Seedorf, The Dutch Master Of Europe
The only player to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs and the first European footballer to have claimed the former Intercontinental Cup with two different sides, Clarence Seedorf, is now on the verge of breaking yet another international record.
Should the 31-year-old take the field for Milan against Arsenal on Wednesday in their Champions League second-round first-leg, he will become the Dutch player with most appearances in UEFA club competitions, making it an astonishing 130. [wow...]
The former Ajax, Sampdoria, Real Madrid and Internazionale midfielder is currently sharing top-spot in the respective list with Frankie de Boer, a now retired former Ajax team-mate.
De Boer, who also played alongside Seedorf for the Dutch national side for a decade, featured 71 times for the Amsterdam giants, 50 for Barcelona and eight more for Galatasaray.
Seedorf now has the chance of making it 71 European outings for the reigning Champions League holders, having also played 16 times for Ajax, 26 for Real Madrid and 17 for Inter.
Only himself to beat
According to the Dutch top-ten list published by Algemeen Dagblad, Seedorf’s imminent record cannot be threatened in the foreseeable future.
Phillip Cocu (121), Michael Reiziger (96), Marc Overmars (95) and Dennis Bergkamp (94) have all withdrawn from the game, while Edgar Davids (97), Ed van der Sar (96), Patrick Kluivert (94) and Gio van Bronckhorst (90), who are still active, are all far behind.
Seedorf will celebrate his 32nd birthday on April Fools’ Day and perhaps in the years to come he will have the chance to pursue top-spot in the all-time UEFA competitions’ list.
His Rossoneri team-mate Paolo Maldini, currently on 164 appearances, may still be going strong, but he’s already 39, while LuÃs Figo (137) of arch-rivals Internazionale is 35 and Oliver Kahn (136) of Bayern is 38 and will hang up his gloves at the end of the season.
Seedorf, a Suriname native, has won 19 major trophies in club football throughout his career and was named the best midfielder of the UEFA Champions League last season.
Goal.com