whilst playing in England for Leeds United and made his international debut on 27 May 1998 in a 0–0 draw in a friendly with Cameroon at the GelreDome in Arnhem; he came on as a 61st-minute substitute for Marc Overmars. On 1 June, he scored his first goal in a 5–1 friendly victory over Paraguay, and a few days later scored his second goal in another 5–1 friendly victory over Nigeria. He was part of the Dutch squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, as back-up to established international strikers Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp and Pierre van Hooijdonk and wingers Boudewijn Zenden and Marc Overmars. With other strikers not fully fit, Hasselbaink started the opening game against Belgium at the Stade de France, but missed a scoring opportunity in the 0–0 draw and was taken off for Bergkamp after 65 minutes. Kluivert was sent off in the match, but Bergkamp was played as the only striker in the next game against South Korea, and van Hooijdonk was taken off the bench to replace him. In the third group game against Mexico at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Hasselbaink came on for Bergkamp after 78 minutes, which was to be his last appearance at the tournament as Kluivert returned from suspension to leave Hasselbaink as Hiddink's fourth choice forward; Netherlands ended the tournament in fourth place. Hiddink resigned and was replaced by his assistant Frank Rijkaard, who rarely picked Hasselbaink at…

Hasselbaink was a quick sprinter and had a powerful shot and physique, which allowed him to score from either inside or outside the area. He was able to shoot with his left foot despite being primarily right-footed. In addition to scoring goals, he was also capable of creating them for his teammates. Tom Sheen, sports reporter for The Independent and a Chelsea supporter, wrote that "[Hasselbaink] possessed one of the best strikes ever seen at Stamford Bridge, was an expert free-kick taker, great with both feet and decent in the air".

Hasselbaink was born on 27 March 1972 in Paramaribo, Suriname (then part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), to Frank Ware and Cornelli Hasselbaink; he was the youngest of six children. At the age of five in 1977, Hasselbaink was run over by a moped, which broke his right leg. In October 1978, his mother took him and three siblings to live in Zaandam, Netherlands; his father remained in Suriname and rarely contacted the family. Hasselbaink grew up in a 14-storey apartment block mainly inhabited by immigrants, and witnessed several suicides by jumping. In 1979, Hasselbaink began playing youth football for Gestaagt Volharding Overwint (GVO), initially as a goalkeeper. He later played for Zaansche Football club (ZFC) and Zaanlandia as a right winger. He joined a street gang at age 16 and began to carry a knife. He and his gang went to Amsterdam to steal tickets for a Public Enemy concert but were reported, and the police investigation found more stolen goods in Hasselbaink's bedroom, leading to him being sentenced to three months in a youth detention centre. He shared a cell with three other offenders, including a mentally disturbed man who could not speak Dutch, and reflected "Maybe it was the big shock I needed". After his release, he joined the youth team at DWS, but he was dismissed from the club for stealing the watch of a first-team player.